Create An Archaeological Garden
Every Little Boy Needs A Reason to Play in Dirt
Boys everywhere are always looking for an excuse to get dirty. Fulfill their dreams, as well as spark their vivid imaginations, with this special garden.
While little girls may dream of nothing but fairies, little boys on the other hand, prefer something a little more rough and tumble. Well, here is a way to combine their passion for dirt with their active imaginations - a wonderful archaeological garden. Remember though, before you start, you will need to check with your local council. Some areas require building permits for these types of structures.
What Will You Need?
- Sand
- Weed Mat (or some other form of barrier)
- Pine poles or sleepers
- Broken crockery and other broken items
- Coins
- Ivy
- Archaeological tools (paint brush, brush and shovel, trowel, small pick, etc)
- Narrow Steel Rope
- Quickset Cement
- Bolts
- Hooks
- Plastic collection tray
- Large Sieve
How is it Made?
- Lay out the weed mat and then position the poles or sleepers into a square over the top of it.
- Dig a hole at each corner of the pit and set in an upright pole. Fill with quickset cement and leave to set for the required time.
- Secure the horizontal poles with bolts to the vertical poles, so they don't roll away. You can make the wall of the pit as high as you like. At least two poles high is preferable. Anything higher and you will need to provide stairs into it.
- Attach the steel rope fairly loosely to the tops of the four poles. This is where the Ivy will grow along after climbing up the poles, in effect creating an overgrown ruin-like feel to the area. It is important here to make sure the poles are high enough so that the rope can drape a little, but not so low that your child is likely to get caught up in it. If in doubt, you could always just attach the rope to three of the upright poles, and leave a gap between the front two poles. This will create a safe entrance for your child.
- Lay down some of the broken bits of crockery. Make sure that all the crockery has been filed smooth along where it has been broken. This will avoid any injuries. Pop in some of the coins too.
- Now start filling it all with sand. Keep layering crockery and sand until the pit is filled.
- Screw in some hooks on the upright poles to hang up the sieve and sorting tray. The rest of the equipment can go up on hooks also.
- Finally, plant some Ivy at the base of each upright pole. Other plants may be used in place of Ivy, but you will need a climbing variety that will grow up the poles and along the rope.
The copyright of the article Create An Archaeological Garden in Garden Styles is owned by Rachel Tsoumbakos. Permission to republish Create An Archaeological Garden in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
