Tea Garden Magic for Children

Want a child's undivided attention? Host a tea party, suggests gardener Agatha Youngblood of Rancho Santa Fe, California. The ceremony of brewing and sipping tea soothes even the young and restless. Set aside a special garden spot, add magical props, and involve the kids in creating the scene. "That really makes the tea garden theirs," says Youngblood.

She transformed the area near her California pepper tree with a brick floor, French café furniture, and sun catchers (colored glass circles) hung on transparent fishing line from the branches. "The way the sun bounces off the glass in the late afternoon makes you feel like you're inside a colored light," she says. "We both love it."