Landscaping for the Swing Set

You want kids to play in their own yard, but the combination of swing sets, forts and sandboxes can create an eyesore in an otherwise attractive landscape. We don’t want to discourage the kids from enjoying their play area, but we would also like it to look more appropriate in our lawn setting.

Some creative landscape tricks can turn these areas into sites where both children and parents can enjoy. It only takes a small investment and a few painting guidelines.

Safety is the foremost consideration. The play area should be located within the yard away from obstacles which could harm the children. Choose and area away from clotheslines, electrical transformers, overhead wires and utility boxes.

Kids can also get pretty noisy as they frolic about, so you may want to locate the play area at a point in the yard farthest from the house and neighbors. The people next door may not appreciate your little ones’ activities as much as you, therefore consider screening the play area along the property line with tall growing shrubs or evergreens. Also keep in mind when designing a play area how easy it will be to maintain. You will want to choose plants that don’t require a lot of pruning, weeding, raking or watering.

Once you have considered these factors you can begin to design the play area. First determine the number of kids who will frequently use the area. Generally an area less than ten by twelve feet is not large enough for large toys like a swing set or sandbox and still provide room to run around.

Next determine what play equipment you want to include. Consider a sandbox, a teeter-totter, slide, clubhouse, jungle gym, and/or at least two swings. It’s been my experience that one swing causes real problems with the children hollering at each other to take turns. You don’t need to include all these items. Many come in preassembled metal sets, some are made or precut wood, and others can be purchased as part of a kit and built on the site. There are also some durable plastic toys on the market to choose from. After the size of the area has been chosen, determine how you will define the area. This is usually accomplished with treated railroad timbers which are usually six by eight inches wide and eight feet long. These can be installed one of two ways. One is to dig a trench to set the timbers at the three inch level above the ground, or they can be set flush with the soil which makes for easy mowing and eliminates the need to trim grass.

Once the timbers are set, the defined area should be excavated to a two to four inch depth and filled with sand or mulch. Next allow at least a two and a half foot walkway between the play area and surrounding landscape plants.

For screening needs along the property line select tall evergreens such as Taxus, Juniper or Arborvitae and/or shrubs such as lilac or viburnum. Next, select shrubs which will not exceed three feet in height for the side of the play area facing the house. This will provide some screening of the view while still allowing parents to spot any mischief or accidents in the play area.

One side of the play area should be left open to allow access to the area. It is best ti keep flowers outside of the play area but they would look nice trimming the shrub bed facing the house. You may also want to consider planting a shade tree near the area to cool the kids in the hot summertime.

Follow these landscaping tips for play areas and you will create a site which you, your kids and your neighbors can enjoy.