This month, our team have been working on building and installing an outdoor play area for one of our customers. If you have young children, an outdoor play area is a great excuse to get them out into the garden during the summer months and will give them plenty of exercise!
Whilst we provide a range of services at Gardenforce, building a play area is one of the most fun jobs we have been commissioned to undertake! It can be an expensive job and one that requires a lot of time if you plan to do it yourself.
Outdoor play areas can be enjoyed throughout the year by children of any age (and even adults!) For those of you who are looking to design and install a play area in your garden, our team of expert landscape gardeners have shared their top tips below which will help you create the perfect play place!
- Choose an area of the garden which benefits from plenty of daylight but also offers shade for when the weather is significantly hot.
- As well as shade, one of the main aspects to consider when creating a play area is safety. Build the play area in a large part of the garden where children will have plenty of space to play, but one that is also out of the way of harmful objects or places such as roads, ponds and sculptures.
- Where possible, use recycled resources such as railway sleepers, reclaimed timber and woodchip. This is a more environmentally friendly alternative to buying new and will also save you money!
- Create different levels and heights, or place the play area in a part of the garden which offers hiding places. This adds another element of fun for children and can help to introduce other children to the play area.
- Add a small vegetable patch or plant garden near to, or in, the play area. This will give you something to tend to whilst children are playing as well as teaching children how to care for plants and vegetables.
- As the weather changes throughout the year, the play area must be maintained. For example, during the autumn and winter leaves should be raked and checked for harmful objects underneath. Equipment should also be regularly checked for damage.
- If you only have a small area of garden to work with, play areas such as sand and water pits can be easily be built, often free of charge with a little imagination and recycled objects!
- Leftover wood can make a child’s imagination run wild. If you made equipment from wood and logs or simply have some spare, place them around the play area or create swings, benches and other objects.
- Artificial turf is a safe, low maintenance alternative to use in a play area. It doesn’t need mowing and provides a soft play space for younger children.
Landscape Gardening is a service we offer at Gardenforce, in both commercial and domestic settings. Our team of professional landscape gardeners work with you to create your dream garden and incorporate features such as water features, decking and seating areas and even play areas. Explore our website for more information on our range of gardening services or contact us on 07963 782 219. Alternatively you can email info@gardeningservicesyorkshire.co.uk
As you can see, this is a work in progress and we will update this post once the job is completed.
Cerebral