Planning a Playful Garden: Plants that are Perfect for Play It is great for kids to get outside and play in the garden but it's even better when they can play with the garden! ??Including plants in your garden that are suitable for kids to use in their play is a great way to encourage them to be outside -- playing, interacting and learning with nature. Before planning what to plant you'll need to consider if your children have any allergies or are sensitive to pollens. You also need to avoid plants with large spikes or prickles and make sure that what you plant is not poisonous. Think about all parts of the plant, leaves, roots, sap, berries, etc  and try Google to find a list of poisonous plants common to your area. Allowing kids to play with plants will mean setting a few ground rules in the beginning. Even very young children can be encouraged to take only some of the flowers or leaves for their play rather than stripping the whole plant and including children in the planting and care of the garden is a great way for them to learn to respect plants. Here are some ideas of what to plant in your playful garden... Vines and Creepers Including some hardy vines and creepers in your garden will provide an endless supply of crowns for kings, fairies and the like. Try Star Jasmin? or Hardenbergia/Coral Pea???. Smelly Plants My kids spend endless hours in the back yard