I’m once again highlighting one of our favorite plant nurseries: The Natural Garden located in Austin, Texas. The Natural Gardener is one of the  most innovative garden centers I have seen. Every trip promises a of day a natural beauty.

Each time we visit I find myself in awe and inspired to get busy gardening! The first time we took a day trip to The Natural Gardener, I was determined to build my own backyard Square Foot Gardens. Look at my backyard now! Ha! This is a photo from our first visit to The Natural Gardener. Doesn’t it make you want to get dirt under your fingernails?

On our recent trip, I snapped some more inspiring Square Foot Garden Design Ideas . . .

Square Foot Garden Grid

• the square foot garden is 4′ x 4′
• it is divided into a grid for 16 small plants or 8 large plants
• this is the hard part about gardening, in the beginning it looks so sparse

Square Foot Garden Greens and Flower Mix

• edible beauty
• the seed packets are laminated and displayed on sticks

Rectangle Square Foot Garden Design

• the rectangle garden is 6′ x 3′
• greens, strawberries and flowers mix

Triangle Square Foot Garden Design

• each board is 4′
• beautiful edible yellow, red and green swiss chard
• pine needle path between each square foot garden

Covered Square Foot Garden

• rebar frame covered in chicken wire and fabric tarp
• tender spring veggies get a head start in this protected structure

Supported Square Foot Garden

• above rebar frame structure uncovered
• tall lanky plants can use the extra support

Protected Square Foot Garden

• keep the deer and other critters out of the garden
• and it’s darn cute
• This is the one I need need! Look out deer, you shall be banned!

Vine Structures for the Square Foot Garden

• bamboo, metal stakes, and folded fencing wire sheet

How to Build a Square Foot Garden

• supplies, step-by-step directions with pictures
• recipe and directions for mixing recommended Square Foot Garden soil

Rustic Square Foot Garden Designed by Children

• photo journal of square foot garden designed, built and planted by children

Happy Gardening! Time for me to get a little dirt under my fingernails!

Have you tried Square Foot Gardening? What is your favorite gardening tip?

Life with Jeannine

I also have a FREE printable book from our trip to The Natural Gardner that fits in nicely with a Plant Theme Study or a Color Unit.

FREE printable book: A Rainbow of Pots

One of our absolutely favorite spring time field trips is to The Natural Gardener in Austin, Texas. The Natural Gardener is one of the  most innovative garden centers I have seen. It truly rivals a botanical garden and it is absolutely FREE! Each time we visit I find myself in awe and inspired to get busy gardening!

As you can see, my children find it equally exhilarating!

Each time I drive up and park at The Natural Gardner, I am greeted by a rainbow of gorgeous pots. I can hardly drag myself away from the rich glazed colors. The colors are simply delicious! They make me say, “I love you so, I”ll eat you up!” If the pots are this fabulous aren’t you interested in the rest of the gardens? You can take a peek at photos from one of our other visits.

I love their rainbow of pots so much I made a little book about them!

Pots, Pots, Pots

FREE printable guided reading book

Pots, Pots, Pots

Pots, pots, pots! Pots everywhere!

Pots red like a strawberry.

Pots blue like the ocean.

Pots green like grass.

Pots, pots, pots! Pots everywhere!

Pots purple like grapes.

Pots white like cotton.

Pots brown like a tree trunk.

Pots yellow like a lemon.

 Pots blue like a berry.

 Even pots round like an orange.

Pots, pots, pots! Pots everywhere!

Print this book FREE: Pots, Pots, Pots

More Plant Theme Activities and Resources

Sharing this week at:

Plant Theme FREE printables

Learning Activities, Materials, Reading Books, Songs and Recipes

How to Plant and Grow Seeds

• FREE printable following directions guide with step by step directions and pictures, teaching children how to plant seeds.
• Original Post: How to Plant and Grow Seeds – Following Directions Guide For Children

Drawing and Labeling a Plant Diagram

• A Following Directions journal entry guide.
• Original Post: Planting a Rainbow

I Like the Wildflowers

• FREE printable pattern book featuring a song adaptation about colorful wildflowers.
• Song adaptation sung to the tune of  “I Love the Mountains.”
• Original post: I Like the Wildflowers

Pots, Pots, Pots

• FREE printable pattern book featuring colorful pots.
• Teaches colors.
• Original post: A Rainbow of Pots

In My Grandpa’s Garden

• FREE printable song adaptation sung to the tune of  “This is the Way We Go to School.”
• Original Post: In My Grandpa’s Garden – FREE printable song adaptation

 Exploring the Native Plant World

•  Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Website is an excellent resource for FREE printable Plant Study curriculum.
• Grade specific curriculum, Pre-K — 6th
• Hands-on Projects
• Original Post: Plant Theme Activities and Resources

The summer after the children and I built and planted our DIY square foot gardens, I heard two  little voices summoning me to the backyard, “Mommy, Mommy, look what we made!”

The children were busy creating a square foot garden of their very own.

Without any promoting or help from me the children had collected branches from our yard and assembled them into a rugged square foot garden. They also informed me that they had filled it with GOOD dirt from our compost pile.

They had collected little plants from around our yard and were gently planting them in their GOOD compost soil.

Their in-prompt-to square foot garden has come a long way. This spring MacGyver decided he wanted his square foot garden to be an official butterfly garden.

The little, white fenced-off area in the background is a caterpillar farm. More on that next week!

After seeing the IMAX movie Flight of the Butterflies, MacGyver rushed out to purchase a Tropical Milkweed plant. One fact we learned during the movie is that monarchs only lay their eggs on the Milkweed plant. We’ve spotted a few monarchs. MacGyver diligently, inspects his milkweed for eggs. Keeping our fingers crossed!

Beneath the milkweed, he planted Blue Mist. Another plant loved by butterflies. It’s just beginning to bloom. Back off deer!

MacGyver transplanted Henry Duelberg Sage from our square foot garden and Purple Horsemint from Grandma’s yard. What’s better to a gardener than free plants? (If you want a sage that will multiply try Henry Duelberg Sage. I bought one little plant that grew and grew and grew. I’ve transplanted it all around my yard. Whoo-hoo it’s even deer resistant.

MacGyver finished his butterfly garden out with Fennel, Dill and Parsley. All plants that caterpillars love for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Children and ideas are like little seeds. Plant them, nurture them and watch them grow and blossom!

More Gardening with Children Activities

How to Plant and Grow Seeds: FREE printable following directions guide for children

How to Grow a Morning Glory Tepee with Children

Container Gardening with Children: Square Foot Gardening Style

Photo by Miss Enigma, age 5

Colorful Herb Container Gardens

Square Foot Gardening with Children

In My Grandpa’s Garden: FREE printable song adaptation

We’re GIVING AWAY Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert! Come WIN!

• Plant Theme Activities and Resources

Life with Jeannine

We love the San Antonio Botanical Garden! My children are crazy for all things nature, plants and butterflies. None the less, I was shocked at how much they enjoyed our trip to the Botanical Garden last fall. We are currently planning our Spring trip.

We began our field trip with a little study of the Garden map. Our field trips are the perfect hands-on application of mapping skills.

The San Antonio Botanical Garden covers 38 gorgeous acres right in the center of the city. The map guides you down the trails, through the Piney Forest, over to the Children’s Vegetable Garden, up to the indoor Conservatory . . .

The entrance to the Gardens is surrounded by pots overflowing with flowers . . .

Giant elephant ears waving you, “this way, this way” . . .

And trails flanked by bountiful flowerbeds.

The Formal Garden illustrates how to mix flowering plants, herbs, leafy greens and ornamentals. Newly planted, I know these formal designs will be splendid when fully grown and filled-in.

From the Formal Garden we caught our first glimpse of a dinosaur. At the time of our visit, the San Antonio Botanical Garden was hosting a Dinosaur Stampede. Life size prehistoric creatures where displayed throughout the gardens. You can check sabot.org, their education page and the up to date website calendar for special events and educational opportunities:

• Summer Camps
• Little Sprouts Monday
• Children’s Vegetable Garden
• Homeschool Class
• Starlight Movies in the Gardens
• Art in the Gardens

The Butterfly Garden was of course the favorite of my kiddos. My photos could not capture the abundance of butterflies that were flying from plant to plant in this area. The butterflies weren’t quite as thick as the movie Flight of the Butterflies, but that is what it reminded me of.

Butterflies everywhere drinking up nectar.

Thank goodness for the Pond Garden to draw my kiddos away from the butterflies. Stunning water lilies.

What Piney Woods right in the middle of the city! Amazing to find a small lake surrounded by a forest of trees. Snuggled within the trees are authentic Texas Pioneer Cabins moved on-sight. The one room cabins gave the children a much greater appreciation for how simply people once lived. Tied in perfect with our year long study on the founding of America, The American Revolution and Texas History.

The Conservatory houses quite a variety of habitats. The children were truly charmed by the rainforest.

I want this Wisteria Arbor in my yard! Peaceful and lovely windows looking out upon a secret garden world. Dreaming!

We couldn’t make it out of the San Antonio Botanical Garden without one more visit to the Butterfly Garden!

“15 more minutes and then we’re leaving. 10 more minutes and then we’re leaving. 5 more minutes and then were leaving. Okay, 5 more minutes and then we’re leaving. Really this time, 5 more minutes and then we’re leaving. Okay, this time we’re really leaving . . .”

Don’t miss the San Antonio Botanical Garden! Beautiful trails, wide open spaces for exploring and peaceful spots for gazing. Our photos only scratch the surface of what there is to see.

Things to Know Before You Go:

• Open Year Round, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Children $5.00. Adults $8.00
• 210-207-3250
• sabot.org
• San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, San Antonio, Texas 78209
  

Life with Jeannine

We’re Giving Away: Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert. Come WIN!