Kids in the Garden

Did you realise that the very ground you walk on is alive? A handful of soil may contain millions of living things such as tiny insects, microscopic bugs and bacteria as well as worn down rock and minerals that plants use as food.

Seeds contain everything a plant needs to start life - the complete package! They can be as small as a speck of dust or as big as a coconut and come in an incredible variety of size, shapes, textures and patterns.

Luckily for bees, 90% of the plant world is flowers. The warmer months are the busiest but there are plants that flower each month of the year. The one thing they have in common as seeds but the real magic lies in their differences.

Leaves are so important to a plant's life as well as ours. Leaves soak up CO2 and produce the clean oxygen we breathe; they are the only living things that can make their own food - but why do some plants drop them in autumn?

One of the most distinctive things about our planet is that it's so green and green equals plants and plants equal life. Plants seem almost magical at times and work away in silence and with little movement. But how does it all happen?

An apple a day keeps the doctor away - and no offence - but anything that keeps us away from doctors is really good. Fruit is packed with vitamins and minerals that help us grow and protect us from disease - and we can't resist them!

A dark stuffy shed is the last place you'd think you'd find plants growing and mushrooms aren't exactly plants - they're fungi. They grow in the dark and live of rotting organic matter and are amazingly weird and really really strange!

You might think that plants are laid back but oh no - they lead pretty wild and crazy lives! From frozen mountains to hot dry deserts - plants can take it all. They're great survivors and play all sorts of tricks to get what they need.

Vegies straight from the garden taste a whole lot better. They're fresh and full of the vitamins and minerals that are lost in the trip from farm to shop. The great thing is they're pretty easy to grow and you don't need much space.

Herbs come in all shapes and sizes and are some of the most useful plants we have in the garden. They're used to flavour food, repel insects and make medicines. Wars have been fought and countries discovered all in the name of herbs!

We think our garden is a peaceful paradise but really it's a jungle out there! Most animals are insects and our gardens are full of creepy crawlies, as well as birds and animals. Why do we need so many living things in the garden?

Trees are amazing and are so important to our lives. We depend on them for so many things such as clean air, shade, windbreak and food for soil and creatures on the ground. A tree is not just a plant. It's a whole and vital ecosystem.

Next time you breathe remember to say thanks to plants! They breathe in the CO2 we breathe out and breathe out fresh oxygen, which is what we breathe in! We need oxygen to day alive and couldn't exist without our little green friends.

Cacti are tough. They can survive in the harshest conditions known, going without water and nutrients for long periods of time. They're not just tough, no, they are nasty too with spines and prickles to protect their precious reserves.

Gardens can pop up in the strangest places. In fact, you can practically bring the bush indoors with a slice of rainforest under a huge glass roof - to protect it from the chills and wind so that it stays warm and summery year round.