You would have thought that designing a garden for children would be a fairly safe bet if you were trying to avoid controversy on your Chelsea debut. But Tiggy Salt is slightly nervous about the reaction she will get when her garden — based on Maurice Sendak's classic book, Where the Wild Things Are — is unveiled.

"I hope people won't think I'm the wicked witch of garden design," says Tiggy, 32, who plans to create a jungle-like scene with a mixture of towering exotics, including the giant rhubarb, Gunnera manicata. This plant exudes drama, but its prickly leaves can irritate sensitive skin.

Is this a good idea when you are seeking your first flower-show medal? "Friends have said I shouldn't risk it — but I don't believe in wrapping children in cotton wool," says Tiggy. "Running under big-leaved plants is so much more inspiring than growing cress on blotting paper."

This will be the first show garden Salt has created and she hopes it will kick-start her career as a designer — since qualifying with a diploma in garden design four years ago, she has run a garden maintenance business. Her interest in developing gardens for children coincided with many of her friends starting families. She would often be asked to make an existing garden more family-friendly, and add features such as a tree house or sandpit.

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Although she enjoyed her work, she was suffering financially and last year decided to write a book on children and gardening. And even when a publisher dismissed the idea, she didn't give up. "I'd done a lot of research for my book and had dug out all of the stories that I had enjoyed as a child," she recalls. "The tale that really stood out, especially for its imagery, was Where the Wild Things Are." Encouraged by the designer Marcus Barnett, she applied to the RHS to create a garden based on the book.

Maurice Sendak's 1963 classic tells the story of a boy sent to his room for being naughty. As he falls asleep, he starts to dream ­ his bed turns into a boat that sails away to an island populated by bizarre creatures. "I had to get permission from Sendak to go ahead with the garden — I never thought he'd say yes," says Tiggy.

At the heart of the garden — designed for the Charities Aid Foundation ­ is a bed planted with a blanket of sleep-inducing chamomile. Large-leaved plants such as Alocasia macrorrhiza, Zantedeschia, artichokes, Rheum palmatum 'Atrosanguineum', angelica and several types of banana enclose the space and knit together to form a dense jungle. "I want it to look like you would need a machete to get through it," explains Tiggy. "All of the plants are strong and exuberant, really over-the-top things with big leaves or bright colours that kids love. Bananas are a key plant in most gardens I make for children — they like to hide underneath them or grab the tactile leaves and tear them to shreds."

So what is the key to making a great family garden? "Learning to compromise," says Tiggy. Plans for a serious, adults-only space should be put on hold while the children are young. "Give them a patch of land where they can grow their own plants or a Wendy house or shed that they can use for a den," she says.

Sharing your garden with children does not have to mean abandoning good taste. "If you have to have play equipment, go for something subtle like a swing hung from a tree," she says. "I would ban those hideous, big, brightly coloured plastic climbing frames — they make your garden look like a municipal playground."

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2007

The CAF Giving Garden — Where the Wild Things Are, site number RM8; Tiggy Salt can be contacted at Green Ink Gardens (020-7229 5001, www.greeninkgardens.com )

Tiggy's tips for child-friendly gardens

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