Archive for Garden To-Do’s

Caring for Your Indoor [Miniature] Gardens

27/02/2013 at 3:04 pm · Filed under Garden To-Do's, Indoor Mini Gardens, Life-sized Gardening ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Caring for your stressed out indoor plants

Our regular houseplants got a bit stressed out during the flower show. This is our front room after the cleaning. We kept the two possibly-problemed pots separated after finding the source and cleaning all the other pots, the shelf and the general area. 

Caring for Your Indoor [Miniature] Gardens

With all the hustle and bustle with the Northwest Flower and Garden Show last week, our office, home and studio quickly disintegrated into mayhem. Add a houseguest that stays for the 10 night duration and we have ourselves a perfect storm of disorganization and chaos.

But it was fun, wasn’t it?

So, I wasn’t surprised on the Monday after the show when Bruce found some eaten leaves on one of the houseplants in the front room – thankfully our miniature plant nursery is outdoors where the weather takes care of the inventory for our store – but our full-sized indoor plants were just as about as stressed-out as we were.

The one pot that came through unscathed? Our tropical miniature garden!

Whenever I find some evidence of one unwanted visitor on my plants, I go into stealth-cleaning-mode, stop everything, inspect and dissect everything around the houseplants, and look for the source. Heck, I can catch up on work later, right? Ugh.

Here are some quick pointers that came out of this latest cleaning binge. Now that the winter is waning, your regular indoor plants may be griping a bit too.

1. Inspect all leaves, stems and trunks for anything outside the norm or any sort of damage. For example:

  • edges of the leaves are missing
  • rolled edges of the leaves
  • tiny spider webs
  • weird casings attached to stems
  • little green/white/black bugs hanging out on new stems or new leaves2.

2. Inspect all the pots on all sides, underneath the pot, under the saucer too. Look for tiny eggs of any sort and bugs of any kind, of course.

3. If you aren’t afraid of bugs, squish anything you find instantly with your fingers. (I know, it’s gross, but they piss me off! Lol!) I’ve heard of gardeners getting tweezers and dropping them into a bowl of vinegar and water, or water and rubbing alcohol, the main idea is to get something the bugs won’t like in the water so they die.

Indoor Hibiscus

Insect damage on our baby Hibiscus! Look for the source in, on, underneath and around all your pots when you see something like this. The little critter was rolled up inside the leaf.

What to do?

What to do if you find something more than a bug or two? Then it’s time to kick some butt and take no prisoners!

1. Take apart everything in your plant area.

2. If it’s warm enough to put all the plants outside – 50 degrees is a tolerable temperature for indoor plants for a couple of hours, I think. Use the kitchen floor if the weather isn’t cooperating with your plans.

3. Hose the plants down with a gently but firm spray from the hose to knock off any bugs or pests. Give the saucers a good spray.

4. If it’s not warm enough, the shower will work. Use a screen in the drain to catch any soil or leaves so they won’t plug up your plumbing.

5. Gently wash each leaf with your fingers. Tilt the pot so most of the hose/shower spray goes over the pot through the leaves, not into the pot – you are trying to wash the bugs away, not down into the pot.

6. If the invasion is extensive, deep-six that plant! Get rid of it and throw it out. If it’s a precious or rare plant, connect with your local garden center for specific recommendations. You can bring in a leaf or stem for inspection but make sure it’s sealed in a zip-lock bag.

7. Be sure to inspect the under side of the pot, it is a perfect environment for critters: barely damp, dark and out of the way.

8. Use an old toothbrush to scrub the pots and saucers.

9. Cut off and throw out in the trash, any dead, diseased or dying foliage.

10. Remove any dead leaves from the underneath the plant – they give the pests a place to hide.

11. Churn up the top layer of soil with a rod or a fork.

Miniature Indoor Garden

Our tropical miniature garden was in the middle of it all – and remains healthy and happy! Right plant, right place is key.

12. While your plants dry out a bit, wipe all the shelving down in your plant area with vinegar and water.

13. Sweep corners, underneath and around the plant area.

14. Top-up any container that needs a bit of soil.

15. By now the plant’s leaves should be dry. Use Safer’s Soap and spray all the plants that were directly affected by the pests. Note that this spray sometimes comes in concentrated form and follow the directions carefully. Safer’s soap is an organic pest control and is earth-friendly.

16. Put everything back together and place the non-infected plants back in place. Give every pot a thorough watering.

17. Keep the infected plants separate from the healthy ones. Take a week to monitor the infected plants before putting them back with the other plants. You can baby them with a soil-conditioner like Moo Poo Tea but wait until spring give them a proper fertilizing.

18. Pat yourself on the back, you just got a leg-up on your spring cleaning.

Take a moment to figure out why the invasion? When plants are healthy, they are able to resist pests and diseases. It’s only when they are stressed out that they get “sick.”  In our case, almost all our plants were super-dry and they didn’t get their regular watering with all the hub-bub going on. But all-in-all, I lost one plant but saved the 14 others. Whew!

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Miniature Gardening

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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.)

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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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Trying Something New in the Miniature Garden

08/08/2012 at 5:48 pm · Filed under Conifers, For the New Gardener, Garden To-Do's, Life-sized Gardening, Miniature Plants, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Ladybug in the Mini Garden

Jump on these “Kodak Moments” in the miniature garden. When you come across a photo opportunity, drop everything and get the camera. You’ll pat yourself on the back for it later.

Trying Something New in the Miniature Garden

“My plant is turning brown and getting leggy, it was fine before
I got hold of it, what am I doing wrong?”

It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out learning to garden, or if you’ve been gardening for twenty years, some plants can be tricky to learn how to grow.

We have a customer that buys 5 or 6 of each plant, knowing that she will lose a couple of them while learning what the plant’s needs. “One will die right away because I’ll try to grow it in the wrong place… “ She was quite funny and surprisingly quite serious. So, I’ve adapted her point of view and when I’m shopping for new plants I’ve never grown before, I’ll pick up at least three of the same plants at once – or I try to if my budget allows.

In other words, don’t get discouraged if you kill a plant. They don’t grow on trees – a good lot of them are trees! There are multitudes of microclimates throughout any area so you may have to try a couple of different situations to find out what the plant needs to be at its best. And yes, it may discouraging but, out of your learning curve, you create opportunities.

I’ve written about how plants tell you when they are unhappy, so here’s a quick recap on some of the signs you’ll see from the plant, and what the issues could be. Keep in mind these are sweeping generalities because we are not talking of the plant, just the issues.

Light Issues

Snail in the miniature garden

A visitor in the miniature garden. He didn’t stay long, there wasn’t anything in the garden that suited his tastes.

Leggy branches – The plant wants more light. Move closer to the light source or out in the sun more. Wait to see new growth at the crown of the plant (the base) before shearing back the leggy branches and then the plant should flush in nicely.

Dried tops of leaves – Too much light at once. The light has scorched the leaves of the plant. Move it away from the light or give it more shade. Wait for new growth before clipping off damaged leaves. Note that if you cut all the damaged leaves off without waiting for the plant to show you it is recovering by putting out new growth, you are cutting off its food source.

Water Issues

Soggy soil, black soil or soil is growing mold or moss – you are watering too much or the pot doesn’t have a drainage hole. Back off the watering, let the soil dry out to barely damp, churn up top surface of the soil. Unless you’ve chosen water/moisture-loving plants, make sure the pot has a drainage hole.

Soil is crusty, peeling away from the side of the container – Not enough water. When soil dries out completely, the water rolls right off of it. Prevent this by churning up the top layer of the soil, place the pot in a bucket or similar container, water it thoroughly, letting the water drain out of the drainage hole.

Conifer Dieback in an Hinoki Cypress

Preventative Care: Check your miniature and dwarf conifers for “Conifer Dieback.” It’s how the little plants exfoliate. Stop and clean it out whenever you see it so the plant can breathe. If you put it off for another day, you will forget about it and it will be too late. (Speaking from experience!)

Soil Issues

Soil for Containers – Use potting soil only. Yes, I know your garden bed is full of soil but that’s different. Potting soil has certain things in the mix that are ideal for a contained environment. Garden soil will turn to mud in a pot. Stay away from Miracle-Gro soil or soil with fertilizers in them. They are supposedly best for vegetables or seasonal container – although I have’t heard many good things about that kind of soil, regardless what plants are used.

Soil for the garden beds - There are many different types of soil in the gardens across the world. Consult with a knowledgeable gardener or visit your local independent garden center in your area. Bring a sample with you for them to see.

White stuff on top of the soil or on the side of the pot – It’s a big word for the small stuff: efflorescence. It’s normally a build up of salts and other mild chemicals accumulated from the watering. It may be an issue for more sensitive plants but generally it’s harmless. You can scoop it up and throw it out or churn it back into the soil. If it appears on the sides for the pot or on the miniature patio, wipe it away as you see it because it will harden over time.

All Issues

Miniature Garden Vignette

When the groundcovers start to invade your patio, clip the individual branches back, (as opposed to shearing them all at once,) to make it look more natural.

The internet has become a great resource for gardeners. You can literally type what you see in the search bar and you’ll find it even quickly using the image search. I found a huge bug in the backyard last week, it was huge, (okay, it was huge by my wimpy standards) striped and, well, huge! So I typed, “big striped bug” in the search bar and there he was! A Lined June Beetle! Who woulda thought? Be sure to look at a couple of different “answers” or sites to verify the information is correct.

Another fantastic resource is your independent garden center. There is usually at least one walking plant encyclopedia working there – you know those brainiac people that know every plant, how it grows, what it needs and the history behind it? THOSE people are fantastic resources that can help and there’s a good bet they know exactly what you are talking about. Bring a photo with you or snip a sample branch or leaf off and seal it in a plastic bag to show them. Gardeners love to show off their plant knowledge so ask away!

So, the moral of this long blog post is that if you have a plant that is not working for your situation and your not able to adjust to save it within a reasonable time – do not fret it! Every plant that you lose opens the door to trying another.

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[Miniature] Gardening in the Heat

01/08/2012 at 6:05 pm · Filed under For the New Gardener, Garden To-Do's, Life-sized Gardening, Miniature Plants ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Miniature Garden for the Heat

Beat the heat by choosing plants that do well in the heat. This combination of the tall Compressa Juniper, a Blue Star Juniper on the left surrounded with Hens and Chicks, Brass Buttons, Miniature Daisies and assorted Sedums is perfect for a sunny spot.

[Miniature] Gardening in the Heat

The national weather map remains as colorful as a rainbow these days with one exception: the Great Northwest. Ugh. I’m feeling the nation’s pain. I need a glass of water.

Being a miniature gardener, I’m always playing with different sizes and scales in the garden but, this time, we really need a big ol’ giant to run some hoses and turn on some huge fans to get the extreme weather moving and changing. Nice idea, huh?

Miniature Garden for the Heat

The Bean Pole Obelisk is pretty by itself, right in the mini garden bed.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade….
 if the weather hasn’t sucked your energy out of you, that is.

Go out to your garden, your neighbor’s garden or your local botanical garden and look for the plants that are doing well in this extreme heat right now because the plants that are going to survive the heat will be quite obvious – they are the ones that are alive. ;o) And, more than likely, they are the ones that are established too.

(By established, we mean regular watering until the plant’s roots can find their own source of water, which can take a season or two, but it’s highly recommended to keep caring for it and watering it regularly for a full year, to be sure.)

Gardening is a lot of fun but it can be frustrating at times – especially when the weather is against you. You may have spent your budget on flowering annuals only to have them die in the heat because you didn’t water them that day. Plants level the playing field for us. Plants don’t care who you are or what you do – they grow the same for everybody regardless of race, color or creed. The real trick is “right plant, right place.” Conditions like this boring heat wave is extreme but it will separate the givers and the takers of the garden.

So, whatever plants are “giving” you wonderful foliage and flowers without too much maintenance right now – plant more of that. Take note of their hardiness and care requirements to find more plants that will thrive in the same conditions.

And remember that the very best time to plant a garden is in the fall. The plants will have the fall rains to help them get situated, they’ll go dormant for the winter (in most area) and when the weather warms up next spring, the plants will already be “home” and raring to grow.

So make notes of what is working, peruse through the plants lists and do some armchair gardening this month to prepare for your fall planting so next year, you can relax, enjoy the summer and drink lemonade.

Visit your Miniature Garden Center to see what plants are good for your area, and to find the miniature garden accessories used in the photos right here.

Miniature Garden for the Heat

We are loving these ponds for the miniature garden. This large Lagoon Pond looks great with the Montana Red Pebbles. Float a wee leaf or tiny bloom on the surface of the water for realism.

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Watering Tips Help Your Garden Beat the Heat

30/06/2012 at 4:36 pm · Filed under Customer Interaction, Garden To-Do's, Life-sized Gardening, Miniature Plants, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

July 4th in the Miniature Garden

July 4th in the Miniature Garden

Watering Tips Help Your Garden Beat the Heat

Here are some tips for keeping your miniature garden, and your full-sized garden, healthy during heat waves. You may be in an area with a water ban as well so it is even more critical to conserve whatever water you can. With proper watering techniques, you can get the most out of your watering even in extreme temperatures.

The following tips can work for containers or for the garden bed.

Watering Tips Help Your Garden Beat the Heat

Tiny firework packs are made of paper. We only put them out during parties and we take them in if it rains.

1. Test: Only water if needed. Stick your finger down into the soil at least an inch deep. If it is still moist or damp, you can put off the watering for a day or so. If it’s dry, then water. For smaller pots, lift them up to feel how heavy, or light, they are. Dry soil will be much lighter than moist soil.

2. Frequency: Water your in ground gardens deeply and infrequently. This will teach the roots of the plants to look for water on their own, and grow deeper into the soil. Watch your watering for your containers and water accordingly for the plants’ needs, not just because it is a new day.

3. Timing: Water in the early morning or, better yet, at night after the sun has gone off your garden. The plants can recover during the cooler nighttime temperatures. Watering mid-day is useless – most of the water will evaporate quickly.

4. What to water: Water the soil, not the plant, and make sure the water gets down to the roots.

July 4th in the Miniature Garden

Another not-so-waterproof accessory. If you take care not to get them wet, they’ll last for years.

5. What to use: Conserve water by hand watering. Sprinklers and sprays of water don’t direct the water straight to the plant’s roots where it is needed. Use a watering wand on the shower setting, and turn the tap on half-way to avoid strong, misdirected sprays of water that is just going to evaporate in the heat.

6. Corral the water: Build a trough around the base of your plants to direct the water straight down to the roots. Fill up the trough with water and let it drain down a couple of times for some deep watering. This is a critical technique if your garden is planted on a hill.

7. Mulch: Mulching means to put a 2″ to 5″ layer of (usually) organic matter on top of the soil to help keep the moisture from evaporating. Organic mulch can be bark, wood chips, straw, cocoa beans, pine needles, shredded leaves, compost or cut grass. Inorganic mulch can be a variety of things like rubber chips, newspaper, or plastic. For your miniature garden, use a fine compost and keep the layer even throughout the garden bed. For pots, the fine compost works well too, but normally you wouldn’t have much bare soil in a container.

8. Cover the ground: Some of our most favorite miniature garden plants are ground covers fortunately. By covering the bare ground with plants and foliage, it will slow down the soil drying out.

July 4th in the Miniature Garden

The birdhouse has a paper roof. We replace it when it gets wet but we try to leave this accessory for the July 4th decorations only.

9. Move it: Is your miniature garden in a container? Move it out of the full sun into a bright shade spot, the north or east side of the house. Even if the plants belong in full sun, they’ll be okay for a few days on the porch or awning until the heatwave passes.

10. Plant more: It is too late to plant anything new during a heat wave but this fall, consider planting more of your full-size garden. Big trees bring shade, combined with big shrubs can create an naturally cool place in your garden. Planting in fall is one of the best times to get a garden established before next summer, and you’ll use less water next summer, because the winter rains and snow will help them get established in their new home.

Water ban? When you turn on your shower, or your tap, and wait for the water to get hot, collect the water (called grey water) in a bucket to bring out and water the garden. Better yet, plug the drain and collect your all shower water – if you take baths, use the bath water. Make a scoop by cutting out the bottom of a square milk jug or detergent container. You can also put a bucket in every sink to collect the run off every time you turn on any tap. Consider using organic soaps although I’m not sure if it does matter because this is not recommended for edible crops. You can also use the water that you boil any vegetables in too. Note that some areas have certain regulations for grey water usage.

I hope this helps you get through this extreme weather. I wish I could send the Seattle rain your way – we’re still waiting for the weather to warm up over here. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side of the country! ;o)

Got a tip? Leave it in the comments below!

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Want to Save Time and Money on Your Garden? Get a Garden Coach.

07/01/2011 at 11:14 pm · Filed under For the New Gardener, Garden To-Do's, Life-sized Gardening, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

The Personal Garden Coach's Garden

The Personal Garden Coach's Garden. Photo by Christina Salwitz.

Want to Save Time and Money on Your Garden? Get a Garden Coach.

With a name like Two Green Thumbs do you think I would need help in the garden?

The name ‘Two Green Thumbs’ came from my friends. I used to work at a nursery and I would bring home dying plants to nurse them back to life. This resulted in a fantastic container garden full of perennials and vegetables that would amaze and impress my friends and visiting family.

But that was then, this is now and I need some help.

Let me back up a bit.

I am currently working with Christina Salwitz, The Personal Garden Coach, on my annual display for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. We are teaming up this year to present Christina’s deliciously rich container plantings while adding something completely different to my palette, a very welcome change after 6 years of doing the same exhibit.

Christina came over to my new house yesterday to hammer out some of the details for the exhibit. I didn’t want to take advantage of her expertise without proper credit so I was a bit shy to ask questions about my new garden.

But throughout the afternoon, some questions did come up. How do prevent my new favorite Victoria Nest Fern from getting brown tips? What was wrong with that big Rhodie on the corner of the house? How do I begin make peace with the clay soil in ALL of my garden beds that was downright depressing to deal with?

And you know what? Not only did Coach Christina have answers and explanations, she had encouragement, enthusiasm and forgiveness.

And – this is the best part – with what little advice she gave, she saved me a lot of time and money.

Check out Christina's Salwitz's blog for bolts of color and dramatic textures that you can grow in your garden.

Check out Christina's Salwitz's blog for dazzling bolts of color and dramatic textures that you can grow in your garden. Photo by Christina Salwitz.

I could have easily scoured the Internet, gone to the library, picked the good people’s brains at my local nursery to find the answers to my questions. I could have then approached the new garden with a trial and error mentality and waited for the results. I could have invested in this cure or that method to see if it would work – and all this multiplied by the number of questions that I have.

That time adds up.

But I have two online stores, a trending business, customers to look after, blogs to write, orders to pack, new products and plants to find, a dreaded book to complete and a workshop to finish so I can actually move into my new house properly.

I just don’t have the gumption to search for garden answers when I have that much on my plate.

And you know what again? While some research and hunting for answers may be fun, you know as well as I do that it does get old after a time. Especially when you get into a project and a bunch of stagnating little questions come up that inevitably crush the enthusiasm you had in the first place. Garden coaches can help with not-so-fun stuff and free up your head-space and time for the fun parts for a more enjoyable and stress-free gardening experience.

So, the results are in and I’m getting Coach Christina back here to help me get some direction in this new garden of ours. Who knows, maybe I can make peace with clay soil and finish moving into my new house soon.

~> Outside the Seattle area, check with your local nursery or garden center for a garden coach in your area.

~> In the Seattle/Bellevue area checkout Christina’s Personal Garden Coach blog where she explores everything garden here.

~> The Personal Garden Coach’s Facebook page is always full of interesting ideas and resources here.

Stay tuned for news and developments on “the dreaded book” by joining our Miniature Garden mailing list here. ;o)

Checkout our Two Green Thumbs Miniature Garden Center here.

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The Missing Garden Ingredient: Patience

19/08/2010 at 6:55 pm · Filed under For the New Gardener, Garden To-Do's, Miniature Plants ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Tricolor Sedum Spurium, a ground cover Stonecrop

A favorite mini garden "bedding plant" with green-gray leaves lipped in creamy white and touched with pinks.

The Missing Garden Ingredient: Patience

Patience is not spoken about often enough in the multitudes of gardening advice found online these days. There are many blogs, articles and videos extolling the virtues of how, when, what and why to grow what you grow – but there’s not a lot of chatter about having “to endure the waiting calmly.”

Waiting for the plant to grow.

Waiting for the plant to flower.

Waiting for the plant to look its best.

Patience came to mind as I was cutting back one the groundcovers that use for miniature gardening. While all the plants that are recommended for this scale of gardening are carefully thought out and chosen for their color, small leaves and growth shape, it should be noted that plants can’t look their best all the time – in life-sized and in miniature gardens.

Just like we don’t look our best all the time.

Fortunately, we can nurse and nest ourselves until we feel better, why wouldn’t we expect plants to do the same thing?

That’s where the patience comes in.

A mini garden for full sun with Blue Pygmy Juniper and Tricolor Stonecrop

The green-gray of the Tricolor Sedum is fun to match with similar colored plants.

Sedum spurium, or the groundcover Stonecrop Sedum, is a favorite for miniature gardening with the little rosettes on the end of each stem, perching just so. The “bigger,” flatter leaves (talking mini gardening here) add a solid texture when paired with tiny-leafed Thymes or Dwarf Mondo Grass, for example. It’s varying the texture of the foliage that add depth and drama to the mini garden scene.

The varieties of Sedum Spurium lend a range of color to the mini garden palette. The Dragon’s Blood Stonecrop Sedum has a wonderful deep wine-red colored leaf, the Tricolor Stonecrop Sedum has pink, cream and grey-green leaves that is a real charmer – and even the “regular” Stonecrop Sedum ‘Alba’ is a bright, cheerful green color.

For most of the year, this plant is a well-behaved miniature garden “shrub” but come July/August, the branches reach out and bloom for us in wee bunches of pink flowers. After which, the plant is leggy, droopy (a technical horticultural term ;o) and looks a bit barren.

Sedum Spurium, a ground cover Stonecrop

New growth at the crown or base of the this ground cover Stonecrop.

But look a little closer at the base of the plant (called the crown) and you’ll see the new growth start to emerge as tiny, new buds poking up from the bottom and sides of the leggy stems. That’s when you shear off the gangly branches just above the new buds, which will trigger the new growth to flush out quickly – and start the process all over again.

Sedum Spurium, a ground cover Stonecrop

Tiny pink buds at the base of the this plant signals that it's time to shear the leggy branches back.

And it is patience that will get you over this wee hurdle and loving your mini garden again – wait for the new growth to emerge before shearing it back. It’ll reward you with months of looking great… until next August.

Look for your other ground cover Sedums to do the same and shear them back too – once you see the new growth.

PS – I’ll have them back in the store in the fall – when they look their best!

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Miniature Garden Containers Spring to Life!

13/04/2010 at 7:50 pm · Filed under Conifers, For the New Gardener, Garden To-Do's, Life-sized Gardening, Miniature Plants ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Containers Spring to Life!

A routine check for slugs and snails around your containers will help you keep ahead of them. This Miniature Garden is 5 years old.

Containers Spring to Life!

It’s time to clean up your container gardens! They’ve been sitting all winter and are now ready to prep and grow for Spring. Here’s a checklist to help you:

* Check to see if roots are growing out of the bottom. If so, it’s time to repot. Depending on what is planted, divide the plants and replant them. This will maintain the same design. You can even make two matching pots…or swap plants with your gardener friends…or plant them in the garden bed for some continuity throughout your garden.

* Remove the debris and trim back any dead or leggy branches.

* Use a garden fork or weeder to break up the top crusty layer of soil. The rain and snow at the top of the soil redirects the water toward the sides of the pot. By mulching and breaking it up, the water will be redirected evenly and the roots will get much needed moisture.

* If repotting is not required, poke a stick deep into the soil to aerate the soil around the roots. It gets compacted when it has been planted for a couple of seasons.

* Check for “conifer dieback.” When miniature and dwarf spruces shed their foliage, it often gets stuck in the middle of the plant, eventually suffocating and killing it. Slough off this dead foliage to the ground with your fingers, then clean up the dead needles with a garden fork.

* Look for snails and slugs around the base, bottom and sides of your container. They may still be dormant if the area is cool. Also check the inside edges of the pot, underneath the foliage, the back of the garden beds and in the damp, shady areas close to the house or on the house. Put them in an out-of-the-way place in the garden and they can find something else to munch on.

* Sprinkle time release fertilizer on top. Then wipe the outside of the pot. You’re done!

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Earth Day in the Miniature Garden

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For New Miniature Gardeners: How Plants Die

16/02/2010 at 8:28 pm · Filed under Customer Interaction, For the New Gardener, Garden To-Do's, Indoor Mini Gardens, Life-sized Gardening ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Did your plant die? Remember that plants don't grow on trees - they are trees and try again!

Did your plant die? Remember that plants don’t grow on trees – they are trees! Try again!

New Miniature Gardeners: How Plants Die

Most plants don’t just die. They don’t have a cardiac arrest and cack-out on the spot. No heart attacks either. No brain aneurysm … nope, no sudden death at all…

It is normally a slow and gradual death…

And you can see it.

And the death is usually spread out across days, or even weeks for some of the hardier, or more drought tolerant plants. Noticing some of the sign of stress can help you adjust quickly and easily to save your plant from the big garden in the sky.

Here are a few examples of things to look for and a possible reason:

- Wilted leaves: not enough water
- Shrunken, wrinkled leaves: not enough water
- Scorched or brown tips on the leaves: too much direct sun, water or fertilizer
- Little gnats flying around your plants: over-watering
- Mold on the top of the soil: too much water / not enough drainage
- Dried out soil: not enough water, top of soil needs mulching
- Yellowed and dropping leaves: lack of water or light

I could carry on, but do you see where I’m going with this?

“My tree died.”
“Did you water it?”
[Silence… birds tweeting… a crow caws in the distance….]

In my 10 years of introducing miniature gardening to the world, I’ve come across more than a few new gardeners wanting to try it. And, it is normally a watering or light issue that ends up taking their first wee tree or plant.

Knowing the signs – any signs for that matter – can help you and the plant adjust to each other.  If you see any sort of problem, take a minute and try one of the following:

- Google the name of the plant, what the problem is and you’re sure to come up with answers you can compare your situation to.

- Check on the light/water/air requirements for the plant to make sure you have it in the right spot too. Indoor plants are for indoors, outdoor plants are for outdoors.

- Go back to, call or email the nursery where you bought the plant. They should know all about the plants that they sell. Please don’t blame the nursery people for your lack of knowledge, that it is just not fair. Patience and understanding will open more doors for you!

- Find real life gardeners or connect with garden centers in your area through Twitter and Facebook. Tweet or comment if you have questions or concerns about anything garden in your area – they love to interact with customers. They are a great group of people that are more than willing to tell you what to do.

Remember that, if given a choice, plants would prefer to grow and that is their only mission in life: to grow to reproduce.

You don’t have to know everything there is about gardening right this minute. Just know what you grow. Get to know about the one, or two plants, that you’re growing right now. Once your comfortable with those ones, go get a couple more.

And adjust for any overages, or shortages, by observing your plants daily or weekly.

Together, you both can live happily ever after, hold hands and walk with your plant into the sunset…. ;o)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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