The value of our gardens goes far beyond its worth displayed in a flower’s vibrant delicate blooms, the breathtaking natural architecture comprised of perfect petals, leaves, stems and branches — or its bounty in on our kitchens to share those special moments gathered around a table with family and friends.

The garden can be our most valuable teacher even in the moments when we are foiled by pests, and our skills or weather fail us. She teaches us invaluable lessons of patience, perseverance and problem-solving. Some of my earliest vivid childhood memories revolve around my grandmother's cherished stone fruit trees, our rhubarb patch, planting beans early in the spring, then watching them victoriously climb and cover a length of fencing year after year.

Some of those rhizomes and grafts from her garden were planted here, and though long passed she still nourishes my children and teaches them through those plants living in my gardens today.

One of the most important things we can do with our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews is extend the gifts of knowledge learned in the garden to them. Experiential nature-based learning builds skills that we can carry with us for a lifetime; it has been statistically shown to cultivate more environmentally conscious adults by building vital problem-solving skills in children.

The memories and bonds we can make together in the garden can live on far beyond us — and provide a healthy, satisfying pastime for any age group. And after all, who doesn’t love the gratifying mess of blackberry-stained hands?

For young children, you may have reservations about plant damage or mistakes made, but here are three easy activities you can do side by side, sharing and learning together for life:

• Seed saving: Whether it's from vegetables or flower seed heads, even small children can participate in seed collection. The satisfaction of planting a garden in subsequent seasons can be a great learning experience for them.
  

  

  Amyrose Foll

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• Planting perennial herbs: If you are concerned about plants being trampled or roughly handled, hardy herbs like oregano, lemon balm, German thyme and agastache can be a good choice when small feet may otherwise pose a risk to your plants. They recover quickly and are easy to grow in a wide range of conditions.
  
• Picking male squash blossoms: This is excellent for grade school–aged children and can give them a leg up when learning about flower structure in biology class.
  

  

  Amyrose Foll

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While there are countless lessons to be learned from the garden, I hope you make time to enjoy the endless benefits of spending intergenerational time working together. Write your own family stories together for the future.
Happy Gardening,

Amyrose