Leading children’s permaculture workshops at the Mt Cootha Botanic Gardens was my adventure yesterday.

There was wonderful creative excitement as around 75 children parents and grandparents (in 2 sessions) explored the world of perennial permaculture plants and how to propagate them in their own handmade up-cycled and decorated mini-wicking garden beds.

We nibbled, smelt, felt and planted a range of interesting plants and explored the role they play in our food, our medicine and our garden system – chocolate mint, Japanese mint, Vietnamese mint,  Brazilian spinach, Red Hibiscus spinach, Mexican tarragon, cosmos, sacred basil, pelargonium, oregano, weeping rosemary and society garlic. The workshop room in the Botanic Gardens Library smelt incredible!

Red Hibiscus Spinach

The children made wicking pots from old 2 or 3 litre milk bottles and juice bottles and when we ran out of those we made some smaller temporary biodegradable pots from newspaper.  I”ll post soon with a full explanation about how to make these different pots.

Thanks to the library staff for organising and setting up, thanks to the parents for bringing their children and getting so involved in the session, and thanks of course to the children for being so amazingly enthusiastic about planting and sustainability.

I love doing workshops for kids – just so much fun!  Every school holidays the Brisbane City Council supports me to offer free workshops for kids throughout libraries in the city.  During the year I also organise Nature Kids programs on the weekends to get out in nature to explore, learn and connect.

Here are just a few of the beautiful faces of the children and their creations yesterday.