Plant a Harry Potter Garden with your Children
Are your children pasty faced and red eyed from re-reading the first
five Harry Potter books as they await the release of Harry Potter
and the Half Blood Prince? Get them out into the sunshine and fresh
air with this Harry Potter garden plan that uses plants mentioned in
the first five books in the series.
Although Mandrakes, Aconite, Hellebores, and Belladonna do exist, I
am not including them in the garden plan because they are lethally
poisonous.
Create a six foot wide by twelve foot long strip for your garden.
For the most attractive design, give the bed a bit of a curve.
1. Cabbages first appear in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Hagrid is growing these non-magical plants for food for the school.
You will want to plant six cabbages in your garden plot. To enjoy
the pretty leaves of these plants, place them in groupings of three
plants instead of placing them in tidy rows. Although we do not have
flesh eating slugs in the world of Muggles, have your children keep
a sharp eye out for standard slugs and cabbage worms.
2. Daisies are a potion ingredient in Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban. While they do not actually help shrink things, they are
pretty to look at. Plant three to six of these perennials in a curvy
line towards the back of the garden.
3. Geraniums in the world of Muggles are not fanged, as they are in
Order of the Phoenix, but they are certainly colorful. I recommend
planting them in groups of three across the front of the garden bed.
For plants that come back year after year, you may want to plant the
less colorful hardy Geranmiums instead.
4. Ginger is used in a wit sharpening potion in Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire. In the world of Muggles, wild ginger makes a nice
ground cover. Plant in clusters of three throughout the garden bed
and, in time, they will spread to cover bare spots.
5. Daffodils appear in Order of the Phoenix. Although Muggle
daffodils don't honk, they are a pretty sight in the spring. Plant
15 bulbs in clusters of three throughout the front of the garden.
6. Sage is used by Centaurs in Order of the Phoenix. A variagated
sage placed behind one of the clumps of cabbage is very attractive.
7. Holly is used to make wands and Harry uses a Holly wand in Harry
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Miniature Holly varieties are a
great way to add evergreen color to the garden. Plant a male Holly
at one back corner of the garden bed and plant a female Holly at the
other back corner.
8. Maples are also used to make wands in Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone. Place one Japanese Maple in the back of your
garden right in the center. A weeping variety looks best, but is
more expensive than some other varieties.
If you would like to make a larger bed or want to add some more
plants to make the six foot by twelve foot bed look fuller until the
perennials and trees mature, you may want to add Lovage, Pumpkins,
Willow (Muggle willows don't whomp, but a Red Twig Willow bush is
very pretty to look at) and a Butterfly Bush, which is the Muggle
equivalent of the Flutterby Bush in Harry Potter and the Goblet of
Fire. As your children read through the Harry Potter books, they may
just find another Muggle plant or two to add to the garden plan, as
well.
Finally, for an ornamental touch, add a ceramic or concrete
toadstool to the garden. After all, no proper magic garden would be
without a toadstool or two.
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