Little Girl's Secret Garden

Today was one of those days where mother's brilliance somehow manifests itself in a small but excellent idea that catches on wonderfully. We are in the midst of reading The Secret Garden and the kids have been overjoyed with the excitement of gardening and a garden revealing its secrets over time. In addition, I have about 15 gardens and not enough time to tend to all of them properly. So... here is where the brilliant ideas comes in.
I told the girls that they could each have a garden. The rules were that they had to prepare it for winter, plant their flowers in the spring, water it, weed it, and maintain it however is necessary. My thought was not only would this take some responsibility off of my shoulders in the gardening department, but they also would learn responsibility and excellent life-science knowledge. As they watch their hard work bloom before their eyes, they can look up the plants, learn about tending each one, and watch the beauty that they've created. What a great way to learn!
In addition, I told them that if they wanted to, they could save up some money and buy whatever plants/flowers that they wanted for their little plot. So, soon the girls were discussing varieties of flowers that they'd like to plant and making plans for their gardens. They discussed how much money each had in her treasure box and how much they thought it would cost to purchase plants. After giving them their choices, Sophia and Jack ended up with a little 3 sq ft plot that is below the mailboxes. After much discussion, Cecelia and Bella decided that they wanted to work on the same plot together. They picked the sunniest garden on the lot and began to work. They raked and weeded... raked and weeded.... for hours upon hours.
They asked if they could purchase some spring bulbs and I agreed. So, I gave them some more raking work that I would pay them for... so that they could earn some money for the bulbs. They worked for possibly 5 hours today out in the yard. They are tired, sore... and completely overjoyed with their new project.
I'm blessed at their persistence and excited to see what their imaginations will come up with.