Posts Tagged Humour

Turtle Envy: Melanie’s Miniature Garden

18/04/2013 at 3:25 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, Customer Interaction, D.I.Y. Ideas ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Melanie's Miniature Garden

Nemo’s Miniature Garden. Melanie and her husband found a baby box turtle last spring and create a habitat for him – miniature garden style!


Turtle Envy: Melanie’s Miniature Garden

When Melanie emailed us pictures of her miniature garden the other week, we sat and giggled – and then we wanted our own turtle. Here is her story of Miniature Gardening with Nemo down in Louisiana.

“My husband and I found a baby box turtle last spring. We’ve experimented with many different habitats. Our first one did not allow sufficient drainage. While we were at work, there came a downpour, when we arrived home we found our baby turtle hanging on by the eave of his modified bird-turtle house just a paddling – so we named him “Nemo.” To celebrate Nemo’s second spring with us we created a new home for him. My love of miniature gardening also provides a whimsical habitat for Nemo.”

I consider this a very good reason to move to Louisiana. ;o)

Melanie's Miniature Garden

Turtle’s need a cool place to go when so they built a wee hollow for Nemo to take shelter in.

Turtles need proper care and diet just like dogs and cats do. There are a number of different kinds of turtles, and each one is a bit different in their needs. Here is a website that takes you through the different kinds of pet turtles here. Here’s a website with more information – and way more experience that we have on raising turtles – right here.

Melanie's Miniature Garden

I wonder what he thinks of his garden? I wonder if turtles think? Lol! You can see the white edges of the big tub that Melanie and her husband made into Nemo’s habitat on the top and bottom of the photo. Drill containers like this so the rainwater can drain freely. A bigger hole in the bottom will let the critters and bugs into the container from the ground – and more food for Nemo too!

It appears that our miniature garden pond is a good watering hole for Nemo although it not is necessarily “food-safe.” The large Lagoon shape has a ledge that helps the turtle walk in and out of the pond easily. Turtles need their water changed daily to keep it free from contaminants that may get the wee turtle sick.

Melanie's Miniature Garden

Melanie’s other Miniature Garden. Do you think Nemo sees the grass as greener over here? ;o)

Join our mailing list for everything miniature garden here and receive a free PDF “The Best of the Mini Garden Gazette #1″ after confirming through your email address. Sign up here.

More than Fairy Garden

Comments (1)

Miniature Gardening at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, 2013

16/02/2013 at 1:20 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, The Business ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Miniature Gardening at the NWFGS

Preparing for the Marie Antoinette Display at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show this weekend. This is a tiny Hameau for one of our display gardens – the young French Queen sought solace in her faux cottages and farm buildings set up around the palace grounds that make delicious fodder for the miniature gardens!

Miniature Gardening at the
Northwest Flower & Garden Show

I’m taking you with me this year.

We’re going on a visual romp of the Private Realm of Marie Antoinette – and then some!

That’s our theme for our annual display at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle this coming week. This year we are teaming up with the very creative and knowledgeable mind of Mr. Bruce Bailey of Heavy Petal Nursery in Moses Lake to bring you a taste of this young Queen’s inner life.

Did you know what she was a plant-nut as well as a trend setter and fashionista? Neither did we until we dug deeper into her … private realm – ! Lol!

So, this is the first of the series for this long week ahead. I’m going to try to do one a day and show not only our display work, but I’ll take you into show to see what kinds miniature gardening we can find now that this trend is upon us. It’ll be nice to have some company in this niche, it’s our 9th year doing a display and more than not, we were the only ones with miniature gardens – plugging along… Lol! But I bet that changes this year!

Sign up for the blog to get it delivered straight to your inbox over there on the right under the Facebook thingie ~~>>

(If you’re logged into WordPress, the Follow button is on the top of the page. ^)

And, do join us for our free monthly Miniature Garden Gazettes too – there is nuthin’ else like it. Click here and follow the prompts – you’ll get into the Gazette archives after confirming through your email.

And here’s the start of your visual romp! (I just wanted to say that again.)

Miniature Gardening at the NWFGS

Planning, planning, planning. We start with a lot of ideas and the ones that are doable eventually emerge as the deadline draws closer.

Miniature Gardening at the NWFGS

Bruce paints the backdrop as Steve horses around. Humor is a required ingredient in doing these shows!

Miniature Gardening at the NWFGS

Bruce found the PERFECT chairs – they aren’t authentic Louie XVI so we had no problems painting them to match the display.

Miniature Gardening at the NWFGS

Marie Antoinette created a faux farm and had her servants tie ribbons on the sheep, clean the eggs in the chicken coop and even created fake rivers and ponds for her swans. Oh to be a Queen!

Miniature Gardening at the NWFGS

Bruce’s painting on the backdrop to bring some Chinoiserie (a fancy word for Chinese-style) into the display. Marie Antoinette was heavily influenced by the new furniture, art and decor from China during the late 1700s.

Miniature Gardening at the NWFGS

Moo Poo Tea is a life saver when one tries to revive dormant plants to get them ready for the show in the dead winter. Moo Poo Tea is a soil conditioner to add to your water – so you give the plants a little boost every time you water and it’s 100% organic. While us miniature gardeners tend to shy away from fertilizers, it really helps during showtime.

Like this? There’s a lot more in store for you then! Click here to join our mailing list.

Shop Miniature Garden Plants

Comments (8)

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shop Miniature Garden Plants

Comments (2)

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

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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!

Comments (9)

Results Are In! The Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

02/11/2012 at 6:48 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, Customer Interaction, Fairy Gardening, Indoor Mini Gardens, Miniature Garden Accessories, Miniature Plants, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Best Container for the Annual Miniature Garden Contest 2012

Best Miniature Garden in a Container: Glenna of Rochester, NY made this little gem with her boyfriend, Wyatt. We (the judges) thought it particularly charming with the stairs going down to the grotto-like pond. (Made with Mini Patio Mix.) The plants are perfectly in scale and the pretty color scheme match the pot too. The whole “look” is softened by the tumbled, smooth-edged stones. Glenna and Wyatt – you are hired!

Results Are In! The Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

What a terrific contest this year! Thank you all for your hard work and your creative ingenuity. We had 20 entries from the US, one from Canada and one from India. The level of miniature gardening made the judging particularly difficult this year. Steve and I had to bring in a couple of gardener friends for some objective opinions because we just could not decide!

If you missed it, here’s last year’s contest and the halloween contest.

And the winners are:

Best Miniature Garden in a Container: Glenna of NY (top)
Best Halloween Miniature Garden: Karen of MA
People’s Choice Award: Mary Jane of NE
Honorable Mentions: Debbie of CA & Laney of MS

It was great to see some out-of-the-box entries. We may have to open up another category for next year for more fun. Laney’s bedpan garden got the most groans and one “Eeeew!” Laney did reassure me that the bedpan was scrubbed before planting. But note that when I followed up with her, the plants were suffering in the metal bedpan so it was taken apart to save the trees. The rusted metal pan was harmful to the plant’s roots so don’t try that at home. ;o)

Here are all the winners followed by all the entrants. After getting this altogether, I think this is my most favorite blog of all time! Check it out:

Best Halloween Miniature Garden: Karen of MA

The Best Halloween Miniature Garden for the Annual Miniature Garden Contest 2012

This Pumpkin Village, made by Karen in MA, won Best Halloween Miniature Garden this year. We deliberated a bit as to whether it was a garden because it was labelled a “Pumpkin Village” but – it’s in a container and has a garden in front of the village. Can’t beat logic! This is so creatively fun with the all the row of houses. Great job, Karen!

People’s Choice Award: Mary Jane of NE

The People's Choice Award of the Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

People’s Choice Award goes to our second-time winner, Mary Jane from Nebraska. Very Pretty!! We just fell in love with the blue and white combo – just charming! We were glad to see “The People” loved it too! Congrats, Mary Jane!

Honorable Mention: Debbie of CA

Honorable Mention, Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

Honorable Mention for the Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012 by Debbie from CA. This was so pretty, we had to make two Honorable Mentions! Everything works together in scale and color – the colors of the plants as well as the color of the accessories and the pot. The pond and swan create a peaceful effect; the patio on the backside adds another dimension. Very sweet, Debbie!

Honorable Mention: Laney of LA

Honorable Mention, Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

This darling little gem won Honorable Mention by Laney from LA. It was in line to win the Best Container before being ousted at the last minute by Glenna. There are koi fish in the pond which Laney layered in with clear resin and finished it up by floating lily flowers on the very top. We loved how Laney built in the patio all around the pond with our Mini Patio Mix Kit. The “wall” of cypresses and trellises in the back work to contain the scene. The sweet alcove made with the red arbor holds a bather sculpture. The shoes and hat on the chair creates the story.

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

We loved this one too! From Laney of LA. It was the meandering path that led over the bridge and through the woods… Perfect eye candy, Laney!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

This one may have opened up another category for next year. A miniature garden with an outhouse planted in a bedpan by Laney from LA. Hilarious, Laney, yet – well done!

And all the talented Entries:

Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

We loved the colors in this entry by Barbara of CA. The red bridge and trellis tied in nicely with the ponds and Asian seat and pots. Great work, Barbara!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

A backyard garden by Lori of WA spreads out to a few different “rooms” in the garden. Love the addition of the miniature glass garden art and the lanterns. Way to go, Lori!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

A spooky little Halloween garden by Lori of WA. It kept us looking for more and more details, lol! Terrific, Lori!

Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

A nicely aged miniature garden entry by Lori of WA. The Green Carpet Juniper is beginning to look like the perfect tree in this cute little scene. The scale is perfect. Nice garden, Lori! (Psssst, the fish needs some water…. Lol! ;o)

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

A garden getaway from Sonya of MI. What a peaceful scene – love how the hose is left out – very realistic! Lol! Wonderful, Sonya!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

A serene scene from Sonya of MI. If the brick wall wasn’t behind it, one may just think it was a full-sized garden! Lovely work, Sonja!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

This lovely garden scene was created by Sonya of MI. We love how the fence completes the back of the garden and contains the scene. The furniture in the front and the pot details keep the interest. Very pretty, Sonya!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

A fairy garden by Michelle of TX and yes, it’s in a hot-pink wheelbarrow. Love how the path meanders from the pond to the arbor to the house to the…. and it’s portable! It’s a sweet scene, Michelle!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

This cute indoor garden comes from Mabelle of CA. We loved how the taller trees created a canopy over the pond. Checkout the miniature potted plants – cute! Delightful, Mabelle!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

All the way from Canada! This sweet vignette by Mary is just charming with the ivy growing up the lighted gazebo. I’m coming over for tea, Mary! ;o)

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

Brought to you by ‘Dawn’not So’patient’ from Facebook. A very cute fairy garden. We suspect she’s not from Facebook, but from someplace down south by the plants she’s used. Very enjoyable, Dawn!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

A charming miniature garden by Pat from MI. The colors of the accessories and basket tie it all together in a nice neat little scene. Adorable, Pat!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

This very fun miniature garden comes from Jeeva from India. The greens and reds really work well together to create a rather exotic scene. Enchanting, Jeeva!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

This pretty garden is from Hollie of KY. The tans, creams and whites contrast nicely with the greens of the plants and pot. A pretty scene, Hollie!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

Our only Christmas entry by Hollie of KY. The wreath and garland are handmade by Hollie. (There weren’t enough entries for this holiday category, unfortunately.) Very creative, Hollie!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

And our only in-ground entry too – by Hollie from KY. See the witch’s legs underneath the ivy on the right?  (There weren’t enough entries for this in-ground category, unfortunately.) Too fun, Hollie!

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

This miniature halloween scene comes from Deb from IN. Love the tiny gargoyles on the fence posts. Very scary, Deb!

Best Miniature Garden in a Container: Glenna of NY, close up view

Two Green Thumbs Annual Miniature Garden Contest, 2012

And lastly, another visit to our Best Miniature Garden in a Container Winner. Time to drink Alice’s elixir, shrink down…. and relax… Thank You, Everyone!

Wow, now you can see why it’s my favorite blog of all time! Thank you everyone for participating!

Show our winners some love and “Like” or share this with your friends, family and neighbors using the sharing buttons below.

Stay tuned to next week’s blog when we breakdown some of the gardens and go into detail on the plants and trees used here.

If you enjoyed this blog, you will enjoy our FREE monthly Mini Garden Gazette delivered straight to your inbox. All Miniature Garden. All the time. Join here, follow the easy prompts and get into our archives after confirming your subscription through our email. Join now.

Comments (15)

Garden Taxes

14/04/2012 at 11:06 am · Filed under Because it's fun ·Tagged

Reblogged from The Mini Garden Guru - Your Miniature Garden Source:

Click to visit the original post

NOTE - THIS WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN APRIL, 2009 WHEN I WAS WRITING A "GARDEN FOR ALL" COLUMN FOR THE WEST SEATTLE HERALD. TAX SEASON ALWAYS BRINGS IT TO MIND...

A Garden For All: Garden Taxes

This recent tax season spurred on yet another garden analogy from Yours Truly. I realized, as gardeners, that we already pay taxes in our own way.

Read more… 563 more words

Because gardeners already pay their taxes...

Comments (2)

A Miniature Easter Garden: What’s Too Cute?

06/04/2012 at 3:09 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, Customer Interaction, Fairy Gardening, Miniature Garden Accessories ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Miniature Easter Garden: Too Cutesy?

A Miniature Easter Garden: Too Cutesy?

A Miniature Easter Garden: What’s Too Cute?

When is too cute too cute?

Take a look at this short slide show and you be the judge. You can scroll through manually or it will do it automatically.

Here’s a short survey link for fun. You tell us what you think about being “too cute” here.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So, when is too cute, too cutesy? Take our short survey here.

New and Unusual Miniature Garden Accessories

Comments (5)

Miniature Garden Plant Focus: Hardier Than Thou

19/01/2012 at 1:26 pm · Filed under Conifers, Miniature Plants, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Miniature Gardens frozen in time

Miniature Gardens frozen in time, but they'll come out of this freeze just fine!

Miniature Garden Plant Focus: Hardier Than Thou

It’s here again.

That freezing, fluffy white stuff is all over the place. That four-letter word that seems to occur annually and stay for least a couple of days each winter. Now it’s ice. Why am I not in Hawaii?

It’s not really what I signed up for by moving here to this wonderful garden Mecca otherwise known as Seattle…

Miniature Garden Plants, Mitsch Mini Mugo Pine

One of our hardiest Miniature Garden trees: the Mitsch Mini Mugo Pine will be back in stock next week!

Fortunately, “my babies” just love it.

I’m talking about the wee miniature and dwarf conifers that I’ve been miniature gardening with for the last ten years – thankfully, they are hardier than me.

Much hardier.

Here is a quick snapshot of the different dwarf and miniature conifers that are ideal for the freezing/sub-freezing temperatures. This is only an overview of the hardiness of each species, as the hardiness of some of the varieties may vary. (A good example is the darling Mhondoro Hinoki that is hardy to -20F while the Jean Iseli Hinoki is hardy to -30F.)

Canada Hemlocks: -30F or Zone 4
Hinoki Cypress: -20F or Zone 5
Dwarf Alberta Spruce: -30F or Zone 4
Dwarf Cryptomerias: -10F or Zone 6
Mugo Pine: -40F or Zone 3
Dwarf Fir: -30F or Zone 5
Dwarf Norway Spruce: -40F or Zone 3
Japanese Holly: -20F or Zone 5

Some of them are pretty hardy / hardier than me / as you can see. ;o)

We’ve included the cold hardiness zones within each listing in our online store so you know exactly what you can plant with success for your area. For warmer regions, please consult this blog post to get to know what plants can tolerate the heat in your area.

Miniature Garden Tree, the Canada Hemlock "Hornbeck"

The Miniature Canada Hemlock "Hornbeck" - The dwarf and miniature Hemlocks we carry are perfect for temperatures down to

Getting it Straight

To keep myself straight, I rely on the actual temperatures when discussing hardiness zones. I think it’s because I was raised in Toronto, Ontario, and often get the Canadian/American/Sunset Zones completely mixed up plus, I interact with a variety of gardeners throughout the world. So it gets a little embarrassing with a name like Two Green Thumbs when I get the zones wrong.

So, I stay with one way to gauge and discuss hardiness and, for me, that is Fahrenheit. I don’t have to remember to convert anything in my head, I don’t have look anything up and I can eliminate a lot of errors that way. More often than not, the plant’s tag will have the minimum winter temperature on it. It’s better to be accurate than conventional sometimes.

Miniature Garden Tree, the Shimpaku Juniper is great for bonsai too.

The Shimpaku Juniper is a really great starter tree for bonsai too. It always has a nice trunk and branching system underneath the foliage.

Choose Hardier Plants for Your Containers

Now keep in mind the rule if you are planting in containers. There is a 15 degree difference in the hardiness of the plant when it is planted in a container. When planted the ground, the earth insulates the roots of the plant. When you plant in a container, you adjust for the hardiness by adding 15 degrees to the lowest minimum temperature. Here’s an example: let’s say the Mugo Pines are hardy to -50F. If we plant one in a pot, that Mugo is now hardy to -35F because it doesn’t have Mother Earth around it, keeping it warm.

Now stay tuned and join our email list in the meantime! The new miniature garden trees are due in any day now and we’ve got a lot to choose from! New, different, true miniature trees that are perfect for the miniature container garden or right in the ground… – we’re just waiting for the snow and ice to thaw so the truck can get through… ;o)

Your Miniature Garden Center

Comments (1)

Miniature Gardening: Chats and Forums and Groups, Oh My!

06/12/2011 at 7:17 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, Customer Interaction, For the New Gardener, Life-sized Gardening, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Miniature Gardening: Chats and Forums and Groups, Oh My!

You can almost hear the glasses tinkling, the lively chatter in the background and the occasional burst of laughter. They chime in from all over the country, Canada and throughout the world. People asking each other how the weather is, what each other is drinking tonight and exchanging quick personal updates along with their hellos.

The banter is chummy and fun; you never know who’s going to comment on what you said, or what bad joke lies in wait…

About 10 minutes into the session, the purpose of the friendly gathering starts with a question. Suddenly, the chatter picks up, answers are flying and jokes are passed around and repeated to make sure they are spread far and wide.

“What was the question again? I missed it…,”

“I’m late, what’s the topic?”

“Hey, Helen, how’s the planking?”

“Hold on, I need more wine…”

A wide range of topics are shared and deliberated each week. Celebrities are brought in to host the discussions, an endless stream of discussions. More industry celebrities drop in to say hi, and stay for a question or two at the very least. Prizes are given away freely. The laughter and jokes carry on even after it ends.

And it all happens within one hour, on Twitter.

It’s called #GardenChat, and it’s an open chat just like a party, hosted on Monday nights between 9 and 10pm, Eastern Standard Time, on Twitter.com.

Just by scrolling through the last couple of months of the event calendar, you can see the myriad of garden topics that Brenda Haas covers with the help of her loyal #GardenChat following. It’s an easy crowd to get into, and it’s even easier to join the discussion, ask questions and get answers and opinions from the people who actually garden in your area. And you never know who will drop by.

All kinds of gardening are discussed, garden art, moss gardening, garden designers, vertical gardening, tomatoes, P. Allen Smith, websites, roses, herbs, container gardening, new garden happenings, houseplants, organic gardening, vegetable gardening, drought tolerant gardening, open discussions, did I say garden designers yet? Links are exchanged and garden know-how is shared freely – it really is a terrifically fun resource for any gardener, anywhere.

And the big news: This coming Monday, December 12th, Yours Truly is hosting a #GardenChat! Really! It’ll be my first one. I will be answering any questions about miniature and fairy gardening. I plan on showering you with yummy eye candy, and filling up your head with lots of ideas for your miniature gardens. Come and join in the fun, it really is a hoot.

You don’t have to register, join or subscribe to anything – heck you don’t even have to read every tweet that rolls by either. Brenda captures each #GardenChat in a transcript after the show, and you can download it after the chat and explore the links and resources at your leisure.

Find out all about #GardenChat right here. If you are new to Twitter, don’t fret, sign up with Twitter.com, then some back to here and these instructions will walk you through how to connect to #GardenChat. Lurk if you need to at first, but at least say “Hi!” so we know you are there.

And here is a list of other Miniature and Fairy Garden Forums and Chats on the Internet that have opened up in the last few months. I think you can nose around into each group, to see if you like it, and then sign up if it feels right. (Some of them, like Dave’s Garden, have subscription fees.)

All Things Plants – Miniature Gardens Forum

Garden-Share – Fairy and Miniature Gardens

Dave’s Garden – Tiny Gardens Forum

Garden Web – Terrariums

Facebook – Miniature and Fairy Garden Chat

Facebook – Two Green Thumbs Miniature Garden Center

[If I missed any, please let me know. Only direct forums please, not threads within forums.]

There is a wealth of knowledge in the Interwebs, fun to be had, friends to meet and no reason to stop thinking about your miniature gardening either. See you on Monday December 12th on #GardenChat!

Miniature Garden Center

Comments (1)

How to Insert Charm into Your Miniature Garden Part II, Patios and Paths

30/06/2011 at 11:15 pm · Filed under Because it's fun, D.I.Y. Ideas, Fairy Gardening, For the New Gardener, Indoor Mini Gardens, Resources ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Miniature Garden Study, Patios and Pathway Materials

Stone sheets make for a no-brainer solution for the miniature garden patio. Lock them in permanently with the Mini Patio Mix.

How to Insert Charm into Your Miniature Garden Part II

We’re bringing charming back.

In a recent Miniature Garden Intensive Class, student Sandra started to ask about a certain plant and had to pause to say, “I’m about to use that word again, ‘charming!’”

She was right, the miniature conifer was simply charming and at that moment ‘charming’ was the perfect word for it.

Charm, noun
1. the power to delight or attract people
2. a feature or quality that delights or attracts (often used in the plural)

Charm, verb
1. to delight or attract people
2. To influence somebody by using powers of attraction
3. to affect somebody or something by, or as if by, the use of a supposed magic spell

Aha! Magic! That must be it! You’re probably thinking to yourself, FAIRY MAGIC….wo Green Thumbs' Mini Patio Mix Kit Ad

But no. It’s simple math really.

Proportion and scale.

(Stay with me on this one! ;o)

One of the key ingredients that you can easily bring to your miniature gardens are proportion and scale.

We’ve talked about the plants and the accessories before, but let’s talk about something that is not so obvious but is a very valuable element for a true garden in miniature: the miniature patio.

The addition of a patio or pathway increases the appeal of a true garden in miniature because it helps the viewer to identify the fact that it is a real miniature garden instead of a container full of small plants.

It cinches the scale immediately in the eye of the viewer because we know how big it is supposed to be. After all, we stand on them all the time, right? But it tends to be the last thing we think of when we put a garden together and we end up dumping a bunch of marbles in for a path or include an odd collection of rocks for the patio.

Take a look at the following examples of the different sizes of miniature gardens to get an idea of what I mean by paying attention to the detail and cinching the scale to add the charm:

Checkout the Miniature Garden Patio and Pathway Department in our store for easy solutions to add charm to your miniature or fairy garden scene.

Be sure to lock in your design with our Mini Patio Mix Kit. The only solution design specifically for miniature gardeners by a miniature gardener! ;o)

Comments (2)

Older Posts »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 5,193 other followers

%d bloggers like this: