Eight Garden Games for your Yard

16 October 2009

Your garden can't be all work and no play. There has to be some downtime where you get to enjoy the bounty of your efforts and the best way to do that, especially if you're trying to include family, is to organise some garden games. These could be permanent fixtures in your yard or they may be set up within a few minutes.

However, the one thing all these garden games require is space. Large expanses of lawn are best but even a mud pitch, with the right people and the right game, could suffice.

So, if you're running out of activities to enjoy in your yard, here are eight garden games that should offer hours of entertainment.

1. Gnome Bowling

The perfect use for garden gnomes this game could certainly spice up your next party. Unlike the normal alley-like ten-pin bowls, this garden game requires someone to pick up the gnomes and reposition after each bowl - which may get a little tedious. I'm still on the lookout for some that magically upend themselves once the scores been taken.

A word of caution: don't use ceramic gnomes - they may not last the length of the game.

2. Croquet

Probably the most popular of all garden games is croquet. It's a mallet and ball game that is believed to have originated in the middle ages and made an appearance at the 1900 Olympic Games. The game consists of hitting the ball through wire hurdles positioned randomly throughout the garden. The concept's not too dissimilar to golf except the holes are substituted with above ground wire frames. Even the aim of the game is like golf in that the winner is the person with the least amount of hits.

The beauty of this game is that it is so easy to set up, play and pack away. Keeping a croquet set in your shed is the perfect excuse to take some time out.

3. Petanque (Boules)

While petanque, boules and lawn bowls are all played a little differently they each have a similar aim - to get their ball closest to the jack that's been positioned a short distance away from the players. One of the great garden games that are played throughout the world, petanque is another easy to set up option that offers players a simple game to pass the time.

4. Mini-Golf

Mini-golf is one of those garden games that can be as simple or as sophisticated as your imagination, and resources, allow. If you want to make it a permanent fixture then start planning for lots of concrete, synthetic grass and permanent holes that dot the landscape. Or, you could just create a temporary setting using greens marked out with rope, bordered divots on well-mown lawn.

If you have the space then why not try creating a few different courses throughout your yard and experiment with various obstacles for each.

5. Giant Chess

Giant chess is usually a permanent fixture in any yard where you may find it. However, it's not hard to create a play area by laying an 8x8 square with alternating coloured paving slabs. Then sourcing the giant chess pieces is a cinch.

6. Backyard Cricket

Backyard cricket is an Aussie favourite that only requires a bat, ball and anything to mark out some stumps (usually a bin, chalk drawing on the side of the shed or mum's laundry basket). Anytime the weather begins to warm up this garden game becomes a popular family favourite - except that our backyard isn't an appropriate size so it always spills out onto the street.

7. Inflatable football pitch

Now, for the person who has absolutely everything - but doesn't have an inflatable football pitch - you need an inflatable football pitch. This is the ultimate way to contain ball games in your garden. Your plants don't suffer from being kicked at, slid into or fallen on top of and there's less chance of annoying the neighbours with wayward balls.

The only downside is having the spare acreage to contain one.

8. Quoits (Horseshoe Tossing)

Finally, for something a little more sedate - and cheaper - one of the great garden games is quoits. All it takes is some cord hoops (quoits) and a stick. Standing a distance away from the stick each opponent takes turns at tossing their quoits. The winner is the one with the most quoits on the stick - pretty simple, huh?

Another variation on the theme is horseshoe tossing - you guessed it, it just replaces the quoits with horseshoes.

And there you have it. Eight garden games to help enjoy your garden in ways other than just planting and composting.