Growing Gardeners: A Family Landscape Designed for Play

When a garden plot doubles as a play area, learning about plants becomes adventure. JoAnn and Richard Hoffman's Eugene, Oregon landscape—designed by Jim Robinson of Daichi Landscape—transforms a steep, shady site into terraced beds for vegetables, broad paths for activity, and a multi-activity playhouse.

From Ivy-Covered Slope to Productive Terraces

Robinson removed a sun-blocking tree, then sculpted terraces into the hillside. The main terrace holds vegetables and people; a 3- to 4-inch layer of ¼-inch crushed rock covers much of it. A narrow upper terrace hosts blueberries. Raised beds framed with weathered basalt match adjacent retaining walls. Soil amended with compost and tilled to 12 inches ensures quick growth to keep kids engaged.

Design and installation: Jim Robinson, Daichi Landscape, Eugene, OR (541/343-8575)