Contributed by The Children's Center in Bethany.

Your child can take a cue from the patients at The Children’s Center* and create an Alphabet Garden in your yard. Our children are growing plants with names beginning with each letter of the alphabet and labeling each plant with letters on sticks.

The children are making the garden as part of their recreation and horticulture therapy sessions. Recreation therapy helps stretch little muscles and develop motor skills. Horticulture therapy helps children accomplish physical, occupational and educational tasks and gives them a sense of accomplishment as they literally watch their efforts grow.

Here are notes from our horticulturist, Rochelle Allen, about planting the garden, followed by notes from our recreational therapist, Tami Crawford, on decorating it.

Rochelle Allen, horticulturist:
The biggest goal with our garden is ease. The garden must be easy to access for the little ones and easy to maintain for the grounds crew. The starting point is designing with plant material that follows the alphabet in naming and is compatible with the site. Our site will face east, with parts of the garden having a more southeast exposure (more sun) and parts having a more northeast exposure (less sun). I've tried to come up with a list of plants that will be happy together in the same bed (water, soil and sun requirements).

Before the fun of planting can begin, we will first strip the sod, take soil samples and have them tested to determine the soil's alkalinity and available nutrients. Once we have the results of the soil test, we can then work the beds and amend the the soil. We will add compost and organic fertilizers to bring the soil up to optimum condition. If we take the time to prepare the beds properly, we should have a big payback in ease of cultivation and maintenance of the plants. Our goal here is to feed to soil so the soil can feed the plants. This should cut down on any disease and pest problems for the future. This garden will be developed and maintained organically so that our kids will not have any chemical exposure. The plants should be much healthier and happier, too.

Once the beds are properly prepared, we'll install edging and then go in and site the plants, review the results, make any adjustments, and then pop them into the ground. Once planted, we'll water them in and mulch the bed and voila—we have an Alphabet Garden!

Here is our plant list. We’re starting small with just a few selections for each letter. This list includes the common names for plants, though we have also included some plants' Latin names:

A - anemone, aster
B - butterfly bush, bachelor button
C - catmint, chrysanthemum
D - dahlia, daisy
E - elephant ears, echinacea
F - flax, fennel
G - gallardia, gaura
H - hyacinth, hemerocallis (daylily)
I - iris, ipomea (sweet potato vine)
J - juniper, johnny jump up
K - kerria, "Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate"
L - lavender, lily
M - maiden grass, Mexican Hat
N - narcissus (daffodil), nigella ("Love in a Mist")
O - oregano, Ox-Eye daisy
P - peony, phlox
Q - Queen Anne's Lace, quercus (oak)
R - rose, russian sage
S - sage, sedum
T - thyme, tulip
U - Ulmus parvifolia (Lacebark Elm) - not a large selection of "U" plants
V - verbena, veronica
W - weigelia, wisteria
X - Xanthoriza simplicissima ("X" plants are almost non-existent)
Y - yucca
Z - zinnia, zantedeschia (calla lily)

All these plants were chosen for their site compatibility, water and food requirements, and where possible, for fragrance and color.  This will be a work in progress for some time, but if we start right, it should repay us for years down the road.  I have an extensive list of plants to go with each letter, but we're starting small.  Some items may have to be changed later on if they're not responding well to the site.

Tami Crawford, recreational therapist:
We purchased letters at Hobby Lobby.  We chose large, plain wooden letters for each plant but you can pick any size you like. We had our children paint them with acrylic paint and added stickers to them using Modge Podge to help them stick and lay flatter. We then put a clear protective coating on them, especially made for outdoor use. We found this at Wal-mart.

* The Children's Center is a private, non-profit hospital serving children with complex medical and physical disabilities.

The photo above shows Melody helping Gus paint the alphabet label for the garden at The Children's Center in Bethany.