Archive for D.I.Y. Ideas

Valentine’s Day in the Miniature Garden

06/02/2013 at 2:24 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, D.I.Y. Ideas, Garden Art, Miniature Garden Accessories, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Valentine's Day in the Miniature Garden

Valentine’s Day in the Miniature Garden can be loaded with decor – or kept really simple with one or two accent pieces.

Valentine’s Day in the Miniature Garden

Creating miniature gardens is so much fun because you can adapt them to any situation, any theme or any occasion. But another fun thing to do with this new-again hobby – and Valentine’s Day gives you a perfect opportunity to – is to share them. A miniature garden can easily deliver a personalized message sent straight from the heart.

If you are short on decorations, a simple accent piece can still send a huge message. A red chair, an engraved heart or ‘hugs’ rock, or this simple how-to can send sweet love to your Valentine.

Don’t have a Valentine? Then it’s a perfect excuse to treat yourself and do something YOU love!

Want to see more of the 2013 Valentine Garden? They will be posted in our February newsletter, The Mini Garden Gazette. Join our email list here and get instant access to the archives after confirming through your email.

How to Make Valentine’s Day Decorations for Your Miniature Garden:

We found the package of foam hearts at JoAnns Fabrics (40% off!) to make these really quick decorative garden stakes that you can add to any miniature garden and get your message love across.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • One package of foam cutouts
  • Wood popsicle sticks &/or coffee sticks
  • Paint colors of your choice
  • Scissors
  • Paintbrush
  • Sandpaper

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AAAAND the craft stores now carry all kinds of cutouts for every occasion! Paint the stakes to match the holiday color to make it look more polished. We tried writing on them with a small Sharpie marker, but it turned out a bit faded – the foam doesn’t accept the ink very well.

Be sure to take out the heart stakes after the 14th and wait for the wood to dry before storing them for next year. Like the miniature holiday decor, they should last for a long time if you don’t leave them out in the weather all year.

See our previous post of gift-giving ideas: The Most Incredible Gift of All Time. Make Quick and Affordable Gifts. A Miniature Garden for Every Budget.

More ideas from your  Miniature Garden Center:

- Love You Forever Love

- Ever-Lasting Hugs

- A Flower Forever

- A Sweet Cherry-Red Garden Chair

- A Cherry-Red Bench

 

Miniature Garden Center

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Miniature Mediation Gardens: Create Your Own Peace

17/01/2013 at 2:35 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, D.I.Y. Ideas, Garden as Metaphor, Indoor Mini Gardens, Miniature Garden Accessories ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Miniature Meditation Garden

Create a tiny garden place for calm reflection. It’s a gentle reminder to take a break and breathe – even if just for moment in the middle of your busy day.

Miniature Mediation Gardens: Create Your Own Peace

I wrote about about miniature prayer gardens back in September, 2011, and since then, we have enjoyed having a miniature buddha garden and a miniature gratitude garden in our office as a reminder to stop, breathe and say thanks.

Prayer, thoughtfulness, meditation, personal reflection, deep thought or quiet time – whatever your preference – are activities that seem to get missed in our busy lives. Having a simple reminder or a “place to go” can help nudge you to take a moment or two out of your day and align your thoughts and emotions so you can carry on with a clearer purpose.

Miniature Garden Engraved Heart Rock

Add a little love to your meditation garden with a simple miniature heart rock. Click the picture to take you to the details in the online store.

And a miniature garden is the perfect idea to help you do that.

Prayer garden, meditation garden, gratitude garden and peace garden are some of the general names that have come up. Miniature grotto, miniature altar, miniature zen garden start to get more specific as will the individual dieties that you can include in your mini garden, Madonna garden, Buddha garden. A candle, heart or a flower can also stand in for the focal point and symbolize whatever is needed. You can rotate the accessories in and out of your mini garden whenever you want so, as with all things miniature garden, never feel that it is a permanent, undoable decision. Give yourself some freedom to play with your different ideas.

We went over some general guidelines in the previous blog that will help you create a wee sanctuary to evoke peaceful mindedness and calm. Here’s a quick review:

  1. Lots of plants.
  2. Minimum clutter.
  3. Pathways can evoke flow. (Of breath, of calm flowing in, for example.)
  4. Focal point can help keep your thoughts focused.
  5. Include a spot to visually sit or kneel to inject yourself into the mini space.

Now you can start to go into a bit more detail as you now that you’ve spent some quality time with your little garden

Miniature Gratitude Garden

Our mini gratitude garden. A simple reminder to be grateful can change your thought process in a heart beat.

altars:

6. Tend to the garden. Maintain the health of your plants. Snip off any brown leaves or dead branches. Gently wash off the branches with a soft rag. Or give it a tepid shower with water* then gently wipe the leaves. (If you don’t wipe the leaves, you won’t get rid of the dust. Yes, I know, you may have a lot of leaves but this task in itself is very meditative. ;o)

7. Aerate the soil. Use a fork to break up the top layer of soil if it is crusty. Use a skinny dowel to poke into the soil, going right down into the pot, around the plant’s roots, to get some air down into the soil.

8. Wash and clean. Give your rocks, patios and accessories a wash or wipe. Use an old toothbrush and mild dish soap and give your accessories and furniture a bath. Sweep off the patio area or fluff and flatten out the gravel on the path and patio.

9. Water well. Put it all it all back together and water* until the water comes out of the drainage hole on the bottom. If you are miniature gardening indoors, put the miniature garden in the sink or tub to do this and let it drain before placing it back. (Make sure you have a sink filter/screen to catch and prevent any chunks of dirt from clogging up your plumbing.)

Miniature Prayer Gardens are very adaptable

Remember that you can swap out your focal point if you want to focus on another aspect of your life. You can change or add to it at any time. Click the picture to go to our Etsy store and see the possibilities.

10. Get specific. Use a direct symbol, figure, representation or icon that will direct your focus and attention exactly where you want it to go. Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, would direct your thoughts to clearing away your mental clutter. A pretty rock that says, “Thanks” is a direct reminder be grateful. A small figure of St. Francis will keep the Prayer of St. Francis in your thoughts. Interchange or swap out the accessories whenever you feel the need or to get refocused.

Miniature gardening is a very adaptable hobby that can be very personal, or shared and explored with others too. Arrange a workshop for your group or club to create a miniature garden altars, gratitude gardens or apply any of your group’s purpose to it. It’s a fun way to connect with others and you’ll get something purposeful and meaningful from it.

*Water from your taps – Let your tap water sit for a couple of hours before using it to water your plants so the chlorine can evaporate. Let the water come to room temperature too – as opposed to freezing cold water from outside. Your plants will thank you.

Here are some more ideas to get you started. The links will take you to either our online Miniature Garden Center or to

Miniature Garden with Madonna Figure

Miniature Madonna Figure for your prayer garden. Click the picture to see her up in the store.

our Etsy One of a Kind Store. Also visit the previous blog post on Miniature Prayer Gardens here.

Miniature Heart Rock

 

Madonna

St. Francis of Assisi

Buddha – Ceramic or Metal

Hindu Deities

Like this? Then you’ll love our monthly Mini Garden Gazette, it’s free. Join here.

 

 

Miniature Garden Plants & Accessories

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Miniature Gardening Lesson: Don’t Eat Yellow Snow

10/01/2013 at 2:07 pm · Filed under D.I.Y. Ideas, Miniature Garden Accessories, Product Reviews ·Tagged , , , , ,

Snow in the Miniature Garden

Experimenting with the different types of snow for miniature gardening is fun – until you have to clean it up.

Miniature Gardening Lesson: Don’t Eat Yellow Snow

Snow in the Miniature Garden

Different options from the top left, going clockwise: Iridescent Confetti Random Cut, Quilt Batting, Insta Snow to Go, Plastic Winter Snow. Click to enlarge.

My father used to say, “Don’t eat yellow snow.” when we did something wrong that was quite obvious that it was the wrong in the first place. He also preached, “Don’t eat the road apples.” and “Please don’t eat the daisies.” quoted from the book of the same name. (I wonder why all of these sayings were food related?)

So it was the first thing that came to mind when I did this little miniature gardening experiment with fake snow. I know,

Snow in the Miniature Garden

Faking it with quilting batting kinda works if you “be the blizzard” and tuck a little here and there, creating mini snow drifts. But, hey, it can be cleaned up in minutes without harming the plants.

I know, some of you are up to your eyeballs in snow this year and here I am trying to fake it. But hey, that’s what makes horse races. (Another fatherly maxim. ;o)

We have been collected a few different kinds of artificial snow over the years to see what would look good and be safe for the plants in the miniature garden. We didn’t test them all to be honest – there’s something about sprinkling bits of non-biodegradable plastic on a living garden that I could not overcome. And, I imagined the little tiny bits of snow still there in the middle of summer, stuck in the soil glittering in the sunshine. So, when I found this Insta Snow to Go that was non-toxic and environmentally safe, it was worth a shot.

Snow in the Miniature Garden

Insta Snow mixes quickly and easily.

Add some water to the Insta Snow to Go powder and it is an “eruption of fluffy snow.” It is a kind of polymer that absorbs the water, expands in size and kinda looks like snow. I mixed it on the dry side so I could sprinkle it on the garden in an attempt to make it look natural. And I did try sprinkling it dry and then spritz it with water that worked okay as well.

The Insta Snow was great for the first day, but then it started to absorb the water from the soil and discolored the snow. Ick. Ick and more ick. Perhaps if I kept it on the dry areas – but it’s a garden where water is not an optional component – so no, I’m not sold on this as a solution.

Snow in the Miniature Garden

I mixed it to stay on the dry side to sprinkle it on the garden. Too much water makes the Insta Snow really mushy.

I sure wish life had an “Undo” button. Now, see the photos below on how to get it OUT of your garden!

There are other solutions for miniature snow that the dollhouse world and the model railroaders have come up with if you are working with dry environments. Some recommend white glue and cotton, others work as a plaster that you paint on. If you would like to go deeper, here is more insight into using miniature snow from our fellow-lover-of-everything-miniature, Lesley Shepard from the About.com Miniatures blog.

You can find most of the different kinds of snow mentioned here at your local craft store, or do a search on this here Interweb.

Otherwise, the snow that works best in the real living miniature garden is still real snow!

Did you find this useful? Then you’ll love our FREE monthly Mini Garden Gazette, we are all about miniature gardening. Sign up here. 

Removing snow from your miniature garden

Insta Snow turns brown and mushy when it in contact with the potting soil.

Removing snow from your miniature garden

Because it’s so wet – and will stay wet, it will suffocate any plant material. 

Removing snow from your miniature garden

This mini garden is established so I knew I could tip it over and spray off the snow.

Removing snow from your miniature garden

The spray bottle wasn’t working so I got the water can which really helped wash off the garden. But there’s still snow in the shrubbery that didn’t wash out! Ick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How to Make a Miniature Stonehenge Garden for the End of the World

19/12/2012 at 12:22 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, D.I.Y. Ideas, Miniature Garden Accessories ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Miniature Stonehenge Garden

Our Miniature Stonehenge Garden photo has been making the rounds on the Internet and shared by thousands on Facebook and Pinterest. Here’s a little How-to so you can make your own!

How to Make a Miniature Stonehenge Garden for the End of the World

Dang. It’s the end of the world and I was supposed to take my credit cards on a wild vacation! Well, maybe next time… ;o)

Miniature Garden Display

The Miniature Garden Display from the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, 2007, where the Miniature Stonehenge picture was taken.

Speaking of a wild trip, the little photo (above) has had quite a journey over the past month thanks to our friend Nancy Wisser over at the Clonehenge blog, and to thousands of shares through Facebook and Pinterest. We’ve been swamped with emails asking where to get it and how to do it so we got a how-to together for you here, in honor of the End of Days.

The Miniature Stonehenge Garden was from our display at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in 2007. The display was called ‘Miniature Gardener Interrupted’ and while it wasn’t our strongest display, it sure was fun to make a mess and leave it there for the entire show. (Yes, the irreverent artist inside me does rise up at times!  SO RADICAL! Lol!)

How to Make a Miniature Stonehenge Garden

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We found the miniature Stonehenge Kit at a Barnes and Noble store, call ahead if your going to one of the brick and mortar stores, they may have them in stock. Otherwise, here’s a link to find it on the Internet.

The little Stonehenge Kit comes with a map to show you where to place the stones – makes it easy-peasy. The stones are made of resin and are easy to drill.  Use florist’s rod or an old metal coat hanger and you’ll need 16 rods.

Decide on your plant material first. We used Irish Moss (Sagina subulata – it’s not really moss per se; it’s a perennial ground cover.) in the above display garden, which is about ½” deep and grown from a 4” pot planted the previous summer. For this how-to, we used 3″ long rods because our native moss is almost 2″ deep before the soil level starts.  The rods should go down into the soil at least 1” to stay firmly in place.

You may not have enough time before the end of the world to order the Stonehenge Kit so I’ve included a close up of the stones towards the end of the slideshow so you can make your own out of Polymer Clay or Fimo. (Note that there’s a pause button.)

Happy Solstice!

Join us for more miniature garden fun here.

All sales through our online store are GUARANTEED. If the world does end on Friday, we will give you a complete refund!!

And whatever you do, make it FUN!

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A Miniature Garden for Every Budget

14/12/2012 at 3:24 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, D.I.Y. Ideas, Miniature Garden Accessories, Miniature Plants ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Miniature Garden Gifts

Spread joy, creativity and smiles this Holiday Season with Miniature Gardening. [Read all about this garden in last week's post. I put this photo through some filters to make it look old, but it's the same garden.]

A Miniature Garden for Every Budget

One of the many advantages of miniature gardening is that you can easily capture the charm of the hobby without breaking the bank. Create a simple vignette with a miniature chair placed beside a tree or next to the “trunk” of plant, sprinkle small pebbles down as a quick patio, and place a small water fountain off to the side and you have a peaceful place to escape to anytime you wish.

Here are some combinations that have come from our customers over the past week and we noticed they were for all kinds of budgets. With plants or without plants, you can give the gift of miniature gardening that is easy on the wallet, but heavy with inspiration and fun.

For Under $20

A couple of well-placed accessories can add the charm of a miniature garden, without digging into you bank account.

A couple of well-placed accessories can add the charm of a miniature garden, without digging into you bank account

Wood Wheelbarrow ->>
Terra Cotta Pot with Saucer
½ lb Small Ivory Pebbles
Garden Tool Set = $17.96*

More fun combos under $20 include:

- An elegant Dolphin Fountain in faux gray stone paired with a traditional Medium-sized Garden Bench in the matching color for $18.98*

- The new sturdy and very fun Small Kidney-Shaped Pond with the cutest Koi Fish ever for $17.98*

- The favorite Moonfrost Canada Hemlock changes colors throughout the seasons and likes to be trimmed in late winter, combined with the Platt’s Black Brass Buttons that look like miniature ferns. This pair would do well in a pot for part shade or cool, eastern sun for $19.98*

Under $30

- Pixie Dust Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Retro Red Bench = $27.98*

Miniature Garden Gifts

A simple tree with a bench can be just as charming. This Pixie Dust Dwarf Spruce is only 8″ tall and will grow very sloooowly!

- Twig Fence with Stakes
Raging Fire Pit
Rabbit Bench, Aged
Mother Earth Tones, Tumble Mini Stone = $28.96*

- Geisha Japanese Holly
Small Straight Bench
Stone Patio Sheet, Small Sheet = $28.97*

Under $40

- Small Kidney-shaped Pond,
Grapevine Birdbath,
Large Garden Bench,
Miniature Pebbles
Turtle = $39.95*

- Variegated English Boxwood
Baby Tears
Miniature Garden Chair
Sea Green Stone Patio Sheet, Small Sheet
Wee Mole = $39.95*

Miniature Garden Gifts

Miniature gardening is accessible to everyone. You can add on to an existing collection, or start to build your own.

Under $50

- The new large Lagoon-shaped Pond next to a wee Adirondack Bench, with a Hanging Terracotta Pot w. Hook in the garden bed and a Terra Cotta Pot & Saucer is only $46.96*

<<- The ever-popular Jean’s Dilly Dwarf Spruce is a hardy choice for a container or in-ground. Combined with the Garden Tools Set, a Mini Patio Mix Kit with Small Brick Sheet to build a custom mini patio wherever you want (those bricks are high-fired and very durable,) add the Squirrel for whimsy for $49.95*

Need help choosing a gift for the Two Green Thumb’s miniature gardener on your list? Call us and we can look up what they already have, and recommend items for you. We’ll stay within your budget and get your order in the mail – pronto!

Miniature Garden Gifts

The Fernspray Hinoki Cypress is so pretty with it’s lovely colors – it’ll blush a plum color if it gets cold enough. Hardy to -20F.

Under $75

Large Cedar Lattice is made here in the US and it’s staked on metal rods to hold upright in the garden soil. The Lagoon-shaped Pond is very fun to work with – the birds will use it as a birdbath! The Cherub Birdbath is staked so it can stay upright in the soil too. The Fernspray Hinoki Cypress is a wonderful tree to grow as well as being very pretty! $73.96*

Under $100

Miniature Juniper
Blue Moon Sawara Cypress
Elfin Thyme
Miniature Daisies
Mini Patio Mix Kit
Gray flagstone Patio Sheet
Garden Bench, Pretty Blue
Bunny Rabbit = $99.92*

(*Prices don’t include shipping or WA State tax on WA orders.)

Act soon though – we are not able to restock most of our items before the 25th and quantities are limited!

You have a choice of which shipping method to use when you check out of store, and you will get the different prices listed to help in your decision. Parcel post takes 7 to 10 days and should get there before the 25th but it’s not guaranteed. There’s still plenty of time for USPS Priority Mail and the cut-off date is the 20th.

If you are not sure of what to order, give us a call or email and we’ll help get you it sorted, help you stay on budget and get you the best shipping rate that we can!

We have Paypal gift certificates too and they are available anytime!

Join us for more Miniature Garden fun!

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Decorating Your Miniature Garden for the Holidays

06/12/2012 at 3:45 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, D.I.Y. Ideas, For the New Gardener, Garden To-Do's, Miniature Garden Accessories, Miniature Plants ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Christmas in the Miniature Garden

There’s that magic of the Holidays – in miniature! Read on to find out more…

Christmas in the Miniature Garden

The same miniature garden as above in daylight. This pot was planted about 7 1/2 years ago. That shrub on the left is a Mother Lode Juniper and on the right is our favorite Jean’s Dilly Dwarf Alberta Spruce. (Pronounced “John”) The bottom most branches have been pruned to show off the great trunk that has been developing slowly. The pot is a little over 15″ wide and about 12″ deep.

Decorating Your Miniature Garden for the Holidays

One of the many enjoyable aspects of this super-creative hobby is decorating your miniature garden throughout the seasons. And, of course, one of the most fun, is for the Winter-Christmas-Holiday-Hanukkah-Kwanza-Solstice-Season. (Did I miss anyone? ;o)

You might be skeptical, thinking that, “Come on, Janit, how hard is it to decorate a miniature Christmas tree?” Well, that could be the difference between a tree decorated by Martha Stewart compared to one by Charlie Brown. But, with a couple of hints and some insight, derived after experimenting each holiday season for the last 11 years, you can easily give your miniature garden the designer’s touch with the right ingredients.

Blue and Silver Holiday Miniature Garden

Blue and Silver for Hanukkah. The grass on the left is a Silver Lily Turf (Liriope ‘Silver Mist’)   The bushy shrub on the left is the new Blue Moon Sawara Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Blue Moon’) The tall tree is a Miniature Juniper (Juniperus communis ‘Miniature’) Wooley Thyme cascades down the front, intermixed with small Hens and Chicks. The cedar deck was stained a grey color to match the color scheme and that tiny lantern ball is lamp work glass bead from artist Chuck Pefley. See more of his work at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CPArtistic

Choosing What Works

You’ve probably seen miniature trees with a wide variety of individual ornaments placed carefully spaced throughout the tree’s boughs, interwoven with garland and ribbon. It is quite beautiful. But, the little balls, ribbon and garland are glued in place with a hot glue gun. That’s not really a great idea for your living miniature tree unless you don’t care if you kill it. In that case, get the hot glue, ignore the tree’s screams and throw it out after the holidays. ;o)

By now you’re thinking, “But Janit, they have mini ornaments at the craft store. What’s wrong with using those?” Well, it takes a TON of fiddling and fussing to get the strings around the branches of the tiny tree. It’s mainly because of the string itself gets in the way. After hanging the ornament on the tiny branch, the string sticks out even though you try to poke it inside or try to sneak it behind some foliage. Then, when you finally get the string hidden, you realize that the ornament fell out-of-place and you need to start all over again!

If you want to use the garland and the ornaments together – well, I haven’t figured that out yet because if you put the garland on before the ornaments, you won’t have access to all the branches for stringing the wee decorations. But, if you put the garland on afterwards, you will disturb and/or hide the ornaments!

Ugh.

My time and patience is better used elsewhere and I bet yours is too.

Sigh, the trials and tribulations of a miniature gardener…

Christmas in the Miniature Garden

Different textures help make the magic. The tiny presents are place in the boughs of the tree. This pot will stay where it is so we don’t have to tie or fasten them down. Note the different directions of the garland.

The easiest and the most straightforward way is to go with strings of lights and decorations. It takes the least amount of patience and it’s quick and easy. Weave them into the tree and try to mix up the direction of the strings so the tree doesn’t look like it’s in bondage.

Miniature Garden Christmas Decorations

Floral berry picks or holly berry picks poked into the tree work well as long as the tree stays in one place. They are easy to remove too!

For the ornaments, we use the small berry picks that the florist uses. Find them at your local craft store or wherever they sell artificial garland. They are available in green or yellow to look like miniature fruit, but they aren’t found as readily as the “holly berries.” Poke them into the tree at various intervals followed by poking few miniature bows throughout the tree and you are off to the next holiday project.

Christmas in the Miniature Garden

The wire bows are simply poked into the tree, held in place by the branches. If this were a gift, the wires can easily be wrapped around the branches. Do this before you place the ornaments.

Christmas in the Miniature Garden

Stretch out your holiday dollar by decorating the front-side of the tree only – but make sure place the garden up against a wall or hide the backside somehow. Make sure the wires are hidden behind the tree so you can’t see them from the front-side.

Christmas in the Miniature Garden

These lights were found at Michael’s Crafts and are meant for the artificial trees – they are not meant for outdoors so they shouldn’t get wet. Most of them have a place where you can plug in an adapter and have them run on electricity – this better for the environment too. Place them in a plastic bag and hide it behind the pot. Use some holly branches to disguise it or make a fake gift box to house them in a clever way.

Christmas in the Miniature Garden

Christmas in the Miniature Garden. That’s a Piccolo Balsam Fir with red Thyme. And another lamp work glass bead from Chuck Pefley’s studio hangs from the hook to balance out the wee scene.

See our selection of decorations, lights and garland packs up in our store here. And there are more in our Etsy store here.

EVERY order from now until December 25th, comes with a FREE packet of red bows, just like the ones you see on this blog! (Until supplies last.)

Like this? Then you’ll like our FREE monthly Mini Garden Gazette! Sign up here.

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An Inside Peek at the Miniature Plants in the Award-Winning Gardens

08/11/2012 at 5:42 pm · Filed under Customer Interaction, D.I.Y. Ideas, Miniature Plants, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Laney's Miniature Garden

Laney’s Miniature Garden. Laney got a new camera so I thought to show off a clearer picture of her garden that won Honorable Mention. Laney lives and gardens in Mississippi.

An Inside Peek at the Plants in the Award-Winning Gardens

Everyone had a ton of fun with the Annual Miniature Garden Contest and it was great to see such a variety of plants and personalities. After years of holding miniature garden workshops, I can safely say, no two miniature gardens are alike – just like the people who made them!

There were some questions on the plants used in the winning gardens so here is a list of the plants with a little bit of insight from a fellow MG (Miniature Gardener.)

Glenna's Miniature Garden

Glenna from NY won Best Miniature Garden in a Container.

Best Container: Glenna’s planter should stay together for a few years, with some maintenance every two to three years with diving the ground covers to keep them from spreading too much. The trees and shrubs can be pruned back gently every now and to control their direction and their growth rate. All the plants in this pot are ideal for full sun, regular water but let the soil dry out to barely damp in between watering sessions to avoid overwatering. The plastic pot will help keep the soil damp too. A great combo visually and horticulturally.

Clockwise from the back back left corner:

- Thyme-Leaf Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster thyminifolia (July’s blooms turn to September’s berries, prune in late winter to keep its shape and to slow down the growth rate. Pronounce it Kaw-tone-ee-ass-ter.)
- Irish Moss, Sagina subulata (under the Cotoneaster, divide every 2 or 3 years.)
- Elfin Thyme, Thymus serpyllum ‘Elfin‘ (an ideal miniature plant)
- Irish Moss, Sagina subulata (again, bottom right corner)
- Fairy Moss in the Pond, Azolla (also called mosquito fern, duckweed fern, water fern)
***Aggressive grower! Illegal in TX and LA. Keep contained at all times. Do not dump in waterways. Please be responsible about this one! ***
- Platt’s Black Brass Buttons, Leptinella squalida ‘Platt’s Black’ (looks like mini ferns! Here is the New Zealand variety with prettier tones throughout.)
*Aggressive in-ground. Prune judiciously in spring, divide every year to keep it from running.*
- Mother Lode Juniper, Juniper horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’ (it’s a ground cover shrub so it stays low, loves drier soil and full sun.)

Karen's Miniature Garden Pumpkin Village

Karen’s Miniature Garden Pumpkin Village is in CA.

Best Halloween: Karen’s Pumpkin Village leaves us thinking, “Where could I do that?” Lol! The moss in the top trough looks like a type of sheet moss found in MA, where Karen is from. The planted trough in the front should last for years, again with some maintenance with the ground covers. The big-leafed plant that you see throughout the garden, I think are Forget-Me-Not self-seeded-starts – a weedy, self-sowing perennial that I bet Karen will pull out when it starts to grow up. This is a nice grouping for part to full sun with regular watering. Again, let the soil dry out to barely damp in between watering sessions to avoid overwatering.

Bottom trough, from the very left side:

- Juniper Blue Star, Juniperus ‘Blue Star’ (I think, it is cut off in the photo, loves the sun.)
- E1 Evaluator Hinoki Cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘E1 Evaluator’ (green ball to the left of the ladder, part sun to full sun, will maintain that ball shape.)
- Sedum button, Sedum dasyphyllum (the blue-green plant at the base of the ladder, flowers in summer, wait for new growth at the crown, then shear back.)
- E1 Evaluator Hinoki Cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘E1’ (another green ball to the right of the ladder, a rare, sloooow grower.)
- Scottish moss, Sagina subulata ‘Aurea’  (front, cascading down, needs dividing every 2 or 3 years, can be grown in part sun or full sun.)
- Golden Dwarf Hinoki Cypress, Chameacyparis obtusa ‘Nana Lutea’ (grows slowly to a nice upright, broad shape, can stay in that container without blocking the village for about 3 to 4 years.)

Mary Jane's Miniature Garden

Mary Jane’s Miniature Garden is so on-trend with the pretty blues! From NE.

People’s Choice: Mary Jane’s miniature garden is very on-trend with the pretty blue patio and pot. She could move this garden indoors for the winter if there is plenty of light for the boxwood tree. Outside, if the container is in full sun, the boxwood may get an orange cast to the leaves that is called “winter bronzing.” The green color returns quickly after the weather warms up in the spring. To avoid it changing colors, give the tree more shade. This pot will do well in part shade or even indoors in bright indirect light, with regular watering – let the soil dry out to barely damp in between watering sessions to avoid overwatering. This pot should be able to stay together for a couple of years before the ground cover, Blue Star Creeper, needs refreshing.

- Graham Blandy Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens ‘Graham Blandy’ (tree in center, see above paragraph for growing tips. We normally don’t recommend a lot of fertilizer for our miniature garden plants, but the boxwoods will need some during the growing season.)
- Blue Star Creeper, Pratia angulata (underneath the tree, and I think she has the runners growing up the trellises. I’ve read somewhere that this can be grown indoor too.)

Debbie's Miniature Garden

Debbie’s Miniature Garden is in CA.

Honorable Mention: Debbie from CA gets a little clever with her plantings if I have identified them correctly! I’m was never good at “guess that plant” when I was working at the nursery but I’m going to make a stab at it now. This combo is great for warmer regions in full or part sun, the Cryptomeria needs regular water (but not wet) but the soil around the Jade will need to be left to dry in between watering sessions. To get around this, water only the Cryptomeria regularly and check the soil close to the Jade by poking your finger an inch down to make sure it is dry before watering.

From left to right:

- Jade Tree, Crassula ovata, (trimmed into a tree form)
- Japanese Cedar, Cryptomeria japonica (tree behind the bench, a baby conifer. Prune away bottom-most branches for more a tree look. Part sun, regular water.)
- Scottish moss, Sagina subulata ‘Aurea’ (right-most plant, will need dividing every 2 to 3 years to keep it fresh looking. Part sun to full sun.)
- Fairy Moss in the Pond Azolla (also called mosquito fern, duckweed fern, water fern)
***Aggressive grower! illegal in TX and LA. Keep contained at all times. Do not dump in waterways. Please treat responsibly.***

Laney's Miniature Garden

Laney’s Miniature Garden.

Honorable Mention: Laney from MS has got it going on in this sweet scene for part sun/part shade location. The row of Monteray Cypresses along the backside can be sheared (in late winter) to slow down the grown and to shape it into a full hedge. Otherwise, most of the other plants are slow growing. This combination should be able to stay together for years with minimal maintenance by dividing the ground covers every 3 or 4 years.

Clockwise from top left:

- Monteray Cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Wilma Goldcrest’ (also called Lemon Cypress makes up the row of lime colored plants along the backside. Indoors or outdoors in more temperate climates, regular water dry out to damp in between.)
- Hokkaido Japanese Elm, Ulmus parvifolia ‘Hokkaido’ (behind the red arbor, part sun to full, cool sun, will drop it’s leaves in the fall, loves pruning, fragile.)
- Dwarf Mondo Grass, Ophiopogon japonicus ‘Nana’ (the perfect grass for the miniature garden. Loves shade, can tolerate sun and indoors too. Tiny lavendar flowers in the summer.)
- Baby Tears or Fairy Tears, Soleirolia soleirolii (the ground cover throughout the garden, an aggressive spreader in some areas but perfect for pots. Great for shade, part shade, indoors in bright indirect light.)

About Laney’s Pond plants: Laney layered in clear resin in the pond to get the koi at different levels. The lily pads with flowers are resin and were stuck into end layer. This took several days to do as each layer of resin had to dry before layering in another.

To see all the pictures of all the entries, visit last week’s blog here. It really is the variety that keeps us interested and growing in this wonderful new-again hobby!

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Winterizing your Miniature or Fairy Gardens

24/10/2012 at 3:31 pm · Filed under D.I.Y. Ideas, Fairy Gardening, For the New Gardener, Garden To-Do's, Miniature Garden Accessories, Miniature Plants ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Blue & White Miniature Garden

Take your accessories in before Old Man Winter comes a’knockin’ ! They will last longer and won’t get damaged by the extreme weather.

Winterizing Your Miniature Garden or Fairy Gardens

The rains finally came back to Seattle a couple of weeks ago after a record dry spell of over 90 days. Thankfully, our in-ground miniature garden was already established in the garden bed, we (re)planted it when we moved in June of 2011 so there was minimal watering to do over the drought. We tucked the garden into a cool-sun spot too, so it’s shaded by a row of Rhododendrons to shield it from the hot afternoon sun.

{ By “established” we mean that the roots of the plants are able to seek out and find water and nutrients by itself.  We help them in the dry months by watering them otherwise, that established plant should take care of itself.  Easy gardening! }

So, it’s time to share some fall winterizing tips for your miniature in-ground garden. Are your gardens in a container? Here’s a blog post on winterizing your containers.

Our old Miniature Garden

Our old Miniature Garden that we moved to the new house in 2011. See the next picture of it today.

-       Remove your accessories before it snows or freezes. Store your miniature or fairy garden accessories safely inside over the winter, you’ll get more out of them. Most accessories these days are resin which technically doesn’t freeze but the wear and tear from the elements can take its toll on the them. Keep them safe inside where you can clean them over the winter. Spray them with UV protectant to keep the colors at their best and you’ll be ready for next spring. Find the UV spray at your local hardware store.

-       Leaf mulching is better for your full-sized garden, or for anywhere there is bare soil – not ground covers, a.k.a. “miniature garden bedding plants.” The mulch/leaves will smother the low-growing foliage, not allow air and light through, and the tiny plants will get pale and leggy.

-       Remove any fallen leaves. After the autumn rains come, the leaves will sit and rot – and rot anything underneath it. Comb them out of your miniature and dwarf trees too.

-       Check the soil – is it compacted? Roots need air too. Carefully work around – and close to the trunk of your trees and plants with a strong stick or rod, and loosen the soil just a little bit. You are only aerating the soil, not lifting or moving it, so a little poking throughout the rootball should not harm the plant. (Unless it’s a really delicate plant but, if it is, you know what it needs.)

-       Divide any perennials that need it. (Perennials are the plants that go dormant and grow back year after year. Annuals only live for one season.)

  • The groundcover perennials that we use for miniature gardening need diving every couple of years to keep looking their best.
  • Some perennials clump and some spread slowly. If your plant has created another “clump,” or if the plant has spread out to create another smaller root system, you can cut it off from the mother plant and transplant it to another part of the garden.
  • More on how to know if your perennial needs dividing:
    • Divide after the year that the plant looks really good.
    • When there is a gap in the middle of the plant.
    • When you start to see smaller leaves in the center of the plant.
    • When you start to see yellowing leaves in the center.
    • When the plant has no more room left to grow.
An in ground Miniature Garden

This picture was taken in early September, you can see by the brown grass and yellow leaves on the Rhododendrun, it was a really dry summer. Our established miniature garden needed a little help with the watering which we did at night, watering deeply and infrequently, to help train the roots to look for their own water source.

-       Best time of year for dividing plants: Spring and fall are the ideal times – with the fall being the best. The new plant can take its time getting established over the winter and be ready to grow in next spring.

-       Be ruthless about your invaders. Some plants are very aggressive and, as anyone tempted by the look of a darling miniature plant, we sometimes plant aggressive plants in the ground unknowingly. NOW is the time to cut them short, cut them off and cut them back. Spare no runner, no clump. Just keep a small part of the plant and that will multiply two-fold next spring because it is established in your bed. I know, I know, but you have to – you’ll thank me next spring when your garden is not invaded by these things. And hey, I speak from experience.

  • Some aggressive miniature garden plants are:
    • Fairy Vine, Muelenbeckia complexa and the Tricolor variety
    • In some areas: Baby Tears, Soleirolia soleirolii, both varieties
    • Violets
    • Bugleweed, Ajuga reptans
    • Brass Buttons, Leptinella squalida
Blue Bench in the Miniature Garden

See the heart-shaped leaves? There is one of them in front, off to the left. Those are violets. Every once in a while, I have a weak moment and leave them be – only to be overrun with them by the end of the summer. I’m tearing them out ruthlessly now, by next spring they should be at a manageable level to deal with – they self-sow way too much and look very weedy. 

-       Water until it freezes. There’s a difference between “freeze-dried” and “frozen.” If your area has been in a drought, keep watering. The roots want to stay damp until they freeze for the winter. Do water in the middle of winter if it has been dry if you have to. (Smile and wave hello if the neighbor sees you out the yard in the middle of winter watering your garden!)

-       Clean out your conifer dieback. All trees and shrubs exfoliate somehow. The miniature and dwarf conifers are no exception; they just do it differently. Slough off all the dead foliage and clean it out from the middle of the plants and away from the base of the plant to let light and air into the center of the plant. A kitchen fork makes the perfect rake for the miniature garden.

Conifer dieback in a Golden Sprite Hinoki Cypress

Conifer dieback in a Golden Sprite Hinoki Cypress. Part the branches of your miniature or dwarf conifer to see if there is any dead foliage that needs cleaning out.

-       Use boughs to insulate. Cover the garden with evergreen boughs – it is nature’s insulation. Wait until the weather is cold enough though, you don’t want it to rot – only to protect. And be sure to take them off promptly in the spring for the same reason. This works for in ground and containers.

-      Keep the snow on it. When it does snow, keep the snow on the garden. Resist the urge to unbury it. The snow will insulate the plants from the cold air and drastic dips in temperature.

Note that this is a blanket advice and you can always look up the care of individual plants on the Internet. In fact, the Internet has become so huge that you can literally type in your question and get an answer – to just about anything.

Got a tip? Leave it below for our Fellow MGs. We all have different ways of doing things.

Visit our store to see all the possibilities of the miniature and dwarf trees and shurbs, hardiness information is listed for your convenience.

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Our old Miniature Garden

 

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How to Win a Miniature Contest with a Miniature Garden

10/10/2012 at 11:08 am · Filed under Because it's fun, Customer Interaction, D.I.Y. Ideas, Fairy Gardening, For the New Gardener, Miniature Garden Accessories, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Miniature Hobby Farm

This is our latest award-winning garden that won 2nd place at the Seattle Miniature Show last month. We’ve won many awards at this show, read on to find out how we do it.

How to Win a Miniature Contest with a Miniature Garden

Two Best of Shows, one 2nd Place, one 3rd Place and two Honorable Mentions – I could have sworn I have a 1st Place ribbon around here to complete the collection! Drat. I’ll have to enter again next year and be good, but not too good.

But, here’s how we do it. (Click on the pictures to zoom, use your back button to go back to the blog.)

1. Do something completely different. If you don’t know what to do – go to the show and poke around for the miniaturists who document the show, hopefully there pictures posted online somewhere for you to see. There’s a good chance that a living miniature garden has never been done before.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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2. Pick a theme. It can be a play on words – this one called “A Miniature Hobby Farm” as a play on the miniature hobby. Or, it can be something to celebrate locally, like this Miniature Houseboat and Garden that won Best of  Show years ago that we chose because it was sooo very Seattle.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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3. Make it involved. If it’s a dollhouse or a garden, create a human presence by placing accessories where you would have them in “real-life.” A pot of rocks overturned, the rake is left out from the last weeding and the hat is thrown on the chair. It creates an air of mystery because you can see the story, but the characters are gone. Some people like dolls in the scene, but for a contest, the dolls have be really good quality to win a contest – really good and no Barbies. You can substitute small plants for the real thing and get away with it – the individual Hen and Chick plants look like cabbages in the vegetable bed.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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4. Stay with one main scale but play with it when you can. Here, we made a miniature garden for the miniature garden. The Mini Patio Mix Kit holds the tiniest of pebbles in place with the least amount of effort. Tiny Sedum rootings make the perfect plant, 1/4″ scale garden art completes the 2″ wide miniature garden.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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5. Use the real thing. The beauty of a miniature garden is that most of it can be real. When we hauled this garden out of the show last month, one surprised miniaturist said, “That’s real water!” Yep, it is and it’s easier to do than the clear resin that the dollhouse miniaturists use. It’s also fun to watch the miniaturists poke their finger in the water to test to see if it’s resin or not. Use real straw for the chicken coop, real rocks for boulders, branches for logs, etc.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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6. Create vignettes anywhere you can without overdoing it. There would be a bunch of tools and hose somewhere in the garden anyway so grouping them together (like we do in the full-size world) it gives you a chance to create a mini scene within the garden. Normally, we would comb through the topsoil to take out the pieces of vermiculite but we thought it added to the country charm. Mushroom compost makes a miniature mulch – or sift potting soil down in a colander to get a mini mulch too.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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6. Animals help a lot. They add life to the scene and those little critters go straight to the heart of the judge. With the hobby farm theme, we delightfully used any animal we could – without going overboard, that is. Everybody had their place though. The dog didn’t chase the chickens nor the rabbits. The turtle stayed by the pond, the sheep was in the back field…

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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7. Use miniature garden art that is appropriate to your theme. A garden gnome suits the country theme to a tee. That’s the back of the fairy house to the right. Scale is critical in a miniature contest and the judges will get the ruler out so no compromises! It’s the main criteria for this type of contest.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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8. Create another dimension. It’s a miniature fairy house for the miniature garden. You can’t see the stepping stones that lead up to it but it sure is charming! The fairy house is placed around to the back of the pot. Miniaturists really love to take in all the little details so provide those details for them. Note the mossy pile of bricks to the left.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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9. Use all sides. We placed a sheep in “the back forty,” meaning the backside of the garden. Placing rewards for the viewers who look carefully at every detail – as would a miniature judge – increases the experience of viewing the garden. Don’t hesitate to create another place to sit that is hidden from the front. You can have a lot of fun with this but keep it in scale and make the tiny scene have a purpose, like you would in a full-scale garden.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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10. Get more detailed. Place little critters in the scene where they would naturally be. A dish with a couple of apples. (Cotoneaster berries!) A hanging basket full of greenery. As long as it’s put in place without over-crowding – AND it looks realistic – use it to your advantage.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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11. Creating layers in the garden will create the story. Not only is it a garden with “huge” trees and plantings, it has a vegetable garden, a cute patio area, a chicken coop and a pond area. As the viewer looks into the garden, the story unravels.

Miniature Hobby Farm Garden

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12. Add natural elements. Use rocks and small logs in and around the garden as you would see in the country. They can instantly create a sense of permanence to the garden like nothing else can. Snuggle the “boulders” behind trees, nest the “logs” off to the side of the garden and place stumps as if they were cut down to clear the land for planting.

Placement at the show. Ask the show promoter how your exhibit will be seen. If you have some details going on in the back, consider putting your garden on a turntable if your garden is displayed against a wall. (Find heavy duty turntables at your local hardware store.) If you are wary of some kid spinning the display too fast and wrecking it, note that miniature shows are for adults, not kids. There should be someone overseeing the exhibit area at all times but ask the show organizer if you are wary.

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Lights, Camera, Action! Photographing Your Miniature Garden

02/10/2012 at 2:09 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, D.I.Y. Ideas, Fairy Gardening, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Miniature Garden with Pond

This shot works because it’s framed on both sides with plants, the fence at the back directs the eye back into the shot and the fingers in the shot provide contrast, action and interest. All the important bits are in focus.

Lights, Camera, Action! Photographing Your Miniature Garden

I must admit I bought the book for the photographs.

I’ve been a lurking fan of David Perry for about two years now. David is a photographer who loves “to have his hands in the dirt and his nose buried in bunches of flowers.” Why wouldn’t I lurk?

Miniature Garden with Pond

The same garden, but the viewer is behind the furniture. Not as exciting, is it? It’s lacking a defined focal point.

David’s new book is the delicious book, The 50 Mile Bouquet, Seasonal, Local and Sustainable Flowers released earlier this year by St. Lynn’s Press. And I must admit, I have yet to get through to the end of the book because his photos inspire the heck out of me! I get an eyeful and I have to stop, grab my camera and go out to the garden to play.

Another source of inspiration has been Kate Baldwin, who helped with some great photos for my upcoming book, Gardening in Miniature, from Timber Press. Kate’s specialty is photographing food and, although she shoots just about everything else, it’s her food shots that I pay attention to. These types of photos are taken close up, very detailed and are always staged perfectly. Doesn’t that sound like a way to shoot our miniature garden photos?

So, I have touched on a few fun photography tips in this blog several years ago but this time, let’s get more specific. After all, when the garden is done for the season what do you have to show for it until next year? Your photos! AND with our Annual Miniature Garden Contest coming up at the end of this month, you’ll want to put your best shot forward.

Lights!

  1. Use the natural light outside. Overcast days are perfect to avoid hard shadows and glaring sunspots.
  2. Early morning light to create a bit of magic even if the sun is out. The late afternoon sunlight would create a similar situation without the morning dew.
  3. Got sun? Try using the full shade from the house, fence or a building.
  4. Got more sun? Create shade by using a piece of cardboard or an umbrella to shade the garden or pot.
  5. Creating your own shade? You may have to increase the brightness/exposure in your camera, or in your computer, in iPhoto, or whatever photography software that you use.
Miniature Gardens

Bright light combined with too many things going on in the background really distracts from this shot. I cropped most of the background out in order to use it, but I cut the tree-tops out too.

[Speaking of Software]

      1. Lots of options come with whatever computer you buy, like iPhoto for Mac or Photo Gallery for Windows.
      2. Most cameras come with a basic photo editing that can be loaded it into your computer via disk.
      3. Save your original photo first, make a copy of it to fool around with. If you really mess up, make another copy of the original and start again.
      4. Don’t be shy about fooling around in these programs – they are made for you to play! Get in there and make mistakes, click on everything to see what it does, follow the tutorials. Enhance the photos by sharpening, lightening, cropping, or even erase something in the shot.
      5. Leave the original on the camera to be sure it’s safe if the photograph is a special one.
Tiny Miniature Gardens

This shot didn’t work out – the background was just too busy despite the cute birdhouse placed behind them. There are no defined edges on the left and right sides.

Tiny Miniature Gardens

Reconfigured backdrop and a tighter arrangement makes a better picture. The hand is in there to tell the scale.

Camera!

  1. These days, the camera on your phone can be all you need but if you would like to go a little deeper, get a “real” camera. They have come a long way in the last couple of years and they no longer cost an arm and a leg.
  2. Most of the cameras today have pre-settings or ‘scene settings’ that you can play around with. Using the same garden, experiment with ‘close-up,’ ‘museum,’ ‘food,’ and any other settings that might spark an idea.
  3. Take advantage of the automatic settings too and test those out.
  4. Keep your testing consistent. If you are playing with the different camera settings, take the same picture of the same garden. If you take different pictures with different settings you won’t be able to gauge what works and what doesn’t. Test, test, test.
  5. Once you find a setting that works for you, then take a variety of shots of your garden from several different angles and see what works best.

 

Miniature Garden BBQ

I thought having Steve barbecuing in the background would be fun but it was just distracting from the main garden shot.

Action!

  1. Get down with it! That is, get down to the level of the garden when aiming your camera. If the garden is in a pot, get down level with the pot so you are looking straight at it, then raise up the camera to get everything into view – then click!
  2. Pretend that you are the person in that miniature garden and you’re seeing the garden through their eyes. Move the camera to the left and to the right to get more angles.
  3. Use a tripod or rest the camera on a box, or anything to steady the camera. You’ll be glad you did and no, you cannot hold it steady enough for a detailed shot.
  4. It is fun to click away and get the feel of being a real photographer but first, get your settings correct, then test a couple of the first shots by loading them up in your computer to see how they look on a bigger monitor. That tiny screen on your phone or camera is very deceiving and your photo may look in focus only to find out later that it’s not. Don’t be fooled – load up your test shots to your computer to see them in a bigger screen so you can scrutinize them before you click, click, click away.
  5. Back up your favorite photos to a jump-drive, CD, DVD, iCloud, whatever you have but do it. Don’t bother backing up photos that didn’t come out right. Keep all your “glory shots” in the same album or folder. You’ll be glad to have a clean album of great shots without having to sift through the lesser shots for your next show, tell and brag session!
Tiny Miniature Garden BBQ

The tiny details get lost in a big photograph. By gently placing a hand in the shot, it directs the eyes to the important details. That wee BBQ and chair is HO scale from the model train world.

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