A-Z of Summer: Ladybird Garden

These are really good fun to make but can be a bit fiddly.  Be prepared to get earthy fingers, and to give up one or two flowers from the garden.

Find a flattish container – a seed tray is perfect if you have one, otherwise a container with low sides like a serving dish or a shallow sided cardboard box, will do.  Or if you really can’t find anything at all then you could clear a little area of the ground and put some sticks to mark out the boundary fence, or stones to make a wall.

Fill your container with earth from the garden or sand from the sandpit and pat it down smoothly.  Use small stones to make a winding path, some leaves and flowers to make bushes and plants; if your lawn has lots of daisies and buttercups these are great to use.  See if you can make a tree out of a twig with some leaves on, or use a bit of moss to look like foliage.

One of the best features of the ladybird garden is a pond, made from a pot or lid sunk into the soil, line with tin foil and then fill with a little water, add a petal or two to make it look like water lilies.

Make some garden furniture, a piece of bark makes a great bench or table and snail shells make fantastic chairs.

Make sure you check which leaves you are ok to pick, some could be poisonous or have stingers.

Whatever you choose to do enjoy the scent of summer with Vax and Heart.