Gardening: Playtime pick and mix

BOWLED OVER: Rosebuds are always favourites in a bowl of potpourri for their fragrance, colour and tradition.

Letting the littlies 'help' you find the makings for potpourri is a fine way to keep both age groups occupied

My niece and her partner recently moved to our town with their two small children and, after a few afternoons of trying to entertain them with torches, pastry cutters and other household objects, I decided I'd better buy some toys.

The trouble is, magnetised letters to stick on the fridge horrify me, as does Lego, electronic things that bleep, and just about anything plastic.

Happily, their mother is like-minded, being a handcrafty person who cooks, knits and sews like someone twice her age. It runs in the family.

Her mother -- my sister-in-law -- actually taught herself to knit left-handed so she could teach her left-handed daughter the craft. Above and beyond the call of duty, I reckon, but amazing just the same.

Anyway, after a few visits I realised the two littlies were happy to do pretty much anything as long as someone did it with them, so when they tired of moving the goldfish from one pond to the other, the time had come to pass on to them one or two of my own skills.

I'm not much into handcrafts, and preschoolers are not much into gardening, but we could meet in the middle and make potpourri.

The first step -- collecting flowers -- is ideal for small children who love pulling the heads off all your favourite plants and presenting them to you with wide smiles.

And because the plant matter you collect will shrink when it dries, you can let the kids pick four times more than you think you'll need -- another endearing characteristic of small children.

Every garden has something that can be used in potpourri, including mint, hydrangeas, rosebuds, rose petals, Queen Anne's lace, leaves and seeds.

If you're doing it with children, let them pick whatever they like. You can weed out the unsuitable bits like snail shells and broken hose fittings when they're not looking.

Spread the bounty on clean paper towels and let it sit for about four days until totally dry.

This is a part of the process that will not intrigue children (nor adults), so find something else to do while it happens.

Toss the flowers and herbs occasionally so they dry uniformly. When they're dry, tip them into a big basin and for each litre of petals add a tablespoon of fixative -- orris root is a common one.

You can also throw in spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, dried citrus peel and vanilla beans.

Finally, add a few drops of essential oil or your favourite perfume.

Putting the mixture into jars can amuse littlies for a good half hour as they select what's going in and what's not. Be prepared for the moment when you think the mix is right and you can see the exquisite pink rosebuds next to the glass. That's when the wee ones will want to tip it all out and start again.

Seal the mixture in a jar, and let it mellow for 10 days.

Delegate the job of shaking the jar every day or two to your little people so the ingredients blend well.

When you want to scent up the house, shake some potpourri into a bowl and set it somewhere the kids can't eat it.