Planning Our Sunflower House

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Roots, Shoots, Buckets & BootsĀ
A sweet friend recently gave me this book about gardening with kids. Ā I love it! Ā It’s packed with fun ideas and adorable drawings, along with specific instructions for tackling a variety of projects: Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with ChildrenĀ by Sharon Lovejoy.
The Sunflower House
I was particularly captivated by the plans for a simple Sunflower House. Ā We’ve grown sunflowers before (so I know we can do it again) and the boys are at the perfect ages (7 and almost-4) to enjoy the concept of their own little space surrounded by these tall beauties.
We also grow morning glory vines every year–they’re a family favorite. Ā Actually, my late mother-in-law used to grow them when Mr. Native Texan was a child and my first packet of morning glory seeds came from her shortly after we were married. Ā So we kind of grow them in honor of her. Plus, they’re such an easy, beautiful plant. Ā I know they’ll be perfect as the roof of our sunflower house!
Ordering Seeds
Using the instructions from Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots,Ā I ordered our seeds online fromĀ Pinetree Garden Seeds. Ā
The gardening season here in Northern Virginia generally begins around Mother’s Day, and Baby Brother is scheduled to arrive the last week of May–at which point I will be off the radar for some time. š Ā Therefore, I wanted to be ready to plant our Sunflower House during that small window of time around May 20th.
Making Plans
Mr. Native Texan has agreed to provide the manual labor necessary for clearing a small spot out back, near the sandbox. Ā The boys are super-excited and I’m glad they have something to look forward to. Ā Baby Brother’s arrival will be a major time of transition for them (and all of us!), so it will be fun to start this easy project together and then watch it take shape over the growing season.
We’re already scouting out tree stumps and such, to be used as furniture in the Sunflower House.
Mini-Nature Journals {free printable}
Another sweet friend included these charming garden journals in the family Christmas basket we exchange each year. Ā I’d been saving them for the growing season, without a specific plan for how to put them to use. Ā When we decided to plant the Sunflower House, I knew these would be a perfect go-along for the boys!
We already keep nature journals, so they’re familiar with the concept of drawing what we see in nature. Ā These cute little journals will provide an excellent way to document the progression of our Sunflower House.
And guess what: the journal covers are available as a free printable! Ā Find the instructions and downloadable pdf here: Ā My Garden Notes.
What special gardening projects do you have planned for this year?
Read more about our Gardening Adventures:
- Sneak Peak: This Year’s Garden Experiment
- This Year’s Garden Experiments, Take TwoĀ
- Square Foot Gardening: How to Construct Sturdy, Economical Trellises for Climbing Crops
- This Year’s First Harvest
- Green Beans Galore
- Learning to Can (Can)Ā
- Benefits of Using Herbs in Flower ArrangementsĀ
- This Year’s Garden Experiments: Organic Bug Control
- This Year’s Garden Experiment: A Headless Chicken & The Great Guinea Massacre

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We have the same book! I can’t wait to see how the sunflower house turns out. I am sure it will be wonderful š
Thanks, Nikki! I’ll keep you posted…
We just checked this book out from the library. LOVE IT!!! The girls and I have been reading/looking through it together, and when I asked them which project they’d like to try this summer, the decision was unanimous for the Sunflower House. š Here’s hoping we can keep the deer away!!! š
Angela–you need a dog. š
Gosh, how did I miss this great posting about my book Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots? Thank you! I hosted many hundreds of kids at our sunflower house and ended up having to actually build a permanent framework for the project, otherwise the kids loved it to pieces. We built a wire and wooden house shaped framework with a door big enough for a wheelchair to enter. We grew sunflowers, heavenly blue morning glories, gourds and scarlet runner beans on it. Thanks for your kind words.
Hi Sharon, your new and improved sunflower house sounds amazing! We love your book; thanks for stopping by! š