GARDENINGinMINIATURE

ToSteve,theotherpeainmypod

GARDENINGinMINIATURE

JANITCALVO

CreateYourOwnTinyLivingWorld

withphotographsbyKATEBALDWIN

TIMBERPRESSPORTLAND|LONDON

Contents

PREFACE

GoodThingsComeinSmallGardensANINTRODUCTION

DoaLittleGardeningMINIATUREWORLDS

ShrinkingtheGardenRulesSCALEDDESIGNBASICS

WalkingtheMiniatureTalkPATIOSANDPATHWAYS

It’saSmallWorldPLANTSFORTHEMINIATUREGARDEN

ItNeedsYou,YouNeedItGARDENCARE

PersonalityPlusMINIATUREGARDENACCESSORIES

Let’sMakeSomeMagicMINIATUREGARDENPROJECTS

YourForkasaRakeMINIATUREGARDENMAINTENANCEADDITIONALREADINGMETRICCONVERSIONSACKNOWLEDGMENTSPHOTOCREDITSINDEX

PREFACE

IHAVEWITNESSEDmanypeoplejumpupanddown,claptheirhands,andsquealwithexcitement—allsimultaneously—afterseeingtheirfirstminiaturegarden.I’vealsohadpeoplewritemelonge-mailsabouttheirfirstgarden,curseme(jokingly)forgettingthemstarted,andevenphonetothankmeforintroducingthemtothiscaptivatinghobby.Itellthemifminiaturegardeningwasn’tsomuchfun,Iwouldn’tbedoingit.Overtheyears,theconcepthasgraduallycaughtonandbeenembracedthroughouttheworld.Someseemtothinkit’schild’splayandnotforrealgardeners,butiftheypickupthisbookandreadit,theywillfindthatgardeninginminiaturecanbeaschallengingasdesigningafull-sizedgarden;proportionandscale,elementsofgardendesign,andsustainabilityallneedtobeconsidered.

Itisagreatwaytogetkidsintothegarden,butpeopleareoftensurprisedtolearnthatmostminiaturegardenersareoverforty-fiveyearsold.

Itwasanaturalprogressionformetowriteabookonthesubject.I’mapublisher’sdaughterwhowasbornandbredintothehobbyandcollectiblesindustryinToronto.Myfamily’spressisdedicatedtocatalogingmany

industryinToronto.Myfamily’spressisdedicatedtocatalogingmanycollectinghobbies—coins,hockeycards,andRoyalDoultonfigurines,justtonameafew.Sotheinstincttogathernewinformationonthishobbywasingrained.OnceIfoundoutthatminiaturegardeninghadyettobeupdatedandfullyexplored,IknewIhadtodigdeeper—alotdeeper.WhenIdiscoveredthatabooklikethisdidn’texist,IlookedaroundtofindotherexpertswiththeexperienceandknowledgethatIhadaccumulated,onlytofindnone.IknewthenthatIwastheonewhohadtowritethisbook.

Theinformationsharedherecomesfrommorethantwelveyearsofworkingfull-timepromotingthishobbythroughouttheUnitedStates,Canada,andtheworld.Someofmyminiaturegardenshavebeenwithmeforovernineyearsandarestillthriving—atestamenttothelongevityandsustainabilityofminiaturegardening.Andanumberofmycustomers,mybelovedfellowminiaturegardeners(MGs),havebeenwithmeforjustaslong—proofofthedepthandbreadthofthishobby.

IknowyouwillenjoythisbookasmuchasIenjoyedputtingittogetherforyou.Theintroductionwillstartyourgearsturningwithanoverviewofthemanyfacetsofthisdelightfulpastime.Nextupisalookatthebasicsofminiaturegardeninganditselements,boththephysicalandtheintangible,followedbyachapteronscaleandsizing.Alookattinypatiosandpathways—keycomponentsofmostminiaturegardens—comesnext.Aquicktourofthelandofminiatureplantsfollows,includingdetailsongrowthhabitsandhowtobestusespecificplants,aswellasabrieflistofplantrecommendations.Thesesuggestionsmerelyscratchthesurface;thenumberofminiatureplantsavailablegrowsexponentiallyasIwritethis.Nextisachapterfullofthebasicsofsoil,light,andwatering—allespeciallyhelpfulfornewgardeners.Achapterongardenaccessoriesofferstipsonaddingpersonalityandrealism.Then,thereallyfunstuff:hands-on,how-toprojectslargeandsmall,toguideyouthroughhowImakemylong-lastingminiaturegardens.You’llfindlakes,riverbeds,andpondsintherealongwithsomehandmadegardenaccessoryideas.Wefinishupwithall-importantinstructionsonmaintaininghealthy,thrivingminiaturegardens.I’vealsoincludedsomeadditionalreadingsuggestionsforthosewhosecuriosityhasbeenpiqued.

Formostofus,anythingminiaturebringstomindthedayswhenwewereyoungandfullofimagination,spinningtalesofmajestyandgrandeur.Thegardenbringsusbeautyandlovelylivingthingstonurtureandgrow.Togethertheycreatesomethingmagical,yetjustchallengingenoughtoholdourinterestfromyeartoyear.Youcanbuildaminiaturegardeninanafternoon,oritcantakeseveralstagestoachieveyourgoal.Thereisnorightorwrongway,only

takeseveralstagestoachieveyourgoal.Thereisnorightorwrongway,onlyyourway.Bestofall,it’syourworldtogrow,soremember:whateveryoudo,makeitfun.

GOODTHINGSCOMEINSMALLGARDENS

ANINTRODUCTIONWHATISITTHATdrawstheheartandeyetothingssmallerthanreallife?Perhapsthefactthatanythingminiatureremindsusofplay.Afterall,ourchildhoodtoyswereourfirstminiatures.WhethertheywereLincolnLogs,Legos,Barbies,G.I.Joes,orotherkindsofdolls,ourtoyswerealwaysminiatureversionsofusorotherpartsofourlives.Weprojectedourselvesintothesceneandgotlostinthesmallversionofourworld,exactlyhowwelikedit.Thosepositivefeelingsofplayandlaughterwere—andstillare—vitaltoourhappiness,andwhenweseeminiaturesandrememberourfun,carefreeplaytimes,wefeelthatwayagain.

Alife-sizedbridgetocross,orminiaturetoadmire?Illusioncanbeenchanting.

Thesenseofwonderthatcomesoveruscanbequitepotent.Whenyouarethewriteranddirector,creatingthestory,settingthescene,andplacingthe

props,youbringthatinnocentpleasureintoyouradultlifeundertheguiseofahobby.Butreally,hobbiesjustgiveuspermissiontoplayagain.

Manyminiaturistsareenamoredwiththeideaofanythingsmallbecauseminiaturesareapartofourhistory.Theoldestknownhumanartifactisadiminutivereplicaofthefemaleform,theVenusofHohleFels,datedbetween35,000and40,000B.C.Thistinysculptureisjustundertwoandahalfinchestall.Dollhouseminiaturethemesareoftenamemoryfromchildhood,aplacevisitedinthepast,oraloveofaspecifichistoricalperiod.Itisnoteworthythatthemainthemesofdollhouseminiaturesandmodelrailroadsarehistorical,remindingusofasimplertime.Modelorgardenrailroadingtakesusonajourneythroughaspecificlandscapethatiseitherahistoricalmodel,orcomesfromthecreator’smind.Youcan’thelpbutimagineyourselfinthescene.

Thispassionforminiatureshasfounditswayintootheraspectsofourlivesaswell.Live,miniature-sizedhorsesanddogshavelongbeenpopular;nowyoucanownminiaturecowsandgoats,too.Thentherewasthefleetingfadofteacup(tiny)pigsafewyearsago.Itturnedouttheywerejustveryyoungpiglets,beingsoldasaminiaturebreed.Fantasygamesarefullofpint-sizedversionsofcharactersthatplayerscollect.Thehorticulturalindustryhaskeptupwiththisinterestaswell,breedingtinyvegetablesthatcaneasilybegrownfromseed.Dwarfandminiatureformsofourfavoritetrees,shrubs,andperennialshavebeendiscoveredoverthelastfewdecadesandarenowfoundinmostgardencenters.

Flowersinthemaiden’shandsmatchnearbyminiaturedaisies.

Makeaplaceforpetsinyourgardenscenes.

Thischarmingoasisinvitesvisitorstorestaspell.

Woodlandcreaturesnestledintothesceneaddfocus.

Fillminiatureplanterswithsedumcuttingsthatwilleventuallytakeroot.

Acozyspotforawarmfire.S’mores,anyone?

Fromthatinitialsparkcomesthechallengeoffiguringouthowtoperfecttheillusion—resizingfrombigtosmallinflawlessscale,huntingforandutilizingbelievablematerials,masteringtechniquesthatwillbothtrickanddelighttheeye.Theendrewardisseeingafacelightupwhentheviewerexperiencesthe

eye.Theendrewardisseeingafacelightupwhentheviewerexperiencesthesprinklingofmagicthatinfusesalovinglymademiniaturescene.

Aminiaturegardensceneisenchantingbecauseyouautomaticallystartbuildingastoryaboutit.Youaskyourself,what’sgoingonhere?Whoarethosechairsfor?Whatkindofpartyisthatlittletablesetfor?Aretherefriendsorfamilycomingover?Whatistheoccasion?Theimaginationstartstofillintheblanksaspropslendcluesandpersonality.Atinystoolwithawateringcanbesideit,placedinasmallminiaturegardenvignette,isintriguingbecauseit’sonlyascenewithnocharacters—whocoulditbeforbesidesyou?

Gardeningispartofourcollectivepsycheevenmorethanourfascinationwithminiaturization.Toblendboth—creatinggardensinminiature,withlivingtrees,shrubs,beddingplants,waterfeatures,furniture,andgardenart—istoopenuplimitlesspossibilitiesforbringingdreamscapes,wonderlands,andenchantingplacesfromourpastorourimaginationstovibrantlife,innosmallway.

Onceyouarebittenbytheminiaturegardenbug,thereisnoturningback.Thepossibilitieswillstarttostackupinyourheadatallhoursofthedayandnight,andthereisoftenasquealofexcitementinvolvedsomewhereinthisprocess(it’sokay,justletitoutwhenithappensandexplainyourselflater—butonlyifyouhaveto).DoyoudreamofrecreatingthatgardenmemoryofyouryearspentinEurope?Avignettetakenfromyourchildhoodgrowinguponyourgrandmother’sfarm?Maybeyou’vealwayswantedyourowngardenoasisbutyouliveinacondo.Nowisthetimetodreamandscheme!

Complexscenesengageandintrigue.

Thishavenisnolessbeautifulthanitsfull-sizedcounterpart.

Naturaltreasuresdelightinunexpectedplaces.

Afull-sizedbackyardwalkway?Oratinygardenpath?

Awhimsicalfindforthekeeneye.

DOALITTLEGARDENINGMINIATUREWORLDS101

MINIATUREGARDENINGisthatsweetspotwherecraftandgardeningintersectatsuchanintimatelycreativeplace;itcanspuryourimaginationlikenootherhobby.Bestofall,youcanbringthegardenofyourdreamstolifeinoneafternoon,sittingatyourkitchentable.Whatasatisfyingwaytoplant,grow,andcreate—withoutbreakingyourbackoryourbankaccount!

Darkeneddoorwaysaddintrigue.Wholivesthere?What’sontheotherside?

Gardeninginminiaturetakesmanyforms—theterm“miniaturegarden”usedtomeananysmall-sizedplantinasmallpot.Terrariums,bonsai,dishgardens,andwindowsillgardensallfitundertheumbrellaofminiaturegardenssimplybecauseoftheirsize.AcollectionofAfricanvioletsonawindowsillisjustthat,acollection—oftenonlyappreciatedbythecollectororafellowplantlover.Butplaceasmallpottedplantonawindowsill,putaminiaturechairandatinywateringcanbesideit,andsuddenlyyouhaveastorytotellthatanyone,

fromagefourtoonehundredandfour,caninterpretforthemselves.Placeaminiaturegardenbenchinaterrarium,sprinklesomemicropebblesdownatthebaseofthebenchforanimpromptupatio,andyouhavejustmadeaminiaturegardenterrarium.Itcanbeassimpleasthat.Butaminiaturegardencanalsohavemanylayersandevenmorepossibilities,withoutneedingtobeaterrarium,abonsai,oradishgardenfirst.

Aminiaturegardenisasrealasafull-sizedgarden,withlivingtreesandplants,patios,pathways,andgardenfurniture,buteverythingisonamuchsmallerscale—andinscalewitheverythingelseintheminiaturegarden.Itcanfitintoapotassmallastwoincheswide,orintoaparkingstriptwentyfeetlongbysixfeetwide.Miniaturegardeningisaboutyourownworld,soyoucanmakeitasbigorassmallasyoulike.

Whenyoustarttobreakdownthecomponentsofaminiaturegarden,you’llfindtheoptionskeepmultiplying.Thesheernumberofpossibletrees,plants,pots,themes,andaccessoriesstartstogrowandtheideacanbecomeabitdaunting.Stopandthinkofafull-sizedgarden.You’llbegintoseetheentrypointswithwhichyou’realreadyfamiliar—youjusthavetominiaturizethemnow.Almostallofthesamegardenrulesapply,butwithalittleminiaturistinsight,aslighttwisttobasicartisticrules,andideasonhowtoseethingsdifferentlyasadesignerandinventor,Iwillshowyouhowtocreateanunexpectedworld-within-a-worldofyourveryown.

Tinycontainergardenscanbecreatedinafewminutes.

“Gooverthebridgeanddownthepath.”

STARTGROWINGYOUROWNWORLD

Miniaturegardeningwillgetyourcreativejuicesflowingsorapidlyatfirst,youwon’tknowwheretobegin.Doyoustartwiththeplantsorthepot?Whatabouttheminiaturefurniture?Howbigshoulditbe?Oneofthefirstquestionsyouhavetoaskiswhereisyourminiaturegardengoingtolive?Decidingwhere—andinwhat—yourminiaturegardenwillbeplantedimmediatelynarrowsdownotherchoices.

Youravailablespacewillprobablyplayaroleinthesizeofyourgarden.Ifyouarenewtothehobby,agardeninacontainer(ratherthaningroundoutdoors)islessintimidating,easiertocarefor,andafasterprojecttocompletewithverysatisfyingresults.Containergardeningisalittledifferentfromgrowingingroundbecauseyoubecomethesourceforwater,nourishment,andcare.Aningroundminiaturegardenwilleventuallyestablishitselfand,forthemostpart,becomelowmaintenancebecauseplantrootswillfindtheirownfoodandwater.

Willyoucreateyourminiaturegardeninatall,skinnypotbythefrontdoor

Willyoucreateyourminiaturegardeninatall,skinnypotbythefrontdoortowelcomeyourguests?Itwouldbeaterrificspottodecoratefortheholidaysandspecialoccasions.Imaginethesmilesyoucouldgenerateifthequaintgardenscenewasareplicaofyourfull-sizedfrontgarden.Placingyourminiaturegardeninaprominentplacewhereitcanbereadilyseenandappreciatedisagreatwaytointeractwithothers.JustthethoughtofdecoratingforyourHalloweenpartywithalittlepumpkin,ablackcat,andaweegravestoneisinitselfagreatreasontobuildaminiaturegarden—nottomentionwatchingyourguestslaughbeforetheyevenstepintoyourparty.

Abonsaipotisturnedintoaminiaturekoipond.

Aladybugistheperfectpetforatinycherub.

Indoorminiaturegardenscanvarygreatly.Alowbowlplantedwithagardenintheround(sothatitcanbeviewedfromallsides)andplacedonatableisanunusualcenterpieceandagreatconversationstarter.Youcancreateacircularpathallaroundtheedgeofthebowlwithagardenbedinthemiddleofthepotor,viceversa,plantallaroundtherimofthepotandbuildaroundpatiorightinthemiddle.Uselow-growingplantssoyoucanseeoverthegardentothepersonacrossthetableandkeeptheconversationgoing.PlaceyourtablescapeonaLazySusanforinteractivefun.

Tendingaraisedplanterboxinfrontofalivingroomwindowcanbetheperfectwaytospendasunnymorning.Aminiaturegardencanbealarge,single-sidedItaliangardenwithayoungMontereycypress,abrick-wallfountain,andacobblestoneplazawithcafetablesandchairsthatsitsonyourcredenza.Or,createatinygardenforyournight-standwithasmallrootedcuttingofasucculent,abirdhouse,andafencetowelcomeyoutoyourdayandbidyougoodnight.

It’seasytokeepsmall-sizedgardensasneatasapin.

HolidayssuchasHalloweenarefunthemesforminiaturescenes.

INGROUNDEMPIRES

Buildingaminiaturegardeninagardenbedcanbeveryrewarding,butsomeforethoughtisrequired.Whenyouplantinapot,itssizedictatestheparametersofyourminiaturegarden.Whenplantinginground,youareworkingwithwhat’s

ofyourminiaturegarden.Whenplantinginground,youareworkingwithwhat’salreadythere:shrubs,hedges,flowerbeds,walkways,decks,orpatios.

Someperfectplacesforaningroundminiatureworldareinthecornersofexistinggardenbeds,betweenshrubs,nexttoabigtree,orinahiddennookbesideagardengate.Chooseaspotyouwillseeoftensoyoucanvisityourownlittleworldregularly.Ifyouentertain,consideraplacethatwillrewardaguestforbeingobservant—forexample,attheendofagardenpath.Youwillenjoyseeingwhonoticesandhowlongittakesthem.

Ingroundminiaturegardensoftenlookidenticaltofull-sizedscenes.

Onecontainercanbedividedtohousetwogardenbeds.

IT’SINTHEPOT

Thetypeofcontaineryou’lluseforapottedgardenwilldependuponyourtastes,thegardentheme,whatyouareplanting,whereyoulive,wherethesceneisgoingtobeplaced,andhowexperiencedyouarewithcontainergardening.Rememberthatyourminiaturegarden,whereveritlives,willlastforyearsandyears,ifyouwantitto.So,choosingapotthatwillnotonlywearwellbutalsolookgreatwillhelpyoucontinuetoenjoyyourgardenovertime.

Ifyouareinanareathatfreezesinthewinter,andyourgardenwillbeoutside,itisbesttorefertoyourlocalgardencenterforcontainers;thestaffwillknowwhatkindsofpotscanwithstandyourweather.Ingeneral,forcolder

knowwhatkindsofpotscanwithstandyourweather.Ingeneral,forcolderregions,thebiggerthepot,thebetter.

Fromlargetotiny,ceramictowood,there’sacontainerforeverystyleofminiaturegarden.

Whetheryouchoosetohaveamatchingsaucerwilldependuponwherethecontainerwillbeplaced—notethatallsaucerswillwickmoisturedespitebeingglazed.Clearplasticsaucerscanberelativelyindiscreetforcondoandapartmentdecks.Useabitofmosstohidetheplasticifitisbothersome.Ifyouneedtocorralwater,agoodtrickistoraiseyourpotsupslightlyonpotfeetorlowstandsandhidetheclearsaucerunderneath,centeredbelowthepot’sdrainageholes.

Thesizeofpotcanvarygreatly,too.Apotthatisfourinchesdeepandwidewithasmall-leavedsedumandapint-sizedpatiocanlastforacoupleofyearsbeforeneedingtoberepotted.Asmallpottendstodryoutrapidly,though,soitshouldliveinaplacewhereitwillbeseenandcaredfor.

Afavoritecontainerforminiaturegardeningisatwenty-two-inchwaterbowl,onefootdeep,drilledfordrainage.Somenurseriescandothisforyou,or,withamasonrybitforyourdrillandasteadytrickleofwatertokeepthebitcool,youcandrillityourself(followprecautionsfordrillingnotedinthetool’sinstructions).Bigbowlscanbeeasilydividedintoadouble-sidedminiature

instructions).Bigbowlscanbeeasilydividedintoadouble-sidedminiaturegarden,withcompletelydifferentscenesoneitherside—theycangrowtogetherforyearsifyoudon’tinitiallyoverplant.

Forasmall,startergarden,apotthatiseighttotenincheswideandatleasteightinchesdeepisagreatplacetobegin.Plantitwithatreeandacoupleofwell-behavedbeddingplantsanditshouldbeabletolastforyearswithregularcareandwatering.

POPULARCONTAINEROPTIONS

Anycontainercanbeusedforaminiaturegarden,butcertainchoicesarebetterthanothers.Potsareavailableinanumberofmaterials.Aesthetics,wateringconsiderations,cost,andthecompatibilityofplantswithpotmaterialscanallcontributetoyourdecision.Thereisalsoawholecategoryofnewcontainers,madefromrecycledmaterials,thatarelightweightandweatherproof.Somearemadetoresembleheaviermaterials(stoneandconcrete,forexample),andlookliketherealthing.

Eachmaterialhasitsprosandcons;considerthesecarefullytomakesureyouchoosethebestpotforyourneedsandsituation.

Plantscanhelpaccentpatiodesign.

TERRACOTTAUnglazedclayorterracottacontainershaveanatural,homeyappearancethatnootherpotscanmatch.Theycanlookshabby-chicwithawhite,scuffedfinish.Brightpaintssuggestacontemporaryorfolksystyle.WeatheredandmossyfinisheslendaFrenchProvincialeffect.Whateverthemotif,terracottapotslookgreatlineduponashelfordownasetofstairs.

Notethatminiaturegardensplantedinterracottapotswillneedmorefrequentwateringthanthoseinglazedcontainers.Terracottaclayisporousandwickswaterfromthesoilandplantrootstothewallsofthepot,whereitthenevaporatesinthesunandair.Youcanmovethepotintopartialshadeorcool(eastern)sunifyouwanttoslowthisdrying,butmakesuretheplantsyouchoosecantoleratelesssun,too.

Ifyourterracottagardenwillbeinfullsun,chooseplantsthatrequirelesswater.Succulentsorsedumspairedwithjunipersormugopinescreatealow-maintenancepot.

Terracottacontainersarealsonotforareasthatfreeze.Becausetheclayholdswater,whenthatwaterfreezes,theiceexpandsandcancrackthepot.

Poolsandterracesarepopularfeaturesinminiaturecontainergardens.

Terracottaisafavoritechoice,butrememberthatitwickswaterfromsoilandroots.

Atinynymphreignsoverthisindoorgardenplantedinaglazedporcelainbowl.

CERAMICTherearemultitudesofwonderfulcoloredceramiccontainersthatareidealforaminiaturegarden.Madeofclaythatisglazedandfiredathightemperatures,ceramicpotsarenotasporousasterracottaandthereforeretainwaterbetterandarelesssusceptibletocrackingduringcoldsnaps.Ifyouliveinanareathatfreezesduringthewinter,findthebiggesthigh-firedceramicpotthatyoucanlivewith.Thebiggerthepot,theharderitistofreeze.

Planted,glazedcontainersdryoutslowerthanunglazedpots.Takeadvantageofthisattributeandchooseplantsthatlikeaconsistentlevelofdampnessinthesoil.Forexample,anydwarforminiatureAlbertaspruceneedsitsrootstostaycoolanddamp—wrung-spongedamp—becauseifthesoilevercompletelydriesout,theplantmaynotrecover.

GlazedcontainersfromVietnam,Thailand,andChinaareusuallyhigh-fired.Nosingledistinctionidentifiesthecountryoforigin,althoughsomeofthemoredecorativepotsmayhavedistinctivesymbolsonthem.Containersfromthesepartsoftheworldareusuallyfiredinhugekilnsthatleavethemsusceptibletotheodddingornickintheglaze.Takeaminutewhenchoosingyourcontainertolookfortheseinconsistencies.Nothingismoreannoyingthangettingyourpothomeandfindinganunsightlyblemish.Glazecolorsaresometimesinconsistent,too.Keepthesepointsinmindwhenyouareshopping.

Adeepblueglazedceramicbowlsetsthestageforaninvitingoutdoorpatioscene.

PLASTICAswithglazedpots,waterdoesnotevaporatethroughthewallsofplasticcontainers,helpingthemholdmoisturelonger.However,theUVraysin

sunlightcandegradeplastic,makingthepotsusceptibletocrackingafteracoupleofyearsoutside.Colormayfadeovertime,too.AnincreasingnumberofplasticcontainersarecoatedtoresistUVdamage—goodoptionsifyourpotwillbemovedaroundalotandisinregularsunshine.Plasticcontainersaremorelightweight,butbecarefulwhendraggingthem,astheydogetbrittle.Instead,pickthemupfromthebottomformoving.Rememberthatyourminiatureworldcanstaytogetherforyears,sotheinvestmentinadurablepotisworthwhile.

Aportablewoodencontainerprovesyoucantakeitwithyou.

WOODWoodpotsbringawarm,earthymoodtoaminiaturegarden.Theyareusuallyinexpensiveandlightweight,withmanyshapesandsizestochoosefrom.Containersmadeofcedar,forexample,resistrotlongerthanotherwoodsandarenaturallygoodchoices.Placingawoodcontaineronpotfeetwillhelptoextenditslifebykeepingthebottomrelativelydryandrot-free.

Youcanwax,oil,orpaintwoodstomakethemlastlonger,butmakesurewhateveryoudototheinsideofthecontainerisplant-friendly.Toxicsubstancescanleachintothesoilandplantroots.Likewise,ifyouarebuildingawoodcontainerfromscratch,avoidtreatedwood,asthechemicalsusedforthetreatmentcankillplants.

Woodexpandswhenwetandcontractswhendry.Therearetinyfibersinthe

Woodexpandswhenwetandcontractswhendry.Therearetinyfibersinthewoodthatabsorbthemoistureandswellup,expandingthewood.(Thisiswhyyourwoodkitchendrawersstickintherainymonths.)Forthisreason,woodwicksmoistureawayfromthesoilandcanmakeyourgardendryoutquicklyandsometimesunexpectedly,especiallyinfull-sunconditions.

Choosedrought-tolerantplantsforwoodcontainers,likea‘Compressa’juniperpairedwithwoollythymeand‘CapeBlanco’sedum.

Concreteandstonescreateabeautifulsurfacetexture.

FAUXSTONEFauxstonepotsaregreatforathemedminiaturegarden.AnembellishedstonelookcanaddpolishtoaweeItalianRenaissancegardenfulloftraditionalRomanstatuesand‘SkyPencil’Japaneseholly—alook-alikeminiatureforafull-sizedItaliancypress.

Fauxstonepotsmadeoffoamarelightweightbutresilient,andwillnotfreeze(thoughthesoilmight).Thelookofstonecomesnotonlyfromthecastdesign,butalsofromhowthepotispainted.Despiteitstoughappearance,though,treatthepaintedsurfacegently.Itcaneasilybescratchedornickedtorevealthefoamunderneath.Iffoampotscomewithoutdrainageholes,youcaneasilydrillthem.Whentheyarewornout,youcangivethemacoatofacrylicpainttolengthentheirlife.Simplehousepaintworkswonders;justbesurethepotiscompletelydryandfreeofdirtbeforeyoupaint,andleaveittothoroughly

potiscompletelydryandfreeofdirtbeforeyoupaint,andleaveittothoroughlydryafterwards.

HYPERTUFAANDCONCRETEHypertufaorconcretecontainersareperfectforanagedorestablishedlookforyourminiaturegarden.Hypertufaisusuallyablendofconcreteandvermiculite,andislighterinweightthansolidconcrete.Containersofsolidconcretearegreatforcommercialuseormoreexposedareasinthefrontofyourproperty,astheyareheavyandunlikelytobestolen.Heavierpotsaregoodforaccommodatingtallerplantings,too.Hypertufaandsolidconcretelookthesame—untilyoutrytopickthemup.Soifyourgardenisnottobemoved,chooseaconcretecontainer.

Tinyingroundgardenscapescanbealovelydiscoveryinthecornerofastandardsizedgarden.

SIZEMATTERS

Whenyouareplantinginground,thesizeoftheminiaturegardendependsonyourenthusiasm.Areyouwillingtospendhoursplantingandplayingwhilesittingontheground?Ifnot,goforasmaller,lessinvolvedlayout.Largerplotsaregreatforchildren,becauseyoucancreateenoughspaceforseveralkidstoplayindifferentareasatthesametime.Interspersingtinygardensthroughoutyouryardandlinkingthemtogetherwithpathwayscanbefun.It’salsoanongoingprojectthatcanbedoneinstages.Again,trytoworkwithestablishedhedgesandplantstohelpthesmall-scalegardenlooklikeitbelongs.Asprawlingminiaturesceneinthemiddleofthelawnwillneedcontext,orsomethingtorelateittothefull-sizedgarden.

Creatingaminiaturescenebetweenornamentalgrassesisagoodexampleofworkingwithexistingplantings.Youcanusethegrassesasabackdropforatropicalislandscene.JustaddayoungvariegatedEnglishboxwoodtree,apond,andaloungechaironabedoffinesand,thensprinklewithtinyshellsandsmallpiecesofdriftwood.Theverticalgrassstemswilllooklikebamboofencingandinstantlytransportyoutoafavoritevacationspot.

Plantingaminiaturegardeninfrontofarockerycaneasilysuitdifferentthemes.FashionanEnglishgarden,withpatchesofminiaturedaisiesplantedalongastonepathleadinguptoaleafytree.Orplantacountry-themedgardenwithanoldwagonwheelstickingoutofthegroundnexttosmall-leavedsedums,withafewpebblesthatmatchtherockery.Byfeaturingascaled-downelementofthenearbyfull-sizedworld,thescenewilldelightandenchantinstantly.

Standardsizedornamentalgrassesgivethissceneanexotictone.

GETTINGALITTLEGREENON

Decidingwhetheryoursmall-scalegardenwillbeindoorsoroutdoors,ingroundorpotted,thenlookingatthelightconditionsofthatchosenspot,willallbekeyfactorsinyourplantchoices.Thisiswhytherule“Rightplant,rightplace”workssowell;justbecauseit’saminiatureplantdoesn’tmeanitcanbegrownanywhere,andjustbecauseit’sinapotdoesn’tmeanyoucanplacethepotanywhere.

Afull-sunplantwillnotdowellinashadyspotandadesert-lovingplantwillrotinmoistsoil.AnindoorplantwillnotdowelloutsideunlessyouliveinaplacewherethetemperaturesstayabovesixtydegreesFahrenheityear-round.

Choosingthecorrectplantsfortheplaceyouwanttogrowyourgardenmakesmaintenanceeasierandhelpsavoiddisappointment.Aminiaturegardencangrowandweaveitselftogetherforyearsbeforeneedingarenovation,butonlyiftheplantssuitthespace.

Alsotakeanhonestlookatyourlifestyle.Ifyou’renothomeveryoftenorhaveabusylifestyle,you’llwantplantsthatdon’tmindthesoildryingoutbetweenwaterings.Ifyoulovedotingonplants,lookforvarietiesthatthriveindampsoilorwithfrequentmisting.Thechapteronminiaturegardenplantswillhelpyouselectappropriateplantsforallofyourneeds,butknowingthoserequirementsintheplanningstagemakesabigdifference.

Greenfrondsshadeareflectingpool.

Aminiaturebucketbrigadeofhensandchicksbrightensasmallshelf.

SHRINKINGTHEGARDENRULESSCALEDDESIGNBASICS

MINIATUREGARDENING,likeanyhobbyorcraft,canbeenjoyedatmanylevels,butthecraftsmanshipandthoughtthatgoesintoyourcreationiswhatmakesittrulycaptivating.Sure,youcanthrowanysmallplantintoapot,addatoychair,andcallitdone.Or,youcanspendalittletimeandcreateadelightfulgardenthatlookslikeaslicetakenoutofyourfull-sizedgarden,shrunktominiaturesize.

Lookslikeasweetcelebrationisintheworks.

Inthischapter,youwilllearnaboutthevariousscalesthatcanbeusedwithsuccessforwhateversizeminiaturesceneyouarecreating.Youwillalsolearnfull-sizedgardenrulesandhowtoresizethem.Thethinkingbehindtheshrinkingmaytakesomeadjustment,butitismoresatisfyingtocreatewiththerulesthanwithoutthem.Thesamefull-sizedgardendesignprinciplesapply,too:anchorpoints,layers,balance,form,texture,color,andfocalpoint—theyare

justsizeddowntominiature.

Thescaleinthissceneisputintocontextbythesizeofthechair.

SIZINGDOWNTHESCALES

Yourminiaturegardendesignstartswithdecidingonthesizeofyourcontainerorthespotinyourgardenbed.Onlythencanyoudeterminewhatscaleofminiaturegardentocreate.Forsmallgardens,usesmallplantsandaccessories,andforlargegardensuselargerplantsandaccessories.Soundssimpleenough,right?Butwhatdoessmallreallymean?Andwhatsizeislarge?Withouthavingasizeorscalereferenceyouwillnotbeabletocinchtherealismquicklyandeasily,andthemagicalelementwillnothappen.Youcanusetheminiaturescaleswe’lldiscussasguidestohelpdecidewhatsizegardentocreate.

Standard-sizedhomegardenshaveasinglescale:humansize.Youaretheoneit’sdesignedfor,soyoumakeroomforyourselftositonthatantiquegardenbenchattheendofapaththatisbigenoughforyoutowalkon.Thetreesandplantsfitnicelyinyourlandscapeandarenottoooverwhelmingincomparisontothebenchandpathway.Everythinginyourfull-sizedgardenisthesamescale,andthesizesofplants,hardscapes,furniture,andanygardenaccessoriesarenaturallyallrelativetoeachother.Now,thinkaboutscalingthisideadowntoaminiaturesizetocreatearealisticminiaturegarden.

Thebenchandfireconveyscaleinthisscene.

THESIZEOFMINIATURE

Therearemanywaystogominiaturethesedays,andjustaboutanyscalecanbeusedwithsuccess—providingthatscaleisusedconsistentlythroughoutthegarden.Theminiatureindustryisthebiggestsegmentofthetoyandhobbymarket,andthesheernumberofsizesandscalesismind-boggling.Thankfully,inthedollhouseminiatureindustrywehaveasimpleandaccessibleresourcewithaneasylearningcurve,whichwillhelpensureyoursuccess.

Threemaindollhouseminiaturescalesareusedandyoucanapplytheminstantlytoyourminiaturegardens:1-inchscale,alsoknownaslargesize,½-inchscaleormediumsize,and¼-inchscaleorsmallsize.Eachunit—1inch,½inch,or¼inch—isequalto1footinfullsize.Let’swalkthroughthesescalessoyoucanstartsizingupyourminiaturegardenspaceandgetstarted.

One-inchscale,orlargesize,ischosenforthiscontainer,sinceit’swiderthan10inches.

Aspecificfocalpointusuallydictatesthescaleofagarden.

Thischaiseloungeis2½inchestall,whichis1-inchscaleorlargesize.

LARGESIZEMINIATURESInthelargesize,or1-inchscale,1inchisequalto1foot.Inthisscale,a6-foot-tallmanwouldbecome6inchestall.Thereisadirectandsimplecorrelationofthenumberoffull-sizedfeettolargeminiaturesizeinches;a5-footshovelwillbe5inches,a1-foot-widepotis1inchwide,anda40-foot-longgardenbedis40incheslong.Thisscaleispopularinbiggerminiaturegardensbecauseitiseasycalculate,easytohandle,andyoucanseetheaccessoriesatadistance.Choosethisscaleforingroundgardensandforpotslargerthan10incheswide.Usingtoo-largeaccessoriesinatoo-smallpotwilllookcrowded.Conversely,tinyaccessoriesinalargepotlooklikethey’reswimming.Youmightthinktojustaddmoreaccessoriestofillupthescene,butthentheminiaturegardencanlookcluttered.

ThisEasterIslandreplica,surroundedby‘Roly-Poly’hensandchicks,ismediumsize,or½-inchscale.

MEDIUMSIZEMINIATURESInmediumsize,a½-inchminiatureisequalto1footinfullsize;a6-foot-tallmanin½-inchscalewillbe3inchestall,a5-footshovelwillbe2½incheslong,a1-foot-widepotwillbe½inchwide,anda40-footgardenbedwillbe20incheslong.Thissizefitswellinpots5to10incheswideandisidealforcenterpiecesandtablescapes.

Afairygardeninsmallsize,or¼-inchscale.

SMALLSIZEMINIATURESInthesmallsize,¼inchisequalto1footinfullsize.A6-foot-tallmaninthe¼-inchscaleis1½inchestall,a5-footshovelwillbe1¼incheslong,the1-foot-widepotisnow¼inchwide,andyour40-footgardenbedis10incheslong.Youcanseehowdiminutivethisscalecanbe,butitisdelightfulintinypots,orformakingaminiaturegardeninaterrarium.Containersthatare2to5inchescanmakesweetvignettesforthewindow-sill.Orbringatinygardentoyournextdinnerpartyasahostessgift,andyou’llhaveafriendforlife.

THENEWMATH

Takeaminutetodigestthisnewmathandyoucanstarttoseethesenseinit.The½-inchscaleishalfofthe1-inchscale,andthe¼-inchscaleishalfofthe½-inchscale.Itsoundsconfusingatfirst,butitwillgeteasierwithabitofpractice.

practice.Now,thereisnolawsayingthatyouhavetousethisscalewiththatgarden,

butonceagain,I’llemphasizetheimportanceofconsideringwhereyourminiaturegardenwillliveandhowitwillbeviewed.Forexample,largerpotstendtobeplacedclosertotheground,ortositrightontheground,sothegardenis,atmosttimes,afewfeetawayfromourperspectiveasadults.Byusingthelargesizeinground,youareabletoseeyourminiaturegardenfromfartheraway,fromyourkitchenwindoworyourbackdeck.Usingbiggeraccessories,andbiggerplants,willhelpyourminiaturegardenbeappreciatedandseen.

Smallsizeaccessoriesaddinteresttoarowoftinypots.

Withintheminiaturegardenworld,there’sstillsmall,medium,andlarge.This1-inchscalechairisconsideredlargesize.

BIGFUNWITHTINYSPACES

Miniaturegardenaccessoriesareasplentifulasplacestogrowminiaturegardens,andareavailableinmanysizes—sohowdoyouchoosewhichstyleandsizetouse?Selectaccessoriesthataretoobigforasmalltablescape,oratinychairthatdoesn’tfitonthepatio,andtherealismislost.Enchantmenthappenswheneverythingisinproperscale.

Largerscalesareidealforingroundgardensbecauseyoucanseethemfromastandingposition,bywalkingpast,orwhensittingseveralfeetaway.Youdon’twantyoureffortstogounnoticedorunappreciated,soselect1-inchscaleaccessories,orlargesize.Wealsorelyon1-inchscaleaccessoriesforpotsthatare10incheswideormore,simplybecauseitwouldtaketoomanymedium(½-inchscale)orsmall(¼-inchscale)accessoriestocreateapresence.

Forminiaturegardensthatare10incheswideorless,mediumsizeor½-inchaccessoriesareperfect.Theyaresmallenoughthatyoucanfitapatiosetofchairsandatableontoa4-inchroundpatioquitecomfortably.Usethe¼-inch

chairsandatableontoa4-inchroundpatioquitecomfortably.Usethe¼-inchscalefor2-inchgardensortinyterrariums.

Anadvantageofworkinginminiatureisthatyourchoicesdonothavetobepermanent.Youcancompletelychangethepersonalityofyourscenequicklyandeasilybyjustswappingoutaccessories,orbyreplacingplantsseasonallyoryearly.Creatingaminiaturegardenisafarcryfromplantingamagnoliatreeinthecornerofyourbackyardandleavingitthereforever.Theplantsweuseforminiaturegardeningcanbemovedorrepottedinminutes.

THESIZEOFPLANTS

Whenitcomestoscaleandsize,plantsoffermoreflexibilitythanotheritemsinaminiaturegarden.Thisisbecausetheminiatureordwarftreesandshrubsyouwillusecanbepushedtofitdifferentscales.Asix-inch-talltreecanbeappropriatefordifferentscales—itcantranslatetoasix-foot-talltreeinlargesize,oratwelve-foot-talltreeinmediumsize.Ifthereisnobench,birdbath,orpatiobesidethetree,theminiaturescalewillnotregister,andthetreeisjustaplantinapot.

Apopularexampleisthetroughgarden.Thistypeofgardenisusuallyplantedinhypertufapotswithminiatureanddwarfconifersnestledinwithmossesandlow-growinggroundcovers.Troughgardensarebeautifulinandofthemselves,butifyouplaceaminiaturebirdbathinthetrough,youinstantlyhaveascaledreferencethatyoucanseeandusetomeasureinyourheadhowsmallthegardenis.Removetheminiaturebirdbathandthereisnoaccessorytorelateto—thecontainerbecomesasimpletroughgardenagain.

Thetrunkofthishealthy,growingtreeisaboutoneinchthick.

Thishenandchickisperfectforasmallterracottapot.

SHRINKINGTHEDESIGNRULES

Let’ssayyou’veexploredyourindoorandoutdoorspaces,anddeliberatedabit.

Let’ssayyou’veexploredyourindoorandoutdoorspaces,anddeliberatedabit.Youhavechosenthespotwhereyouwantyourminiaturegardentolive.You’vedecideduponthescale,andyouarereadytothinkaboutyourdesign.

Wenowturntofull-sizedgardenrulestolaythegroundwork.Usingthebasicgardentenetsofanchorpoint,balance,layers,texture,color,andfocalpoint,youcanplanyourminiaturegardenwithconfidence.Understandingalloftheseelementswillhelpyoudesignlikeaprofessionalandcreatealasting,enchantingminiaturegarden.

Anydesignprocessismixedwithavarietyofelements;creatingagardenisnodifferentincomplexitythandesigningadressortheinteriorofaroom.Youneedtoknowwhattolookforfirst,andhowthepiecescometogetherintoonedesign.Forexample,whenidentifyingtheanchorpointofthegarden,youneedtoconsiderthebalance,too;asyoulayerplants,texturesneedtobeconsidered.Thismayseemcomplicated,butitispartofthecreativefunofdesigningagarden.Moreimportantforthegardeningbeginner,itwillreducethesometimesoverwhelmingrangeofoptionstoaverymanageablenumber,allowingyoutogetstartedrightaway.

Severalfocalpointsinthishouseboatscenekeeptheviewermotivatedtolook

closer.

Miniaturegardendesignfollowstherulesoffull-sizedgardening,buteverythingisviewedinoneeyeful.

Aone-foot-tall‘Compressa’junipertranslatestoabelievabletreenexttoasmallfootbridge.

Well-shapedtrees,likethis‘PixieDust’dwarfAlbertaspruce,makeexcellentanchorpoints.

ANCHORPOINTSAnanchorpointinafull-sizedgardenisusuallythelargestelement:perhapsaplantingthatisalreadythereandcannotbeeasilymoved.Itcouldbeatalltreeinthecornerofyouryardor,abigfountainthathasbeenthereforever,oryourdeckoffthekitcheninthebackofthehouse.Anchorpointsarealsocalledjumping-offpointsbydesignersoffull-sizedgardens,

becausetheanchorsmustbepartofthedesign;thereisnochoicebuttoworkwiththem.However,intheminiaturegardenworld,ananchorpointcouldbejustaboutanythingbecauseyouarecreatingyourownscenefromscratch.Tocaptureauthenticityandrealism,useaminiatureversionofanyfull-sizedanchorpoint.Thiscanbeassimpleasthetallest(oronly)tree.

Layeringplantsandaccessoriesgivesyourgardenrealismanddepth.

LAYERSLayeringisadesigntechniqueyoumightnotthinktoconsiderforsuchasmallgarden,butitisactuallycriticaltoabeautifulscene.Justasinyourfull-sizedgarden,layeringcreatesdimensionalityandvisualinterest.Onceyouhaveestablishedyouranchorpoint,youcanstartlayeringwithdifferentplantheights,creatingtheboundariesorwallsofyourgardenandhelpingtheplants’transitionsbetweeneachother.Forexample,aneight-inch-talldwarfhinokicypressandtwo-inch-talldwarfmondograss,plantedwithhalf-inch-tall‘Elfin’thyme,createsthreelayersinaminiaturegardenbed.

Everythinginaminiaturegardensisseenallatonce,sobalanceisessential.

BALANCEMiniaturegardendesignismuchmorecondensedthanfull-sizedgardenplanningbecausethetinysceneisusuallyviewedallatonce,inoneeyeful.Inastandard-sizedgarden,onecornerofthegarden,oronegardenbed,isviewedatatime,sothereneedstobebalancewithinthatsectionandwiththerestofthegarden.Whenyouconsiderbalanceintheminiaturegarden,youarejudgingthecompleteviewofeverythingallatonce:thesizeofthepotor

ingroundspace,shapeofthegardenbed,treeheightandform,sizeofthepatio,andanythingelseyouwanttoinclude.Itallhastohaveapleasingequilibrium,sonoonethingoverwhelmsanddistractsfromtheothers.Letyourinstinctsguideyou,andasyoustarttopullthepiecestogether,besuretostandbackandlookatthegardenasawhole—gettingaglimpseofthefinishedproduct.

Playingwithform,theglobe-shapedcanopyofthis‘Elf’dwarfAlbertasprucemimicstheshapeofitscontainer.

FORMFormisimportantbecauseyoudon’twantalltheplantsinyourminiaturegardentobethesameshape.Miniatureanddwarfplantsandtreescomeinasmanyformsasfull-sizedplants.Uprightnarrow,broad,spreading,globular,andtrailingarejustsomeoftheoverallplantshapes.Combinetall,narrowtreeswithglobe-shapedshrubs,includeatrailinggroundcover,andyou’vecombinedatrioofinterestingformsthatarelayerednicely,willbebalancedinshape,andaregreatforanymedium-sizedpot.

Don’tbeafraidofboldcolorinyourminiaturegarden.

Includecontrastingtexturesandcolorsforaddedinterest.

TEXTURETextureingardendesignreferstovarietyinfoliage.Asmallboxwoodtreewithtiny,broadleaveshasacompletelydifferenttexturethanaspiky-needledmugopine.Thesmallbutthickleavesofagroundcoversedumhaveachunkytexture,comparedtothoseoffinelytexturedwoollythyme.Combinecontrastingtexturestocreateamoreinterestingdesignanddefinetheplantsinyourgardenbed.

COLORColorisanexcitingcomponentofminiaturedesignthatisoftenoverlookedbythefledglinggardener.Stoptonoticeonyournexttriptothelocalnursery,andyou’llfindthatthereareavarietyofgreens,fromlightandbrighttodarkandrich.Blue-greenscanvaryfromalmostgraytoabluishturquoise.Tocreateavibrantdesign,keeponeprimaryfoliagecolorconsistentthroughoutthegarden.Toomanyvariationsofthesamecolorinsuchasmallgardencanlookaimlessandunplanned.Addinterestwithcontrastingfoliage,miniaturebrownsedge,oroneofthechocolate-coloredsedums,forexample.

FOCALPOINTSThefocalpointinagardenistheelementtheeyeismostdrawnto.Whatisthedifferencebetweenananchorpointandafocalpoint?Theanchorpointisusuallythelargestnaturalelement—oftenthetallesttree.Inboth

full-sizedandminiaturegardens,thefocalpointisoftenafunctionalordécorcomponent:afountain,gardensculpture,orbenchattheendofapath.Oneofthesecretstominiaturegardeningisthatthefocalpointsetsthescale,withothergardenelementsrelatingtothatfeature.Onceatinybenchisadded,theplantsthatsurrounditsuddenlyshiftinyourmind’seyetothescaleofthebench.

Becauseyouarecreatingyourgardenfromscratch,andideallyhavenofocalpointalreadyestablished,youhavetheluxuryofcreatingyourown.Birdbathsandseatingareasarepopulareye-catchers,butifyouhavesomethingspecial—perhapsamementofromacherishedtrip—byallmeans,makeityourfocalpoint.

Themoreinterestingthefocalpoint,themoreintriguingthegarden.

NOWGOFORTH

Youcantakealloftheseminiaturedesignrules,followthemtoa“T”,andcreate

Youcantakealloftheseminiaturedesignrules,followthemtoa“T”,andcreateaspectaculargarden.Or,youcanusenoneofthem,seewhereyourheart’sdesireleadsyou—andstillcreateaspectaculargarden.Butifyoudofindsomethinglackinginyourminiaturegardenandcan’tquiteidentifywhatitis,comebacktothesedesignrulesandseeifanelementismissing.Keepinmindthateventhemostexperiencedgardenersmoveandaddthingswhencreatinganewgarden.That’spartofthefunofdoingthingsinminiature—insteadofspendinghourschangingoutplantsinafull-sizedgarden,youcanspendminutesrenovatingyourtinyplot.

Thisuniqueblendofcraftandgardeningisn’tjustaboutdesignandcreation.Theactofgrowingyourminiaturegardenmakesupagoodpartofthehobby.Watchingyourminiatureplantsweavetogetherthroughthemonthsandyears,andseeingyourminiaturetree—theoneyouplantedyearsago—growanicethicktrunkandbranchesiswonderfullyrewarding.Ifyou’reexcitedaboutthatpint-sizedmasterpieceyoujustplanted,waituntilitgrowsup.Mybetisthatbythen,you’llbethoroughlyhookedontheworldofminiaturegardening.

Everyonelovesasmallgardenthattellsastory.

WALKINGTHEMINIATURETALKPATIOSANDPATHWAYS

TOENSURETHEREALISMthatcreatesenchantment,thesecriticalelementsarenecessary:plants,accessories,andapatioorpathway.Theplanned,intentionalaspectofapatioorwalkwayimmediatelysignalstotheviewerthatthisisnoordinaryplantinginapot,teasingthemtocomeinforacloserview.Hardscapesalsoconveythescaleofthegarden,andlendanimportantcontrasttoplantings,providingapleasingrichness.

Tinyblossomsandadiminutivefigurerimaflagstonepatio.

Pathscanbeespeciallyalluring.Justahintofawalkwaytriggerscuriosity—justafewstonesorminiaturepaverscandothetrick.Asurpriseatthepath’sendrewardstheviewer:aquietbenchbesideabirdbath,achairnexttoatinystumptable,orapondmadewithapieceoftumbledblueglassandaweefrog.

Knowingthechoicesforpatiomaterials,wheretofindthem,andhowtheyshouldbeinstalledhelpsensuresuccess.

BUILDINGBLOCKSOFAMINIATUREHARDSCAPE

Thematerialsyouuseforyourminiaturepatioorpathcanmakeorbreakthegarden’srealismandtheme.Usingchunky,brightlycoloredmarblesasapathwaythroughthegardenbedwouldbelikepavingyourgardenpathinbowlingballs.Ifitisn’tdoneinreallife,itwon’tlookrealisticinminiature,either.Anotherexampleisaformalminiaturegardenwithperfectsymmetry,adornedwithmarble-likeRomanesquepedestals,flankedby‘SkyPencil’Japanesehollyonbothsides—withacraggyflagstonepatio.Combiningrusticrockwithsuchformalaccessoriesandtreeswouldclashinthemind’seye,spoilingtheeffect.

Differentmaterialsaiddifferentthemes,andbyusingauthenticpatiomaterialsyoucanensureperfectreplicationandtheinstantrecognitionyou’rehopingfor.Almostanymediumusedinfull-sizedgardensisavailableinminiature,orcanbebrokendownintosmallerpieces.Tinypebblescanlooklikegravel,miniaturebrickcanbeweatheredandstainedtolookold,andsmall, -inchriverrockscanmakeaveryrealisticcobblestonepath.Ultimately,itisyourprivateworld,sogoaheadandusebrightyellowcrushedglassorpenniesaspavers.Butifyouareafterrealism,optforauthenticpatiomaterials.

Bordersareakeyfactorincreatingyourgardenandkeepingittamed;theywilldrawtheline—literallyandfiguratively—betweenpatiosandpathsandplantbeds.Thefauxwoodborderedgingfeaturedinmanyminiaturegardensisathin,flexibleplasticthatbendseasily.Youcancreateaspecificshape,orstapleitintoacircleandholditinplacewithacoupleofskewers.Plasticborderscanalsobefoldedandcreasedtomakeasharpcorner,forageometriclook.Youcanfindrealwoodborders,too,atyourlocalwoodworkingorhardwarestore.Realwoodwillagegracefullyandlastacoupleofseasonsbeforeitbeginstorot.

Minipatiomixanchorsirregularflagstones.

Pleurocarpousmossfillsthespacesonthisrockwalkway.

SIZINGWHAT’SUNDERFOOT

Thesizeorscaleofyourgardenwilldictatethesizeofpatiomaterialsyouuse.Envisionthepatiothatyouwanttocreateinhumansizefirst.Youcanestimatesizeeasilybyrelatingittoyourownfoot,becauseminiaturescalingusesfoot-lengthmeasurementsaspartoftheratio.Picturesteppingonthebricks,stone,orgravelwithyourownfeetandyoucangetanideaoftheapproximatesizewithoutneedingaruler.Abrickaverageseightincheslong.Comparethattoanine-inch-longfoot(average),scaleitdowntoone-inchscale,andyoucanseethataminiaturebrickshouldbealittleoverahalfinchlong.

Thethemeofthegardenwilltellyouhowbigthepatioshouldbeinproportiontothegardenbed.Ifyouaremakingabackyardscene,completewithapicnictableandminiaturebarbecue,youwillneedabiggerpatioonwhichtoplacetheseitems,becauseatfullsize,wewouldallowplentyofroomtonavigatearoundthegrillandthetable.Alittlereadingnookvignettewithachairandaflowerpotrequiresamuchsmallerpatiotomakethescenelookinvitingandcozy.

andcozy.

Atinypathwayleadstheeyethroughthesceneandcreatesastory.

Can’tdecidebetweenapatioandapath?Includeboth.

Ifyouarejuststartingout,youmaywanttousetheruleofthirdstoestimatepatiosize.Thatis,thegardenbedshouldmakeuptwo-thirdsofthearea,andthepatioshouldtakeupthelastthird.Atwelve-inch-diameterpot,forexample,wouldlooknicelybalancedwithapatioareaofaboutfourinchesbyfourinches.Or,ifyourthemedemandsalargerpatioarea,makethegardenbedone-thirdoftheoverallsizeofthepot,andgivetwo-thirdstothepatio.Youcanalwaysadjustthisareaasyouarebuildingyourminiaturegardenandgowithwhatlooksbest,butit’sagoodwaytoestimatetheamountofmaterialsyouwillneed.

Marble,tile,rocks,flagstone,andpebblesarefull-sizedmaterialsthatcanbeminiaturizedandarereadilyavailable.High-firedminiaturebricksmountedonsheetsofmeshhavetheabilitytolastforyears.Tumbledglassaddsyetanotherdimension.

Otherpotentialmaterialsincludesuper-finesand(availableatminiaturegardenstores).Thissandisaperfectscaleforminiaturebeaches,asregularplaysandtendstobeabitchunkyfortheminiatureperfectionist.Barkmulchsifteddowntocrumbsmakesaverybelievableplaygroundarea;createapathwiththecrumbsandlineitwithminiaturelogstoreplicateaparktrail.

Mixmaterialsforaddedinterest.

MARBLEANDCERAMICTILEUsingmarbleasamaterialinyourgardenwilladdinstantformality.Itsrichcolorstranslatewellineventhesmallestgardens.Ceramictileisabitmorecasualinappearance;sometilesavailabletodaycantakeonthelookofflagstone,whichaddauthenticity.Color-matchyourpatiomaterialtoyourpot,orthegarden’sdecor,tocrankupthecharmfactordramatically.Neutralcolorswillmakethepatioblendintothegarden;brightercolorswillmakeitpop.

Marbleandtileareoftenfoundinone-foot-squareunits.Yourgarageisthefirstplacetolook,though—rememberthoseleftoversfromthekitchenorbathroomremodel?Ifyoudon’thaveremnants,askafriend,neighbor,orfamilymember.Chancesare,someoneyouknowhasapieceortwothey’dbehappytodonatetoyoureffort.Ifyou’recomingupshort,tryrecycledbuildingmaterialcenters,thriftstores,orlocaltilestores.Evenifyouhavetobuyasmallpiece,it’susuallynottoocostly.

Bluespruceseedlingsanchorthiseclecticgarden.

Tryamarbleperimeterwithamatchingflagstonepathdownthecenter.

FLAGSTONEFlagstoneworkswellwithmanythemes.Aquicktriparoundastoneyardwillgiveyouanideaofthemanytypesavailabletoday.Themostpopulararegranite,sandstone,andlimestone,but,dependingonwhereyoulive,

theremaybemorekindsavailableaswell.Rockandstoneyards,specialtyrecyclingstores,localgardencenters,oranyplacethatsellsfull-sizedflagstonesforthegardenwillalwayshaveshardsorsmallscrapsthatcanbebrokenupfurther.Thebeststrategyistofirstfindsmallpiecesonthegroundorloosestonesatthebottomofapileorbinthatareusable,thenasktobuyapoundortwo.Someownerswillnotchargeyou,buteveniftheydo,itshouldonlycostafewdollars.

Threedifferenthardscapessetoffa‘Jervis’Canadahemlock.

Mostoftherockswillbeirregular,sochoosetheflattestsideofthestoneforthetopofthepatio.Eitherpressthestonelightlyintothesoil,ordigalittlesoiloutofthespotandplacetherock,gentlypushingthesoiltofillintheemptyspaceunderneath.Workmethodicallyfromonesidetotheother,keepingthespacebetweenstonesconsistentacrossthepatio.Sweepsoilbetweenallthespacesafteryou’vefinishedlayingthetile,thenuseawatersprayertomisttheentirearea,tosettlethesoilandwashoffthestones.

Amixoffauxusedbricklendsdetailandinterest.

MINIATUREBRICKSMiniaturebricksarejustperfectfortinygardens.Mountedonameshsheet,thebricks’warmterracottacolorandwell-knownpatterninstantlyrelatefamiliarityandscaletoanyviewer.Thebricksheetsarehigh-fired,strong,andlastmuchlongeroutdoorsthanlow-firedsinglebricks.Extendedfreezingwillcrackandbreakterracottabricks,butshort,intermittentfreezesarenotasdamaging,itseems.

Storesspecializinginminiaturescarryanumberofdifferentbricksheets.Askforrealterracottabricks.Becausetheyaregenuineterracotta,though,theywillweatherdifferentlyindifferentgardens.Notethatlooseminiaturebricksarelow-firedandwillnotsurviveoverheadwateringformorethanafewmonths.Loosebricksarebestusedinside,whereyoucanwatertheplantsgentlyfromthebackofthecontainer.Youcanalsofindmixesoffauxusedbricktosimulateawornandweatheredlook.

Havefunwiththecolorofthepatioandcoordinateitwithcontainers,plantings,andaccessories.

Sheetsofrealterracottabricksareonlyavailableinone-inchscaleandcanbecutwithheavy-dutykitchenscissors.Youcancreateasleeklookbyarrangingpiecesindifferentpatterns,cuttingthesheettofitintoacurvyspace,andtrimmingthepatioinabrickborder—oryoucanaddcomplexitytoyourdesignwithdifferentpebblesorflagstone.

Breakingupis(not)hardtodo

Turningtoo-largemarble,ceramictile,orflagstonepiecesintousablefragmentscanbefunandtherapeutic—andabitdangerousordamagingto

fragmentscanbefunandtherapeutic—andabitdangerousordamagingtoyoursurroundings.Whenanyofthesematerialsarebrokenapartwithachiselorsledgehammer,theshardscanflyandnickordinganythingtheyhit,includingpeople,cars,andpets.Afastandinexpensivewaytocorralthepiecesistouseabigcardboardbox,openedandplacedonitsside.Dothemessyworkinfrontofthebox,usingtheflapstohelpdirecttheflyingshardsintothebox,insteadoftheshiningexteriorofyourspouse’sfreshlywaxedcar.

Aconcretegaragefloorisusuallythehandiestsurfaceonwhichtobreakapartstone,foracoupleofreasons.First,youneedahardsurfacetoworkon;brick,stone,aconcretebasementfloor,orthecornerofadrivewayorsidewalkwouldalsowork.Softersurfaces,likeawoodenpottingbench,forexample,willbetoobouncy.You’llfightthematerialanditwon’tbreakaparteasily.Thesecondreasonforworkingontheflooristhatyoucangetontopofthetileandgravityhelpsthemomentumofthesledgehammeronthechisel.Ifthissoundstoodifficult,thereareavarietyofnewchiselsouttherethathaveaprotectiveshieldonthehandletosaveyoufromwhackingyourotherhandwiththehammer.Thistypeofchiselisstronglyrecommendedforanyonewhodoesnothavealotofexperiencewithhammers.

Useafaceshield,thengetdownononekneeandholdthepieceoftilewithyourtoe.Withachiselandhammer,breakapartthesheetbychiselingawaythestraightedgesofthetile.Youneverseeastraightedgeinfull-sizedpatiostones,sogetridofthoserightaway.Thenyoucanfocusonwhatyouhave.

Oneswiftswingofthehammershouldmakeabreakclosetowhereyouwant.Marbletiletendstobreakwhereveritwants,butitsometimeshelpstousethecornerofthechisel.Somemarblewillnotbreakeasily;inthiscase,usethecornerofthesledgehammer.Usingthechiselminimizesthedamagedonetothesurfaceofthematerial,whereastheedgeorcornerofasledgehammerheadwillmakeabiggermark.Thatmarkmaystandout,butitdoesfadeovertime.Mostceramictilechiselsapartlikebutter.

Asecludedpatiohideawayaddsmysterytoyourgarden.

Thetricktohavingmarbleandtilepieceslooklikerealpatiomaterialsistomakethemallrelativelythesamesize.Youmaynotbeabletobreakthemexactlyatthespotyouwant,butyoucanmakethesizessimilar.Piecesthatareaboutoneandahalfinchessquareareidealforone-inchscale;makethemlessthanoneinchforhalf-inchscale.Thelittlestpiecescanbeusedforquarter-inchscalegardensorterrariumvignettes.

Smoothminiaturerockscomeinsheetsthatallowforeasycuttingandsizing.

STONEANDMOSAICSHEETSStonesheetsarerocksthat,likebricks,aregluedontoameshsheetsoyoucanlaythewholesheetatonce.Meantasaccentsforfull-sizedbathsandkitchens,stonesheetscaneasilybeadaptedfortheminiaturegarden.They’reeasytocutandinstall,andprovidethedesiredrockpatiolookwithoutthetediouswork.Avarietyofgreatcolorschemesandtexturesarenowavailableatlargerhardwarecentersorminiaturegardenstores.

Apatioofsmooth,rounded-edgestonesawaitsaccessories—ornot.

Partpatio,partpath,thisblueglassdividerseparatesplantingareas.

Opaquegreenglasscreatesastrikingminiaturehardscape.

GLASSTumbledglassaddsdepthtoapatio,whichissomethingyouwouldn’tnormallyseeinfull-sizedgardens,buttheavailabilityofcolorsmakeitafunchoiceforfantasy-themedscenes.Anaddedbenefitofglassisthatitwillnever

fadeinthesunandisagreatalternativeforhotterclimates.Notethatit’stumbled,notbroken,glassthatyouwant.Theedgesofbrokenglasspiecesareextremelysharp;tumblingsmoothesthemdownsoyoucanhandlethemsafely.Youmightremembertowatchforsharpedgesonyourminiaturepatio,butyourneighbor’stoddlermightnot.

Recyclingstores,glassstudios,craftstores,andsomegardencenterswillhavetumbledglassforsale,inmanycolors.Floristsoftenuseitinvases.Lookforpieceswithoneflatsideandusethatforthepatio’ssurface.Makesurepiecesareflushandlevelwithoneanother.

Asmuchasminiaturegardenscanbeslavestorealism,rememberthatyoucanstillhavefun,especiallywithpatios.Thesecretismakingsurefeaturesthataren’ttrue-to-lifestillmatchtheoveralltheme.Wantcolor?Pickathemelikeacircusorbirthdayparty.Loveoneparticularcolor?Usethepatiotobringthatfavoritehueintothescene.

MINIATUREPEBBLESTinypebblescaneasilylooklikegravelintheminiaturegarden.Largerpebblescanlooklikecobblestones.Youcanfindminiaturepebblesinpetstores,gardencenters,florists,craftstores,online,atthebeach,oryoucouldbringsomehomefromaspecialvacation.Modelrailroadstorescarryballast,aminiaturegraygravelusedtolevelrailroadtracks.Thesizeofthepebblesshouldreflectthesizeofthegarden;itishandytohaveyourgardenscalealreadydecided.

Asmarttrickistocovertheareawhereyou’llbeplacingtheminiaturepebbleswithalandscapeclothorscreen-doormeshcuttosize.Thiswillpreventyoursmallpebblesfromgettingmixedupinthesoilandmakeiteasiertoredothegardenwhenthetimecomes,asthepebbleswillbecleanandfreeofsoil.

Choosepebblestosuityourtheme.Smooth,roundedstonesinpinks,creams,andbrownshelptocreateapeacefulscene.Abrightbluecobaltpatio,withwhiteandredaccents,makesaperfectFourthofJulygarden.Speckledblackandwhitecrushedgranitelendsformality,justasitdoesinfull-sizedgardendesign.

Pebblesingreenandbrownshadescomplementengraveddecorativestones.

LOCK’EMIN

Youcancreatepermanentpatioswithaspecialized,drycement-basedmixspecificallydesignedforminiaturepatios,usuallycalledminipatiomix.Themixislayeredinwhiledry,soyouhavetimetopiecetogetheryourpatiobeforemistingitdownandactivatingthecement.Regularconcreteistoobulky,andstandardoutdoorgroutisnotasrealisticbecauseit’stoosmooth.Moreimportant,bothconcreteandgroutneedtobewetforhandling—asignificantdrawbackforourpurposes.Youwouldhavetopokepiecesintothewetmixture,andthepatiosurfacewouldendupuneven.Usingadryminipatiomix,youcantakeyourtimeandmakeapleasingdesign.Whenbrickorstonesheetsarelockedinwiththisspecializedpatiomix,theycanlastforyearsandwon’twashawayintherainduringwatering.

Irecommendplantingyourgardenbedbeforeyoulaythepatio.Mostdrypatiomixesrequireseveraldaysofcuringbeforeplantingbedsaroundthem,sobydoingthebedsbeforethepatio,youcanbuildthegardenallinoneafternoonandhaveacompleteminiaturegardentoenjoywhilethepathcures.

andhaveacompleteminiaturegardentoenjoywhilethepathcures.

YOURPATIOOVERTIME

Whateveryourminiaturepatioismadeof,itwillage.Gowithit.Letthemossfinditswayintothecracks,letthegardenbedspillovertheborder—itjustaddstotheauthenticityandrealism.Or,not.Youcanalwaysuseapaintbrushasabroomandmanicurescissorsasclippersandspendaquietmomentcoaxingyourgardenbackintoshape.

Patiosandstonefeaturescanbekepttidy,orallowedtoagenaturallywiththesurroundinggarden.

Minipatiomixlocksinstonesforalastinghardscape.

IT’SASMALLWORLDPLANTSFORTHEMINIATUREGARDEN

WHENYOUSTARTsearchingforplantstouseinyourminiaturegarden,youwilldiscoveranentirelynewworldofgrowingthings.Theexperiencedfull-sizedgardenermaybenefitfromseeingplantsonasmallerscale.Newgardenerswillappreciatethescopeandrangeoftinyplantoptions.

Allthiscozysceneneedsisatallglassoficedteaandyou.

Aswithstandard-sizedgardening,yourplantpreferenceswillchangewithyourskilllevelandtastesasyoulearnmoreaboutthehobby.Growthrate,leafsize,andeaseofcareareallimportantfactorstoconsider,butnothingiscarvedinstone.Forexample,atreethatislabeledtogrowatleastthreeinchesperyearmaygrowlessthanoneinchperyearonyourbackdeck.You’llfindthesamenumberofvariablesinminiaturegardeningasinfull-sizedgardening,whichmakesthishobbyanever-evolvingpursuit.

WHATTOLOOKFOR

Asaplantdescription,theterm“miniature”referstothegrowthrateratherthanthesizeoftheplant.Miniatureisdefinedasgrowinglessthanoneinchperyear,withaminimumheightaftertenyearsofsixtoteninchesandamaximumheightandwidthoflessthanthreefeetaftermanyyears.

Whenplantsandcontainersarechosenwithscaleandgrowthrateinmind,aminiaturegardencanlastforyearsbeforetheplantsbecomeroot-boundandinneedofrepotting.Inground,onceplantsgetestablishedduringthefirstyear,thegardenbecomeslowmaintenanceandwillneedonlyafewminutesofcareaweek—versustheregularhoursittakestomaintainafull-sizedgarden.Slow-growingplantswillextendthelifeofyourminiaturegarden,keepingitsmallandallowingtheplantstoweavetogetherovertime.Oncetheminiaturegardenhasagedandweathered,itoftenachievestheauthenticityandcharmyou’relookingfor.

Foliagesizeisacriticalfactorinchoosingminiaturegardenplants.Forexample,youngficustreesusuallyhaveawonderfullittletrunkandagreatbranchinghabit,buttheleavescanlooktoobiginminiaturescenesunlesstheaccompanyingplantsandaccessoriesarematchedincorrectscale.Trunksize,stems,leaves,needles,andbranchesmustallbeintherightproportiontoeachother.Justbecauseitisasmallplantdoesnotmakeitarealisticminiatureplant.Lookforvarietiesthattrulymimicfull-sizedplants.

Easeofcareisalsoaconsiderationformostpeople.Ifagardenisoverplantedwithfast-growingplants,thingscanquicklygowrongwhengrowingspeedsupinthesummer.Notpayingattentiontowateringforaslittleasadayortwocanleadtoadried-upminiaturegardenthatcannotberevived—allbecauseitwasoverplantedtobeginwith.Bytakingthemaintenanceoftheplantsintoconsiderationfromthestart,youcanavoiddisappointmentlater.

Avarietyofdwarfplantsadornthisstonepath.

Thediminutivebloomoftreeofathousandstars(Serissafoetida)seemstoreflectthebloompatterncarvedinthestoneatitsbase.

Rowsofcolorsandtextures,waitingfortherightminiaturegarden.

‘Cis’dwarfKoreanfir(Abieskoreana‘Cis’)isapopularchoiceforsmallcontainersettings.

Aroundpathsandpatios,smallhensandchicksprovideaninterestingborder.

The‘EllieB.’hinokicypress(Chamaecyparisobtusa‘EllieB.’)isatrueminiature.

Alwaysnoteaplant’sgrowthratetomakesureitistrulyaminiaturegardenstaple.

TRUEMINIATURETREES

Miniatureformsofregulartreesandshrubsgenerallyhavetheplant’scharacteristicfoliage,justonasmallerorshorterscale.Thesetrueminiaturesarenaturallystuntedregulartreesthatarepropagatedfortheirsmallerleafsizeandslowergrowthrates.Theyarecalledmutants,sports,orwitch’sbrooms,dependingonwherethenewordistortedgrowthisfoundonthemotherplant.Aminiaturetreewillstillgrowup;itjusttakesalongtimetodoso.Thisslownessispreciselywhatwecantakeadvantageof.

Forexample,the150-foot-tallAlbertasprucefoundinforestshasaminiatureversion—’Jean’sDilly’dwarfspruce(Piceaglauca‘Jean’sDilly’).Ittakesabouttwentyyearstoreachsixfeet.Treesthatmimicalarge,full-sizedversionareidealforgardeninginminiature.Becausetheyarethesametreesweseegrowinginourlandscapes,wecaneasilyrelatetothematanyscale.

Anotherexampleofastandardtreethathasaminiatureversionisthehinokicypress(Chamaecyparisobtusa).Somefull-sizedversionshaveanultimateheightofsixty-fivefeetbysixteenfeetwide,growingatarateofapproximately

onefootperyear.Incomparison,thetrueminiaturevarietiesgrowahalfinchperyear,withanultimateheightoftwofeet—forty-eightyearstoreachtwenty-fourinches!Youcantakeadvantageofthatslowgrowthrateforyearsinaminiaturegarden.

Needlesonthis‘Jamy’balsamfirareadelicatecopyofthoseonlargerconifers.

Checktagsforkeyinformationongrowthrateandplantingneeds.

DWARFTREESANDSHRUBS

Theterm“dwarf”isusedverycasuallyinthehorticulturalworld,andisoftenmisunderstoodasaplantdescription.Dwarfindicatesagrowthrateofonetosixinchesperyear.Sixinchesperyearismonumentalwhenyouareworkinginminiature,anddwarftreesthatgrowthatfastwillsoonbetoolargeforaminiaturegarden.Lookfordwarftreesandshrubsthatgrownomorethantwoorthreeinchesperyear.

Plantretailershavediscoveredthatcutesells.Aplantissometimesnamedformarketingpurposes—dwarftranslatestosmall,smalltranslatestocute.Butthenameisnotalwayshorticulturallycorrect.Alwaysnotethebotanicalname,andlookforthegrowthrateonthetagorintheplantinformation.Thisiswhygardenersoftenrelyonbotanicalratherthancommonnamesforplants—it’seasytobemisledifagrowerwantstosellplantsfast.

BONSAITREES

BonsaiisaformofminiaturegardeningthatoriginatedinChinacenturiesago—moreproofthattheminiaturehobbyisfarfromanewtrend.Newminiaturegardenersoftenthinkofplantingbonsaitreesintheirtinyplots,butit’simportanttonotethatgrowingbonsaiandminiaturegardeningaredifferentactivities.

Bonsaitreeshavebeentrainedtogrowsmallbyhavingtheirrootstrimmedtofitintoashallowpot.Therestrictedrootssendamessagetotheplanttostaysmallinordertosurvive.Becauseofthelimitednourishmentreceivedthroughtherootsandsoil,bonsaismustbefedandtendedconstantly.Whenabonsaiisrepottedintoaregularpotforaminiaturegarden,itmaylookgreatforashorttimebutthetreecandiefromhavingtoomuchrootspaceallatonce.Thewaterwillnotbeconfinedlikeitwasinthebonsaidish,willwickawayintothesoil,andwillnotgetabsorbedbytheroots.

Rememberalsothatitistheconfinedrootsystemthattellstheplanttostaysmall.Whenthebonsaiissuddenlyplantedindeeper,moreluxurioussoil,itmaygrowintothefull-sizedplantitreallyis.

Howdoyouknowifaparticularplantwillworkinaminiaturesetting?Ihaveheardmanystoriesofminiaturegardensnotlastingaseasonbecausewhatthegardenerthoughtwasaminiaturetree,wasnot.Itlookedgood,andfitimmediatelyintothegardenscene,butthenoutgrewthepotinlessthanoneseason.Bonsaiandplantswithminiatureordwarfdesignationarethekindsofplantsthatcanbeusedwithadegreeofcertainty.

Dwarfplantscanbecaredforandtrainedtocreateabonsaieffect.

Workaroundforusingbonsai

Ifyoureallywanttousebonsaiinyourminiaturegarden,plantthewholepotrightintotheminiaturegardencontainer,potandall.Burythebonsai’spotuptothesamegroundleveloftheoriginalbonsaiandleavethenebari(thevisiblesurfacerootsgrowingatthelowertrunkofthetree)exposedformoreinterest.Monitorthebonsaiverycarefullyforthefirstfewweekstofigureoutthecorrectamountofwater;itmayneedlessbecauseitisapotinsideofapot.Lookoftenforsignsofstress.Browningleavesorneedlesmightmeantoomuchwater;witheredleavesmaysignalnotenough.

Youwillneedtodigupthebonsaiperiodicallytoroot-pruneit,the

Youwillneedtodigupthebonsaiperiodicallytoroot-pruneit,thesamewayyoudoregularbonsai.Notethatyouwillneedtotop-prune,wire,andmaintainyourtreefollowingbonsaiinstructions,too.Theonlythingthatmaychangeisthewaterschedule.Aswithfull-sizedgardening,thebestwaytoreadthemoisturecontentofyourbonsaiistostickyourfingerintothesoilandfollowtheinstructionsforthatplant.

Thisbonsaiisplanted,potandall,intoalargercontaineraspartofaminiaturescene.

HEYBABY!

Floralsectionsinhomeandgardencentersoftensellyoung(notspecificallyminiature)plantsintwo-orfour-inchpotsthataretemptinglycuteandsmall.Thesemayormaynotcomewithaplanttagthatshowsthenameandgrowthrate.Ababyplantcanwork,ifyouknowwhatitisandhowfastitgrowsandcanadjustaccordingly.Justrealizethatyoumaybereplantingyourminiaturegardenwithintheseason,ortheyear,becausetheseso-calledbabiescanbecomefull-sizedquitequickly.

Newgrowthonthistiny‘Loowit’Japanesehemlockprovidesapleasingcontrasttodarkeroldgrowth.

HERBSAREHERBS

Herbstartsareagoodexampleofmistakingyoungplantsforminiatureplants.Thesecolorful,richlytextured,oftenlovelysmellingoptions,inlittlefour-inchpots,aretempting—butdon’tbefooled.Ayoungsageplantcanlooklikeasweetlittlebananapalmtree,butitwillwanttogrowtoatleasttwelveinchestallbytwelveincheswideinthefirstseason.Aweerosemaryplantcanresembleaminiatureshrub—butitsnaturalsizeisfourfeetbyfourfeet.Babyherbswillmorethanquadrupleinsizebeforeyouarehalfwaythroughthesummer,sosavethemforlarge,inground,Barbie-sizedgardensorfairyscenes,wheretheywillhaveroomtogrowandbewhattheyaremeanttobe.

Redthymeisperfectatopthisminiaturestoneedifice.

Theymaybesmall,butthesepurplebloomspackavisualpunch.

TYPESOFPLANTS

Withtreesandshrubsingeneral—full-sizedandminiature—therearedifferent

Withtreesandshrubsingeneral—full-sizedandminiature—therearedifferenttypesoffoliagetoconsider:broadleafevergreen,broadleafdeciduous,andconifers.Whetheryoulikeneedles,evergreenfoliage,orcolorfulautumnleaves,carefulchoicescanmakeaminiaturethemesing.

Thisoverviewcoversmostoftheavailabletypesoftreesandshrubsforoutdoorminiaturegardens.

Thisingroundbedoffersabitofroomtoroam.

Evergreenfoliageensuresasecludedspottorockyear-round.

BROADLEAFEVERGREENBroadleafplantshavewideleaves,asopposedtoneedleslikeapinetree.Evergreenmeanstheykeeptheirleavesinthefall,andtheystaygreenthroughouttheyear.Thiskindofplantisgreatforaddingtexturetoyourgarden.Mixbroadleafevergreenswithconifersandeithermatchorcomplementotherplantcolorsforaprofessionallydesignedlook.

Thisspireahaslight,airyfoliageandclustersoffeatherypinkblooms.

DECIDUOUSBROADLEAFDeciduousplantslosetheirleavesinthefallbeforegoingdormantinthewinter.Mostdeciduousplantsusedinfull-sizedgardeningarebroadleaf.Byidentifyingaplantbytheterm“deciduousbroadleaf,”youanswerseveralquestionsatonceastoitsbehaviorandlook.

Inaminiaturegarden,witnessingthechangeinseasonsisquitemagical.Deciduoustreesandshrubscanenhancetheseasonalexperience,especiallyifothercompanionplantsstaygreen.Whenchoosingplants,trytomatchorcomplementthetrunkandstemcolorsofyourdeciduousplantswiththecolorsoftheevergreens.

Tinywhiteblossomsof‘Majestic’Japanesehollyarestrikingagainstitsevergreenleaves.

TRUEMINIATUREANDDWARFCONIFERSConifersaretreesthatbearcones.Theyarethelargestfamilyoftreesintheworld,includingthetallestandsmallesttrees.Theyarehardy,adaptable,colorful,andgrowinmanypatternsandforms.Thankfully,horticulturistshavediscoveredthebeautyofminiatureconifersinrecentyears;theyareperfectforsmallgardensbecausetheytrulylooklikeafull-sizedtreeinminiature.

Aconiferinyourminiaturegardencanprovidethelookofamajestictreeon

Aconiferinyourminiaturegardencanprovidethelookofamajestictreeonatinyscale,especiallywhenitislefttogrowforaperiodoftime.Youcaneasilymimiclife-sizedlandscapesinminiaturewiththemanychoicesofconifersavailabletoday.Asmentioned,however,bewary.Thereisadifferencebetweentrueslow-growingconifersandbabyconifers.Ababybluesprucemaytakeyearstogrowfromseed,butoncethetreebeginstomature,thegrowthrateincreasesdramatically.Itistheconsistentlyslow-growingconifersthataresuccessfulinminiaturegardensettings,andwiththevarietyavailabletoday,thereshouldbemultiplechoicesforeveryclimate.

Conifersofferavarietyofminiatureoptionsandarepreferredforanumberofreasons.Theyareeasytogrowwhenplacedintherightspotwiththerightsoilandlight.Therearechoicesforarangeofclimates.Theyareexcellentlypricedforthebeginninggardener,especiallyifyoustartwithayoungconiferinafour-inchpot.Whetheryouaremimickingabackyardscenewithananchorpoint,orcreatingaweeforest,you’llalmostalwaysgettheresultsyouwantfromtheconiferfamily.

Whatevercolorortextureyou’rehopingtofind,chancesarethere’saminiatureconifertofitthebill.

Ablendofevergreenanddeciduousplantsgivethissittingareaalushrichness.

Inthespringtime,conifersburstwithfresh,colorfulbudslikethisdwarfCanadahemlock.

TRYATREEMiniaturegardeningnewbiesaresometimesintimidatedbygrowingasmalllivingtreeandopttosticktogroundcovers.Don’tbescaredawayfromtrees.Agardenwithonlylow-growinggroundcoverslacksthesenseofpermanenceatreecanbringtothesetting.Asinfull-sizedgardens,thetreesandshrubsyouplantarethebonesofthegarden.Everythingelsechanges:thebeddingplants,annuals,groundcovers,andperennialsthatmakeuptheunderstoryofthegardenalleventuallyneeddividing,reseed,regrow,andgetmovedorreplanted.Buttreesandshrubsarethelastingbackdropforyourgardendesign.Theseanchorsallowyouplaywithseasonalplantsandaccessoriesasoftenasyoulike.

Inwinter,coniferscanturnvividcolors.Thisisknownaswinterblush.

Anotherrewardforplantingaminiaturetreeisthatinonlyacoupleofyearsyouwillhaveaminiaturetreewithabig-treelook:athickertrunk,tree-likebranches,andagrandcanopy.Youngconifersareappealinginfour-inchpotsatthenursery,andtheyaregreatcandidatesforminiaturegardens,butthey’remuchmoreinterestingwhentheystartacquiringanagedlook;infact,it’sthesamelookthebonsaimastersstrivefor,butwithafractionofthework.

Evenlittletreescanhaveamajesticlook—justprunethebottom-mostbranchestoexposemoretrunk.Whenaconiferoutgrowsitsspotinoneminiaturegardenpotorbed,justuseittostartanother,largeringroundminiaturegarden,oruseditinanewcontainerscene.

Belliumminutuminbloomisaseaoftinydaisies.

MINIATUREGARDENBEDDINGPLANTSInfull-sizedgardens,thereareseverallayersofgreenery,allofwhichhelpdirecttheeyewhereyouwouldlikeittogo.Forexample,thetoplayerisoftenatalltree,themiddlelayeramedium-heightshrub,andthebeddingplantsmakeupthelayerclosesttotheground.Welooktobeddingplantstoaddinterestandcomplementthetreesandshrubs.

Groundcovers,rockeryplants,minisucculents,perennials,andlow-growing,small-leavedcreeperscanallbeminiatures,buttheyareverydifferentplants.Thecategoriesareplantsthatgrowsmallandplantsthatcanbekeptsmall.Oneoftheadvantagesofgardeninginminiatureisthelowmaintenance.Plantsthatgrowslowandsmall,asopposedtoonesthatarekeptsmall,arealoteasiertomanage.‘Elfin’thymeisafavoritelow-maintenancegroundcoverbecauseit’swellbehaved,withtinyleavesthatformathickmatandspreadslowlyalongtheground.Ontheotherhand,ifyourminiaturebedistheonlygardenyouhave,youmayenjoythemaintenanceandwanttotrydifferentplantsmoreoftenoratleastseasonally.Small-leavedsucculentslikesedum‘Dragon’sBlood’willflushoutinspringandgrowlongerstemsthateventuallyflowerintheearlysummer.Whennewgrowthappearsatthecrownorbaseofaplant,it’stimetoshearitback.Thiswillkeepitatightershrubuntilthenewgrowthflushesthefollowingspring.

‘Platt’sBlack’brassbuttonsisacontrastofcolors.

WHERETOFINDTHEPLANTSYourlocalgardencenterornurseryisagreatplacetostartifyouarejustlearningaboutminiaturegardening.Plantospendsometimeatthegardencenterlookingatplants,readingtags,andgettingtoknowplantnames.Mostgoodgardencentershavestaffmemberswhoareknowledgeableaboutminiatureplantsforyourarea.Manyalsohaveclassesandworkshopsonbeginnerorcontainergardeningforanyonebrandnewtothehobby.Sometriedandtrueminiatureplantstolookfor:small-leavedgroundcovers,alpineplants,rockeryplants,small-leavedsedumsandsucculents,miniatureanddwarfplantsandtrees,bonsaistarterplants,andslow-growingplants.Notallnurserieswillbefamiliarwithminiaturegardenplantssojotdownthislistandtakeitwithyou,justincasetheystarttolookatyoufunny.

IfyouareorderingontheInternet,alwaysdealwithareputablenursery.Alltheinformationyouneedshouldbeinthelisting,includingapictureoftheplant.It’salwaysgoodtoseewhatyou’regettingbeforeyouorderit.Alsobewaryoforderingdormantplantsonline—theseroots-onlyplantsareeasytoforgetaboutifyoucan’tseeanythinginthepot.

‘WhitePygmy’sawara-cypressinfour-inchpots,readyforsaleatanursery.

Somenurserieshavespecialareasforminiatureordwarfbeddingplants.

Somanyminiatureplants,solittletime.

WAYSOFSEEING

Bynowyouhavehopefullycaughttheminiaturegardeningbugandarehookedforlife.You’llneverlookatasmallplantthesamewayagain.You’llbeeyeballingthatlow-growinganemoneasanice-sizedminiatureshrubandyou’llsingleoutthatlonehenandchicktouseasanagaveplantinminiature.Remember—miniaturegardeningisjustlikefull-sizedgardeningandthereareendlesswaystointerpret,customize,andpersonalize.Miniaturegardeningisanexcuseforadultstoplay,andtheonlyhardandfastruleistoenjoyyourself.

PLANTSFORMINIATUREGARDENS

BOTANICALNAME COMMONNAME

TREESFORSUN

Buxussempervirens‘GrahamBlandy’ ‘GrahamBlandy’boxwoodChamaecyparisobtusa‘BaldwinVariegated’

‘BaldwinVariegated’dwarfhinokicypress

Chamaecyparisobtusa‘Chirimen’ ‘Chirimen’dwarfhinokicypressChamaecyparisthyoides‘TopPoint’ ‘TopPoint’whitecedarCryptomeriajaponica‘Tansu’ ‘Tansu’JapanesecedarJuniperuscommunis‘Compressa’ ‘Compressa’juniperJuniperuscommunis‘Miniature’ ‘Miniature’juniperPiceaglauca‘PixieDust’ ‘PixieDust’dwarfAlbertasprucePinusmugo‘Slowmound’ ‘Slowmound’mugopineUlmusparvifolia‘Hokkaido’ ‘Hokkaido’dwarfprincesselm SHRUBSFORSUN Chameacyparisobtusa‘GoldenSprite’ ‘GoldenSprite’dwarfhinokicypressChamaecyparisobtusa‘Nana’ ‘Nana’dwarfhinokicypressChamaecyparispisifera‘WhitePygmy’ ‘WhitePygmy’sawara-cypressCotoneasterintegrifolius small-leavedcotoneasterJuniperushorizontalis‘MotherLode’ ‘MotherLode’creepingjuniperPiceaglauca‘BluePlanet’ ‘BluePlanet’dwarfAlbertasprucePiceaglauca‘Elf’ ‘Elf’dwarfAlbertasprucePiceaglauca‘Hobbit’ ‘Hobbit’dwarfAlbertasprucePinusmugo‘Michelle’ ‘Michelle’mugopine TREESFORSHADE Buxussempervirens‘Variegata’ variegatedEnglishboxwoodChamaecyparislawsoniana‘Ellwoodii’ ‘Ellwoodii’Lawsonfalse-cypressCupressusmacrocarpa MontereycypressEuonymusjaponica‘MicrophyllusVariegatus’

variegatedbox-leafeuonymus

Ilexcrenata‘DwarfPagoda’ ‘DwarfPagoda’JapanesehollyIlexcrenata‘SkyPencil’ ‘SkyPencil’JapanesehollyPierisjaponica‘BrooksideMiniature’ ‘BrooksideMiniature’Japanese

andromedaTsugacanadensis‘MoonFrost’ ‘MoonFrost’CanadahemlockTsugacanadensis‘Jervis’ ‘Jervis’CanadahemlockTsugadiversifolia‘Loowit’ ‘Loowit’Japanesehemlock

SHRUBSFORSHADE Abieskoreana‘Cis’ ‘Cis’dwarfKoreanfirAbieskoreana‘GreenCarpet’ ‘GreenCarpet’dwarfKoreanfirBuxusmicrophylla‘Compacta’ littleleafboxwoodIlexcrenata‘RockGarden’ ‘RockGarden’JapanesehollyPierisjaponica‘LittleHeath’ ‘LittleHeath’JapaneseandromedaTsugacanadensis‘Abbott’sPygmy’ ‘Abbott’sPygmy’CanadahemlockTsugacanadensis‘Hornbeck’ ‘Hornbeck’CanadahemlockTsugacanadensis‘JeanIseli’ ‘JeanIseli’Canadahemlock MINIATUREBEDDINGPLANTSFORSUN

Belliumminutum miniaturedaisyDelospermacongesta miniatureiceplantErodiumvariabile‘FlorePleno’ ‘FlorePleno’cranesbillLeptinellasqualida‘Platt’sBlack’ ‘Platt’sBlack’brassbuttonsSedumoreganum OregonstonecropsedumSedumspurium two-rowstonecropsedumSempervivumspeciesandcultivars hensandchicks(smallcultivars)Thymuspraecox creepingredthymeThymuspseudolanuginosus woollythymeThymusserpyllum‘Elfin’ ‘Elfin’thyme MINIATUREBEDDINGPLANTSFORSHADE

Acorusgramineus‘Ogon’ ‘Ogon’miniaturesweetflagCymbalariaaequitroloba dwarfkenilworthivyIsotomafluviatilis(Pratiapendunculata) bluestarcreeperLiropespicata dwarflilyturfMentharequienii CorsicanmintMuelenbeckiacomplexa fairyvineOphiopogonjaponicus‘Nana’ dwarfmondograssSaxifraga‘Primuloides’ ‘Primuloides’miniatureLondon

prideSoleiroliasoleirolii babytearsSoleiroliasoleirolii‘Aura’ goldenbabytears

ITNEEDSYOU,YOUNEEDITGARDENCARE

FORMANY,anappealingaspectofthisengaginghobbyisthatitisasmuchcraftingasgardening.Aftertheinitialplanningandcreationphases,however,gardeningtakescenterstage.Watchinghowplantsgrowtogetherandlearninghowtomaintainthisweeworldcanbeasmuchfunascreatingthegarden.

Alittleattentiongoesalongwaytowardkeepingyourminiaturegardeninviting.

Inthischapter,you’lllearnaboutcaringforyourgardeninminiature,whetherit’singroundorinacontainer.Ifyouareabeginner,thischapterwillbeahelpfulguide.Moreexperiencedgardenerscanfindnewinsightsandideasoncaringfortheirminiaturegardens.

EASYCARESTARTSWITHSMARTCHOICES

EASYCARESTARTSWITHSMARTCHOICES

Allplantsneedlight,airandwater;mostneedsoil,too.Ifyouconsiderthesebasicneedswhenplanningyourminiaturegarden,thecareandmaintenanceendofthingswillhaveagoodchanceofgoingsmoothly.It’salsoimportantforyoutoconsideryourtimeandthewayyoulive.Ifyoutravelalot,aminiaturesucculentgardenisagoodchoicebecauseitdoesn’tneedregularwatering.Atender,faster-growinggardenwelcomesregularattention.

‘JeanIseli’Canadahemlockhasadistinctivenaturalbranchinghabit.

‘ButterBall’hinokicypressprovideslovely,creamycolors.

Asplantsgrow,it’simportanttosnipselectivelytokeepelementsinscalewitheachother.

Atwigfencetakesonlyminutestoinstall,withlittleongoingmaintenance.

TinyflowersdotahillofIrishmossinmidsummer.

INDOORVS.OUTDOORPLANTS

Tokeepplantcaresimple,useplantsthatarewellsuitedforindoorgrowing

Tokeepplantcaresimple,useplantsthatarewellsuitedforindoorgrowingconditionsinindoorminiaturegardens,andplantsmeantforoutdoorgrowingconditionsinoutdoorminiaturegardens.Thismaysoundsimplisticandobvious,butthinkingthatanyplantcanbegrownanywhereisoneofthemostcommonmistakesnewgardenersmake.

Indoorplantsare,forthemostpart,tropicalplantsthatwanttostayabovesixtydegreesFahrenheitallyearround.MiniatureAfricanviolets,smallponytailpalms,andminiaturealoeveraarejustafewexamplesofplantsthatneedtostaywarmthroughouttheyear.Ingeneral,ifyoubringanoutdoorplantinside,itwillthinkitisthesummergrowingseasonallthetimeandgrowitselftodeath.Aplantneedsperiodsofrest,justlikeus(excludingannualsandvegetables,whichgrowwithonepurpose:toproducefruitorflowersforreseedingwithintheseason).Dryairfromindoorheatingcanalsostressoutdoorplantsthatpreferacool,humidenvironment,leavingthemmoresusceptibletopestanddiseaseproblems.

Saxifragesarewonderfulalpineplantsthatprefertheoutdoors.

Thestrikingyellowflowersof‘CapeBlanco’sedumaddabrightaccenttoaminiaturegardenborder.

Miniaturedaisiespreferanareawithcoolsunorpartialshade.

USETHELIGHT

USETHELIGHT

Meetingthelightrequirementsofanyplantisimportant,becauseplantsuselighttomanufacturefoodforthemselves.Someplantsneedeighthoursormoreoffullsunlightperday,whileothersrequireless.Toomuchsunlightonashadeplantwillcausetheplantleavestoburn.Toolittlelightonaplantthatneedsfullsunwillcausetheplanttoreachtowardthelightandgrowpale.Thegoodnewsisthatthereareplantsforalmosteverylightsituation—indoorsandout,fullshadetofullsun,brightindirectlight,ordappledsun.Checkingthelightinyourchosenspotwillhelpnarrowyourplantchoices.

IT’SLIGHTOUTSIDE

IntheNorthernHemisphere,thesouth-andwest-facingareasofyourgardenreceivefullsun,theeastreceivespartorcoolsun,andthenorthsideofyourgardenisshadedformostoftheyear.Inadditiontothelocationofyourgardenspot,outdoorlightisbaseduponhowthesunmovesthroughthedayandthroughtheyear.Naturalandmanufacturedsunblocks—treesandshrubs,sheds,awnings,andbuildings—alsoaffectlighting.Usetheamountofsunyourchosenspotgetsinspringorfalltofigureoutwhatkindoflightyouhave.Withthisinformation,youwillbeabletochooseplantsthatwillthriveintheconditionsyouhave,thegardenwillbeeasiertomaintain,andyourplantswillbehappygrowers.Thischartwillhelpyoufigureoutwhatdifferentkindsoflightarecalled,oftenthesametermsyouwillfindintheplant’scareinstructions.

‘BlueStar’dwarfjuniperthrivesinfull,hotsun.

Newneedlegrowthon‘WhiteBud’mugopinestretchestowardthesun.

OUTDOORLIGHTREQUIREMENTS

IT’SLIGHTINSIDE

Identifyingthekindofindoorlightavailableinareasofyourhousegenerallyfollowsthesamerulesasoutdoorlight.South-andwest-facingwindowsaregoingtobethehottest.Eastwindowswillprovidecoolbutbrightlight,and

goingtobethehottest.Eastwindowswillprovidecoolbutbrightlight,andnorthwindowswillofferlowlight.Ifyouarelivinginacondominium,apartmentbuilding,orurbanneighborhood,yourwindowsmaybeshadowedbyotherbuildingsoraneighbor’sbalconyforpartormostoftheday,callingforplantsthatpreferlowlight.

Rememberthatinthemiddleofwinter,whenthesunshinessidewaysintoyoureast,west,orsouthwindows,thisistemporaryandmayonlylastaboutamonth.Thesunatitshighestpointinmidsummerwillnotshineintoyourwindowsatall.Thelightinspringandautumnismostconsistent;useitforplanning.

Theplussideofgardeningindoorsisthatyoucaneasilyadjustfornaturalfluctuationsbycontrollingthelight.Youcanalwayscreatebrightindirectlightinafull-sunwindowbyhangingasheercurtain.Youmaywanttomoveyourindoorgardenoutofdirectsunforamonthortwountilthelightchanges.Thebiggestthreatiswhenthesunstartstoshinedirectlythroughyourwindowsinearlyautumn.Thathotsunbeamcancreepinunexpectedlyandscorchtheleavesofyourminiaturegardenwhenyouleastexpectit.Topreventthis,movethegardenorhangacurtainassoonasyouseesunlightsneakingontoyourwindowsills.AstrongbeamofsunlightcanactlikeCaptainKirk’slaserbeaminyourlittleworld,cookingwhateverisinitspath.

Addingmorelightisaneasyfix,thankstorecentinterestinindoorvegetablegardening.Artificiallightingopensupdifferentareasofyourhomeformoregrowingspaceandyoucancreateagreatgrowingenvironmentalmostanywhereinyourhome.Therearemanyoptionsthesedaysforindoorgrowlights,soyoucaneitherkeepinmindwhattheplantwantsandchangeyourindoorlight,orselectyourlightingsetupfirst,thenchooseplantsaccordingly.Growbulbscanalsobepurchasedforyourfavoritelamp.Withasmalllampandtimer,youcansuccessfullygrowagardenonthatdimtableinthehallway.

Usethelight-levelscharttofigureoutwhatlightlevelsarealreadyhappeninginsideyourhouse,orforideasonhowtocreatetherightlighttosuityourplants.

INDOORLIGHTLEVELS

AyoungparlorpalmandNorfolkIslandpineinthisindoorbowlgardenarewell-suitedtotheindirectlightcreatedbysheercurtains.

Irishmossismosthappyincoolerzones.

TEMPERATUREZONES

Temperatureandhumidityareimportantconsiderationsinyourplantchoices,becausetheydirectlyimpactyourplants’health,evenasmuchaslightrequirements.Whenyoushoplocally,theonlyplantsavailableshouldbethosethatwillgrowinyourclimate,takingsomeoftheresearchworkoutofyourselections.OnlineorderingviatheInternetopensupawholenewworldofplantoptions—includingplantsfromareasthatareveryunlikeyours,climate-wise.Youmayseeaplant,fallinlove,andfindyourselfinzonaldenial—thatis,ignoringthefactthattheplantandyourenvironmentareapoormatch.Imagineplantingabeautifuljadeplantfromahot,humidareainacool,temperateregion,andyoucanseethepotentialforminiaturegardenheartbreak.

Thebestwaytoidentifywhetheraplantisgoodforyourchosenspotistolookfortheminimumtemperatureontheplant’stag(whichindicateshowcoldtheweathercangetbeforetheplantwilldie)andmatchittoyourclimate.Ifonlythezonesarelisted,lookupthetemperaturesofthatzone.

HARDINESSZONES

Hardinesszonechartscanbeveryhelpfulinunderstandingtheconditionsinyourarea,buttoomuchinformationcanbeparalyzing.Again,buyfromyourlocalnurserytobenefitfromtheirpre-selectionofplantssuitedtoyourzone,orbepreparedtodothatresearchyourselfwhenbuyingonline.Lookfortemperaturerequirementsaswellaszoneinformation.

Hereissomegeneralinformationonavailablezonecharts.Youmayneedtoreferenceyourcountry’szonecharttogetanunderstandingofthezonaltemperaturesinyourareaandtomemorizeyourhardinesszonenumber.Someplanttagslistonlythezones,notthetemperatures.

TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgricultureupdatedtheUSDAPlantHardinessZoneMapin2012withtwenty-sixzonesandsub-zones.ThisisthemostpopularreferencechartamongAmericangardeners,andit’sbasedonaverageminimumwintertemperature.Theirinteractivemapisavailableonline,whereyoucanenteryourzipcodeandgetyourexactzoneimmediately,athttp://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html

Snow-coveredminiaturegardenshaveabeautyalltheirown—butmakesureyourplantscantakethecold!

Canada’sNationalLandandWaterInformationServicehasdividedthecountryintoseventeenmajorzonesandsub-zones.Withawiderrangeofclimates,thezonestakeintoaccounttheminimumwintertemperatures,thelengthofthefrost-freeperiod,theamountofrainthroughouttheyear,maximumtemperatures,windspeeds,andsnowcover.ZonesforCanadacan

befoundathttp://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/nsdb/climate/hardiness/intro.html

IntheUnitedKingdomzoneinformationcanbefoundathttp://www.gardeningzone.org/content/content.php/hardiness-zones-uk/

ForEurope,seehttp://uk.gardenweb.com/forums/zones/hze.html

Again,pleaserefertoyourcountry’sagriculturaldepartmentformoreinformationonyourspecificgrowingzones.Ifallofthisresearchfeelsoverwhelming,simplycompareyourlocaltemperaturestotherequirementslistedonthetagorintheplantlisting.That’sallyoureallyneedtoknow,andyoucanalwayscomebackforamorein-depthanalysisatalaterdate.

Theevergreensinthisscenesuggestamountainlocale.

BRINGINGTHEOUTSIDEIN

Youcanbringyouroutdoorminiaturegardeninsideforafewdaysatatimein

Youcanbringyouroutdoorminiaturegardeninsideforafewdaysatatimeinthewintertouseforacenterpiece,forexample,butitshouldbeplacedoutsidetorestafterwards,andwateredthoroughlyuntilitdrainsoutthebottom.Thetimethegardenspendsoutsideshouldbegreaterthanthetimeitspendsinside—thetrickistonotletitacclimatetotheindoorenvironment.Whileinside,youroutdoorminiaturegardensoilshouldremaindampandnotbelefttodryout.Avoiddirectsunlightwhenyourgardenisinitstemporaryplaceinsidetoo,asthesoilmaydryouttoofastandplantleavescouldgetscorched.

Nevermoveagardenimmediatelyfromawarmroomtothefrostyoutdoors,orfromashadedroomtofull,hot,outdoorsun,withoutfirststagingitinthegarageoronacoveredporchforatleastacoupleofdays.Thepurposeofstagingistohelpthegardenadapttothechangeinenvironmentslowlyandgradually,andtoavoidshockingtheplantswithextremeclimatechanges.Forbestresults,chooseastagingspotwithlightandtemperaturesthatareinbetweentheoutdoorandindoorenvironments.

SOILBASICS

Soilisanothermajorfactoraffectingplantgrowthandhealth.Soilisalive.Dirtisdead.Youcanseethedifference.Soilisdark,rich,andfulloforganicmatter.Itcontainsearthworms,fungi,tinyinsects,andotherlivingcreatures.Dirtisthegraygritbetweenthecracksinthesidewalk.Justasplantshavedifferentlightandtemperaturepreferences,theyalsohavevariedsoilrequirements.Succulentsneedasandier,fast-drainingsoil,whilemanyconifersneedaloamysoiltohelpkeeptheirrootsdamp.

Full-sizedsoilrulesapplytotinyworldsaswell.

Thistiny,ornatepotrequirestherightsoiltosuccessfullygrowSedumalbum.

SOILINTHEOUTDOORGARDENBEDIfyouarenewtogardeningandwanttoplantaningroundminiaturegardeninanoutdoorbed,checkwithyourlocalnurseryfortheirsoilrecommendations.Bringinasample;theyshouldbeabletotellyouhowtoamendit,ifneeded.Ifyouwouldlikemoredetailsaboutthesoilbeforeyouplant,thenurseryshouldbeabletohaveittested,oryoucanfindanonlineresourcetosenditto.Youcanimprovesoilbysimplyaddingsomething(sand,compost,manure,ormoretopsoil)togetagoodbalanceofnutritionfortherootsanddrainageforthewater.Amendingthesoilwillimproveitnaturally,anditisthebestwaytostartaminiatureingroundgarden.Donotthinkabottleoffertilizerwillmakedirtintosoil—itwillnot.

Asyoudelvefurtherintogardening,youmaysoonrealizetherearemanymicroclimatesanddifferentgrowingconditionswithinyourownbackyard.Oneareamayhavesandysoil,whilenearbythesoilismoreclay-like.Ifyoudon’tknowwhatyouhave,askaneighborwhogardens.Gardenerslovetotellyouwhatyoudon’tknow,sodon’tbeshyaboutasking!

Goodpottingsoilwillhelpkeepthissedumrootinghealthy.

Fast-draining,sandysoilwillmakeanycactushappyinitscontainer.

HOWBIG,HOWMANY,HOWMUCH?

SOILFORCONTAINERGARDENINGForcontainergardening,thesoilfromyourgardenbedwillnotwork.Itisusuallytooheavyanddoesn’thavetherightbalanceofnutrientsforacontainedenvironment.Pottingsoilhassufficientspaceforairandwater,aswellasnutrientsthatareengineeredtoprovideeverythingaplantneedstostayhealthyinsideitscontainer.Someplantsneedparticulartypesofsoilmixestomanagewaterabsorptionandprovidewhatthey

needtosurvive.Thisinformationisusuallynotedwithintheplant’scareinstructions.

Adry-gardencactusdoesnothavethesamesoilneedsasamoisture-lovingAfricanviolet.Thecactuslikeswatertodrainquicklyfromthesoil,andwouldprefertostayonthedryside—soaddingextradrainagematerial(sand,vermiculite,orperlite)tothepottingmixwillkeepwaterawayfromsoilaroundtheroots.Africanviolets,ontheotherhand,prefertostayalittlemoist.Theydon’tmindsittinginashallowsaucerofwaterfordaysandpreferextraloamorpeatinthesoiltohelpretainmoisturearoundtheroots.

Bewareofpottingsoilthatincludesfertilizer.Thistypeofsoilismeantforannualsandvegetables,andisnotidealforminiaturegardens.Afterall,wewantplantstostaysmallandgrowslowly—fertilizerworksagainstthatobjective.

Genericorlessexpensivepottingsoilmixesmayneedextradrainagematerial.Onceagain,soilamendmentslikeperliteorvermiculitewillimprovetheflowofwaterthroughthesoil.Thiswillhelpensurethattheplant’srootsarenotconstantlywet—aconditionthatcausesmanyplantstorotanddie.Checkyourlocalnurseryorgardencenterfortheseitems.

Usethechartabovetohelpfigureouthowmuchsoilyouneed.Ifplantsarechosencorrectly,aminiaturegardenplantedatleasteightinchesdeepandwidewilleasilylastforyearswithoutrepotting.

Sedumsandsucculentsneedgooddrainagetokeepthesoilonthedryside.

PLANTSANDWATER

Waterpreferencesshouldalsobeconsideredwhenchoosingplants,especiallyifyourminiaturegardenisinacontainer.Differentplantshavedifferentwateringneeds,butplantsinthesamegardenshouldalltoleratethesamewateringschedule.Someplantsliketheirrootzonetodryoutbetweenwaterings;othersliketohaveamoistrootzoneatalltimes—plantingthesevarietiesnexttoeachotherinasmallcontainercanresultindisaster.Thischartexplainstermsusuallyfoundontheplanttag,orintheplant’sdescription.

Theonlywaytoreallytestaplant’sthirstistoputyourfingerdownatleastoneinchintothesoilandfeelhowwetitis.Manytypesofwatermetersareavailablethatyoucanpokeintothesoil,buttheyarenotalwaysreliable.Thebestindicatorishowthesoilfeels;thesecondbestishowitlooks.Drysoilislighterincolorandwilleventuallypullawayfromthesidesofthepot.Moistsoilisdeepincolorandlooksfullandrich.Soilthatistoowetlooksblackanddevelopsaslimyfilmonthesurface.

WATERNEEDS

MEANING EXAMPLE

Wet Theplantpotsitsinashallowdishofwater,orisinacontainer(cachepot)withoutdrainage,andthesoiliskeptwet

Africanvioletsminiaturesweetflag

Moist Pothasadrainagehole,butiswateredoftentokeepupthemoisturelevel

begoniasbabytears

Damp Wateredregularly,butsoilisallowedtoalmostdryoutinbetween,likeawrung-outsponge.

Lawsonfalse-cypressvariegatedEnglishboxwood

Dry Soilisallowedtodryoutacompletelybetweenwaterings.

succulentscactus

CATCHINGTHEWATER

Saucersplacedunderapotareidealtocatchandcontrolexcesswaterwhereyouneedto,butitisbesttoavoidthemoutdoors.Insomecircumstancestheyarenecessary,suchascondoandapartmentbalconieswherethewaterwoulddripontoyourneighbor’sbalconybelow.Usepotfeettoraisethecontaineroffthebalconyordeckfloorandputasmallsaucerunderneath,centeringthesaucerunderdrainageholestocatchrunoff.Emptyitoftenorthepotwillbesittinginstagnantwater,keepingthesoilinsidetoowet.

Forindoorminiaturegardens,ifyourpotdidnotcomewithamatchingsaucer,yourlocalnurserywillprovideanumberofoptions.Clearplasticsaucerscomeinmanysizes,andwillfitintoanydécorortheme.Chooseasaucerthatisatleastahalfinchbiggerthanthepotonallsidessothewaterwillhaveaplace

atleastahalfinchbiggerthanthepotonallsidessothewaterwillhaveaplacetogo.Asnug-fittingsaucermightlookbetter,butwillnotworkverywellincollectingextrawater.

Nevertrustanysauceronyourgoodwoodsurfaces.Evenceramicsaucersthathavebeenfiredandglazedinhigh-temperaturekilnscanstillabsorbmoistureandwickthedampnessthroughtothesurfacebeneath.Alsobewareofcondensationwhengrowingplantsindoors;overtimethedampnesscanaffectawoodfinishdramatically.

Choosethebestsolutionsavailableatyourlocalnurseryorgardencentersoyoucanplaceyourminiaturegardenwhereyouwant.Corkorfeltmatswithplasticbacksworkwellaslongastheystaydry.Ifyouoverwaterandthesauceroverflows,youruntheriskofsoakingthisprotectivemat,too.Alwayscheckcontainersandsaucersafterwateringtopreventthis,orputthepotinthesinktodrainbeforeplacingitbackonthesaucer.

RaindropsonadwarfAlbertaspruce.

Asmallvisitorchecksoutthedarkdepthsofaminiaturepondfeature.

Whetherasafeatureorassustenance,waterisanessentialpartofeverygarden.

Eventhesmallestcontainersoftencomewithawater-catchingsaucer.

FOODANDFERTILIZING

Feedingyourminiaturegardenisnotnecessaryonanyregularbasisbecauseyou

Feedingyourminiaturegardenisnotnecessaryonanyregularbasisbecauseyousimplydon’twanttheplantstogrowfast.Yourgoalistokeepthegardengrowingandweavingtogetherforaslongaspossible—hopefullyforacoupleofyears,oruntilyoufeeltheneedtoswitchitaroundandtrysomethingnew.Theplantsyouchoosewillalsofactorintothefeedingschedule.Goodexamplesaredwarfandminiatureconifers;whenplantedinagardenbed,theydon’tneedanyfertilizer,butaftergrowinginapotformorethanafewyears,theywillneedabitoffeeding.Freshpottingsoilusuallyhasenoughnutrientsforthefirstcoupleofyears,thenyoucanstartusingatime-releaseorganicfertilizerinthespringandmidsummer.Plantfertilizercomesingranularform.Sprinkleitontopofthesoilaroundtheplant,likeyouwouldpepperatomato,thenuseafork(gardenordinner,dependingonyourgarden’ssize)totillitintothesoil.

Understandingthebasicsoflight,soil,andwaterrequirementswillallowyoutoconsidertheseimportantfactorswhenselectingplantsforyourminiaturegarden.Designingwithplantcareneedsinmindwillmaketendingyourgardensimpleandkeepyourplantshappyandhealthy.Ifyouarebrandnewtogardening,chooseacoupleofplantstostartwith,growthemuntilyouarecomfortablewiththewateringandmaintenanceroutine,thengraduallytryoutmoreideasandplantsasyourconfidencegrows.Trytoresistgoingnutsonyourfirsttriptothenursery,thoughthemanyoptionsmakeittemptingtobuymorethanyouneed.Instead,startasketchbookorajournaltojotdownyourallyourplantandgardenideas—theywillwaitforyou.

Afteracoupleofyears,yourminiatureplantsmayneedabitoffertilizertomaintaingoodhealth.

Carefulwateringwillkeepthisgardenflourishing.

PERSONALITYPLUSMINIATUREGARDENACCESSORIES

ONCEYOUADDaminiaturegardenaccessorytoyourpotofplants,thescenesuddenlyshrinksdowntoscale,thepebblemulchturnsintoaminipatioarea,andyouhaveafanciful,livingscene.Atruegardeninminiatureneedsatleastonetinyaccessory.Whetherit’sasmallbench,abirdhouse,orsomethingdecorative,thesefocalpointsarekeysignalsthatsomethingmagicalisafoot.

Well-chosenaccentsandaccessoriestellastoryaboutyourminiaturegarden.

Arealisticminiaturegardenaccessorycreatesanillusion.Ifyoudidn’tknowbetter,you’dswearthatgardenbenchorbirdbathisfull-sized,justwaitingforapersonorbirdtoenterthescene.Youthenseethegarden’splantsandpatioasminiatures,too,andthesceneiscomplete.Aslongastheaccessoryisrealistic,youcanrelyonittocinchthescene.Thisattentiontoaccessorydetailandauthenticityiswhatcreatestheenchantment—that“Ahhhh!”moment—ofasuccessfulminiaturegarden.Onlythecontextoftheenvironmentoutsidethe

gardentellsyouit’satrickoftheeye.Butwithinthatplaybetweenlifesizeandminiaturescaleliesaworldbrimmingwithdelightandimagination.

Whowouldn’twanttotakeabreakfromtheworriesoftheworldinthispeacefulspot?

Animalaccessoriesquicklyshrinkagarden’sscaleandprovideimportantfocalpoints.

Thissmall-scalefarmsteadispackedwithengagingpointsofinterest.

DOESITBELONG?

Withthemultitudeofminiatureaccessoriesoutthere,thebestquestiontoaskwhenchoosingitemsforyourgardenisaneasyone:wouldtheybethereinreallife?Iftheydon’tbelonginyourlifesizedgarden,theylikelywon’tworkinaminiaturegarden,either.

Ablazingpink,plasticelephant,funasitis,tendstomonopolizetheviewer’seye,nottomentionseemingincongruouswiththesceneandscale.Isitsupposedtorepresentarealanimal,oragardenstatue?Paintingtheelephanttoresembleconcreteorwoodconveysthatitismerelygardenartandclearsuptheconfusion.Thefasterthebrainacceptstheidea,thequickertheillusionsucceeds,turningthemomentintooneofwhimsyandfun.

Notonlyistheaccessory’sperceivedoractualmediumimportantforrealism,itssizeiscrucialtoo.Makesureallofyourgardenart,accessories,andpatiomaterialsarethesamescale,andrealisticallyplacedintheminiature

patiomaterialsarethesamescale,andrealisticallyplacedintheminiaturegardenscene.Evenasingleitemofaslightlydifferentscalewillseemoutofplace,confusingtheviewerandspoilingtheimpact.Theideasareindeedlimitless,butifyoureplicateormimicmaterialsthatareusedinfull-sizedgardens,yourchancesofsucceedingaremuchgreater.

Aboveall,havefunexploringthewaysafigureorornamentcantransformthepersonalityofyourgarden.Ifitlooksgoodtoyouandputsasmileonyourface,thenyouhavedoneitperfectly.

Anamphibiousbronzesentrywatchesoverthisminiaturegarden.

Thisgardener’scornerisfilledwithtrue-to-lifeaccessories,inperfectscaletoeachother.

Arusticpicketfencecreatesayard-likeeffect.

HOWIMPORTANTISQUALITY?

Collectorsspendthousandsonintricatehandmademiniatures,buttheseareobviouslynotmeantforthelivinggarden.Attheoppositeendofthespectrumareinexpensivetrinketsthatwon’tlastlonginthegardenorelsewhere.Wiseminiaturegardenersknowhowtoweighcostandcraftsmanshiptoselectaccessoriesthatwilladdapricelessaccenttotheirgardenswithoutoverspending.

Ifyourgardenwillbeoutdoors,rememberthatcolorsfadeinthesun,windwreakshavoc,andwoodexpandsandcontractswiththemoistureintheair.Anykindofpaper,includingcardboard,willbedestroyedwiththefirstrain.Weatherhappens,rightalongwithotherunpredictableevents—squirrelsforaging,catschasingbirds,anddogsbeingdogs.Inthecaseofoutdoorgardens,qualitymeanshardymaterialsandconstructionthatwillstanduptotheelements,whetherthoseelementsareararehailstormoryourneighbor’sthree-year-oldplayingGodzilla.

Indoorgardensofferalittlemoreroomforindulgence.Here,qualitycan

Indoorgardensofferalittlemoreroomforindulgence.Here,qualitycanmeanpersonaltreasures—perhapsyourgrandmother’stinyhandmaderockingchairoranartist’sdiminutivemasterpiece.Ifyourindoorgardenwillbesharingspacewithyoungchildrenorpets,however,you’llhavetotakestepstoprotectallfromharm.

Thedollhouseindustryoffersawealthofpossibilitiesforminiaturegardeners.Mostpiecesareofaqualitythatisidealforindoorgardensandoffersomedurabilityforoutdooruse.Ingeneral,ifyoudecidetomakeminiaturegardeningaserioushobby,investinproductsthatwillholdupovertime.Andkeepthiscautioninmind:Ifyoucan’taffordtoloseit,don’tuseit.

Woodlendsauthenticitytoarchitecturalelements.

Weather-vulnerableitemslikebooksandpillowsshouldbetakeninsideforthewinter.

PopularAdirondackstylingisavailableinarangeofminiaturefurniturepieces.

NOT-SO-HEAVYMETAL

Whetherpaintedaboldcolororrustedandaged,metalorfauxmetalisa

Whetherpaintedaboldcolororrustedandaged,metalorfauxmetalisawelcomeadditiontothegarden.Scaleddowntominiature,atraditionalmetalarborstraddlingatinypathwaybetweendwarfconiferscanbebothenchantingandrealistic.Awhitemetalwickersetteeatthebottomofaminiaturegardenpathissoinviting,you’llwanttodrinkAlice’selixir,grababook,andcampoutforaday.

Ifyourmetalgardenaccessoryhasbegunrusting,andyoudon’tlikethelook,sanddownallrustspotswithfinesandpaperuntiltherustiscompletelygone.Sprayitwithasealer,thenspraywithametalrustproofpaint.Thismayhavetobedoneannually;oncemetalhasrusted,therustishardtogetridofcompletely.Butyoucanstayontopoftheprocessbykeepingthemetalsealedfromairandmoisture,checkingoften,andtreatingitpromptlywhenrustappears.Thiskindofprojectisgreatforthosewinterdayswhereyouwouldratherbeoutside,butcanatleastdreamandschemewhiletendingtoyourminiatureaccessories.

Youcanmakejustaboutanythinglooklikemetalthesedayswithmetallicpaintsandspecializedfinishes.Bronzeandverdigrisfinishesneedtobeprotectedwithpolyurethanetomakethemsunproof.Rustpaintalsoworkswellwhenappliedcorrectly.Thesetreatmentscanbeusedonfadedaccessories,too,givingthemnewlifeandkeepingthemoutofthelandfill.Alwaysuseyourleastfavoriteaccessory,oranoddtoy,totestandperfecttheprocessfirst.

Atumbledcolumngivestheimpressionofruinsfromlongago.

Metalormetal-lookaccentscontrastwiththeorganicnatureofplants.

Whimsicalgardenartaddscolorandinterest.

PLASTICBUTPERMANENT

Manywonderfulthingsarehappeningwithresinthesedays.Althoughitisaplasticandwillunfortunatelynotbiodegrade,itisstrong,sunproof,andrainproof.Thelevelofdetailcapturedwiththismediumiscomparabletothatofwoodcarving—atafractionofthecost.Anythingmadeofresinweathersverywell,caneasilybedrilledandstakedtokeepitsplaceinthegardensoil,canbebroughtinforagoodscrubwithsoapandwaterwhendirty,andisrepairedeasily.Stainedresinwillholditscolorindirectsun,too.

Thecanopyofaminiaturewisteriaprovideswelcomeshade.

Abroadrangeofresingardenstatuary,urns,andfurnitureisavailable.TraditionalfiguressuchasSt.FrancisofAssisi,FloratheGoddessofSpring,orevenMichelangelo’sDavidcomeinresinandcanbegluedtoapedestalforadramaticpresenceinyourtinylandscape.MiniatureRomanorancienturns,Victorianbirdbaths,fauxstoneanimalstatues,orapetitegazingballonatinypedestalcanalsoaddcharmtothescene.Benchesthatseemmadeofstonecomeinavarietyofscales.Brick-likewalls,antiquefountains,andbirdbathsdecoratedwithtwirlinggrapevinetendrilsareallavailableinadurableresinthatwillwearwellinanoutdoorgardenscene.

Plasticaccentssuchasgardengnomes,Buddhafigures,pinkflamingos,andanimalsofallkindsaregreatinaminiaturegarden.Ifusedoutdoors,brightlycoloredaccessorieswillneedtobetreatedsotheydon’tfadeinthesun;aquickapplicationofacrylicUVspraytwiceayearwillkeepthehuesfreshandvivid.

Ifyourweeaccessoryhasfadedovertime,resincaneasilyacceptawashofacrylicpainttospruceitup.Brokenpiecescanbeeasilyrepairedwithcrazyglueortwo-partepoxyandpaintedforasecondlife.

WOODACCESSORIES,FENCES,ANDTRELLISES

Woodisanaturalfitinanygarden.Barewoodwillageandweather.Asitexpandsandcontractswithairmoisture,paintedwoodwilleventuallyfadeandflake.Stainedwoodwillslowdownthesun’sbleachingprocess,butyoumayhavetorestainatleastonceayeartokeepitlookingfresh.

Youcanalsopaintyourfadedwoodaccessoriestogivethemnewlife.Asmallsetofacrylicpaintsgoesalongwayintheminiaturegardenstudio.Washesofcolorcanadduptoanagedandantiquelook—orathickcoatofpaintcanmakeadatedaccessoryappearnew.Justgivethepiecealittlesandingtomakesureit’sfreeofdirt,andbesuretoletitdrythoroughlybetweencoats.

Awell-lovedbackpatio,miniature-style.

Unconventionalaccentsgivethiswoodchairaneclecticflair.

Architecturalelementsmakeastatementinminiature.

TAKEASEATWITHGARDENFURNITURE

Theadditionofgardenfurnituretoyourweeworldcanelegantlycompletea

Theadditionofgardenfurnituretoyourweeworldcanelegantlycompleteavignette.Sinceit’ssuchafamiliarpartofourfull-sizedworld,furniturealsoconveysscalequickly.Asimplegardenbenchunderatree,orasolitarychaironthepatio,cantransportyoutoadifferentplaceandtimeinstantly.

Apatiosetisequallyenchanting,especiallyiftherearesmallpersonaleffects,suchasaminiaturebookoragardenhat.Yourimaginationstartstofillintheblanks.Ahalf-inchscaletable,noteventwoinchestall,withtwotinychairs,createsaverysweetminiaturesetting.Aone-inchpatiosetwithatableandfourchairsleavesroomforfamilyandfriendstojoinyou.Onecomfychairinapartiallyhiddencornerimpliesaspecialhideaway.

Loungechairs,settees,rockingchairs,twigchairs,benches,andloveseatscancommunicatedifferentmessagesandmoods.Withyourchoicesandarrangementoffurniture,youcanconveyrelaxation,contentment,whimsy,ortogetherness.

Aseatfortwocreatesaperfectgardenspotforreadingordaydreaming.

Worngreenpainttiestogetheragardenloveseat,table,andwheelbarrow.

BUILDAMOODWITHMINIATURESTRUCTURES

Structuresinthegardenarelargeraccessoriessuchastrellises,fences,bridges,wishingwells,orwallsandpanels.Somesettingsfeaturebuildings—gardenshedsorcabins.Atfullsize,theyareusuallyhardtomove,soyouplantaroundthem.Inminiature,therearemanykindsofstructuresyoucanaddtoyourgardenquicklyandeasily—andbestofall,youdon’thavetobribeyourneighbortohelpmovethem.

Mostminiaturegardenstructuresareavailableinlargesizeorone-inchscale.Whenplacedastheywouldbeinafull-sizedgarden,theycanaddanextralayerofrealism.

Somestructures,likeawishingwellorfence,canbeeasilyaddedwithoutdisturbingplants,yetcaninstantlychangethethemeofyourgarden.Awishingwellcanlookrightathomebetweenshrubs,withperhapsapathleadingtoit.Fencescaneasilylineapatioorpathway,ortheycanrimtheoutsideofthepot

Fencescaneasilylineapatioorpathway,ortheycanrimtheoutsideofthepotorborder.

Structureslikearborsorbridgesrequireabitofpre-planningtolookright.Anarborcouldarchoverapathwayorshelterabenchatthebottomofapath.Aminiaturebridgeoveradryriverbedprovidestheperfecthidingplaceforaweegnome.

Gazebos,fairyhouses,andmoreareavailableinminiature.Justbecarefultoselectitemsofthesamescale.Ahalf-inchscalebenchwilllooklostinaone-inchscalegazebo.Aone-inchscalebirdbathwilltoweroveratinyquarter-inchscalebench.Notethatwhenyouputahouseinthegardenitpullstheeyeawayfromthegarden,andthehousebecomesthefocalpointoftheminiaturescene.

Aminiaturebentwoodrockeristhestarofthispatio.

MINIATUREGARDENTOOLSANDPATIOEQUIPMENT

Miniaturetoolsandequipmentcanaddalotoffuntoyoursetting.Tinyhandtools,shovels,rakes,pottingbenches,wheelbarrows,andlawnmowerscanallhelpwiththetheme.Astrawhatonabenchnexttoasmallbucketofgardentoolsisapeacefulgardenscene.Arustedlawnmowerinapotfulloflonggrasscanmakeafunjokegift.Findthesetypesofreplicatoolsatyourfavoriteminiaturestore.

Thesmallertheminiaturegardenaccessoriesget,themoreaptyouaretolosethem.Gathertinyhandtoolsintoaminiaturetrugorbucket,useatallpottocorralyourrake,shovel,andhoe,andstandthemupagainstaminiaturetree.Alittlesiliconegluecanholdthathatdownonthegardenbenchsoitdoesn’tflyoffwhenasquirrelscurriesthrough.(Honestly,theydon’trememberwheretheyburytheirnuts,soitisarandomsearcheveryday.)Barbecues,firepits,andallkindsoftinypotsandurnscanunleashcountlessopportunitiesforfun.Takeitonestepfurtherandgetsomefoodtobarbecue.Findstumps,twigs,ordriftwoodforthefirepit.Usesedumcuttingsandplantthetinypotswithlivingplants.

Miniaturedoesn’tgetmuchmoreauthenticthanthiswell-usedlawnmower,completewithahandycanoflubricant.

Saveleftoverbricksandterracottapiecestohelpwiththegarden’srealism.

Eventhesmallestgardendeservesasetoftools.

Thisfellowseemshappytowatchoverthegarden.

GARDENSTATUARY

Statuaryisafancywordforstatues;astatueisasculpturethatrepresentsahumanorananimal.Inthegardencenterworld,itreferstoanythingcastinstoneoriron.Bysimplyaddingasinglestatueorurn,youcanchangethewholetoneofyourminiaturescene.AstatueoftheMadonnaorBuddhacanturnthesettingintoaminiaturegrottooraltar.AnyclassicsculpturesorlargeurnscaninstantlygiveyourgardenaEuropeanflair.

Thescaleofthesculpturecanbeflexible,asfull-sizedstatuescomeinallsizes.Butdotrytomakesurethepieceissomewhatinproportiontothegarden.AtinysculptureofDavidinalargeingroundminigardenwouldgetlost;hewoulddobetteronthepatioofamid-sizedcontainergarden.Aneight-inch-tallbathersculpturewouldbeidealnexttoaningroundgardenpond.

Stakingsmallsculpturesisusuallynecessarybecauseofthecolumnarshapeandnarrowbasethatthelittlefigurestandson,whichnormallydoesnotoffermuchofananchor.Youcanstakeaccessorieseasilybydrillingaholeatleastaquarterofaninchdeepintothebottomoftheaccessoryandusetwo-partepoxytokeepthemetalrodinplace.

Therearemanyclassicbatherstatues;thisminiaturefitswellnexttoapond.

GETTINGARTSY

Usingabstractminiaturegardenartcanbetricky.Ifyouwouldn’tnormallyseeit

Usingabstractminiaturegardenartcanbetricky.Ifyouwouldn’tnormallyseeitinagarden,there’snothingfromreallifefortheeyetocompareitwith,andthesenseofscalingdown—alongwiththeillusion—islost.Ifyouchoosetogoabstract,placeabenchorotherrecognizableaccessorysomewhereinthescenesothereisanaccesspointfortheviewertoidentifythatitisaminiaturescene.

Toppingagardenin-a-milk-pailwithaHolsteindairycowaddsawinkandsomewhimsy.

THEANIMALKINGDOM

Animalsaddanentertainingdimensiontoanygarden,andforaminiaturescene,youcanincludetheminmorewaysthanone.Thetoyanddollhouseindustriesprovideuswithmanyrealisticfour-leggedminiaturestouseinthegarden.Petsandfarmanimalsareplentiful,andtheselectionisquitewide.Forjungle,forest,anddesertanimals,checktoyorcraftstores.Plasticdinosaursandallkindsoffishareavailableifyouaredoingaprehistoricorunderwatertheme.Thequality

fishareavailableifyouaredoingaprehistoricorunderwatertheme.Thequalityoftheseitemshasbeenimprovedoverthelastfewyearsanditisnolongerdifficulttofindpieceswithnicedetailingandprecisepainting.

Bychangingthecoloroftheminiatureanimal,youcanturnitintogardenart.Paintitverdigris,bronze,orrust,anddedicateittoafavoritepet.Mountitonapedestalforaddedeffect.

Everythinginthisscenehasafamiliarlifesizedcounterpart,sotheillusioniseasilyachieved.

Oneoftheforest’ssmallerresidentsmakeshiswayoutofthepond.

Acarvedwoodfawngivesviewersgoodreasontogivethegardenacloserlook.

Creatingarealisticshorelinerequiressomeplanning.

WATERFEATURES

Waterandplantsareanaturalfit,capturingasoothingsenseofrefreshment.

Waterandplantsareanaturalfit,capturingasoothingsenseofrefreshment.Creatingtheminminiaturesignificantlyreducesthecomplexity,time,price,andmaintenancetypicallyinvolvedinfull-sizedwaterfeatures.

Designadditionscanbeasinvolvedasasmallwaterfallorassimpleasabirdbath.Creatinganatural-lookingwaterfeaturewilladdanotherlevelofexpertisetoyourbagofminiaturegardeningtricks.Lakescanbeinstalledrightinthegardenbed;pondscangoinasmallpot.Besuretomatchthescaleofalakeorpondwiththesurroundingplants.Agoodruleofthumbistheruleofthirds—makethelakeone-thirdthesizeofthecontainerandplantingscantakeuptwo-thirdsofthespace,orvice-versa.Apondcanbesmaller.

Havefunwiththeshapeofthelakeorpondpot.Orcreateonlyasectionoflake,wherewatercomesrightuptotheedgeofthecontainer,lookinglikeaslicetakenoutofabiggerscene.Createyourownbeachvacationorafavoritefishingspot.

Notallwaterfeaturesrequirewater.Tumbledglassisalovelyrepresentation.

FountainsandWaterfalls

Arealfountainorwaterfallcanbeafabulousadditiontoaningroundminiaturegarden.Tohelpensuresuccess,lookforthesmallestpumppossible.Thesizeofthepumpisdescribedingallonsperhourorgph.Themoregallonspumped,thebiggerthepump—mostarejusttoobigfora

moregallonspumped,thebiggerthepump—mostarejusttoobigforaminiaturegarden.Thesmallestpumpavailableisthirty-fivegphandmeasuresalittleovertwoinchessquare.Thesmallerthepump,themorefussyitwillbeaboutparticlesofsoilcloggingthefilter;maintenancecanbeachallenge.Bringyourpatienceandbepreparedforsometinkering.

Small,tabletopfountainsareavailabletodaythatareexcellentoptionsforminiaturegardens.Theseself-containedfocalpointsareveryeasytomaintain;thepumpisintegratedandcanberefilledeasilyfromthetopofthefountain.Ifyouwouldliketoincludeafountaininyourminiaturegarden,purchasethefountainbeforethepot,sothatyouknowitwillfitintoyourscene.Fountainscanoftenbefoundingiftorhomestores,orspecialtyboutiques.Followtheinstructionscarefully.Notethattabletopfountainsaremeantforindooruseandifusedoutside,mayhavetobeshelteredfromtherain.

CHANGINGPERSONALITIES

Mostminiaturegardenersliketokeepanarrayofaccessoriesonhand.Whenfriendsorfamilymembersdropby,youcanswitchoutapieceforsomethingthey’llappreciate,orthatwillmakethemlaugh.Forvisitorswhoarelessenthusiasticaboutminiaturegardening,thisisafunwaytoseeiftheynoticechanges.Youcantailorthegardentothemeparties,specialanniversaries,orhonoredgueststhisway—anditgivesyouanotherexcusetoplaywithyourminiaturegarden.

Expectingguestswholovesurprises?Givethemsomethingfuntodiscover.

WOULDYOUDOTHATATHOME?

Withliterallythousandsofaccessoriesavailable,itcanbehardtoreininshoppingimpulses.Asnoted,it’snicetohaveacollectionofpiecesfromwhichtochooseandswapoutaccessorieswhenneeded.However,resisttheurgetooverloadagardenwithincongruousitems,ortoplacetheminunrealisticsettings.Askyourself,“WouldIdothisinmyfull-sizedgarden?”Iftheanswerisno,erronthesideofrestraint.Lessismorewhenrecreatingrealism.

Pinkflamingosareperfectforafestiveoccasion.

Abountifulholidayfeastawaits.

Withafewtinyornaments,bows,andgifts,yourgardenisinthespiritoftheseason.

Bewareallwhodaretopass:thisHalloweengardenmaybebewitched.

Swapthebenchinyourgardenforaredsetteeandyou’reonyourwaytoaholidayscene.

THROUGHTHESEASONSANDBEYOND

Theoptionsforplayingwithyourminiaturegardenareendless,butit’sespeciallyfuntocustomizescenestocelebratethechangingseasons,specialoccasions,andholidays.CreateaminiaturegardencenterpieceforThanksgivingdinner.Atiny,four-inchgardenisaninexpensivebutmemorablehostessgiftforholidayparties.Awedding-themedscenecanbepartofthedécorforabridalshower.Themescanspringfromanything:personalorculturalhistory,fairytales,movies,orbooks.Ifyoucanthinkit,youcandoit.

LET’SMAKESOMEMAGICMINIATUREGARDENPROJECTS

CREATINGYOUROWNlittleworldisalotoffunonceyouhavetherightparts,plants,andpiecesalltogether.Socollecttheingredientsandtools,pourafavoritebeverage,andenjoysomecreativetimewithyournewhobby.

Dwarfconifers,small-leavedshrubs,andnaturalaccentsgivethissettingawoodsyfeel.

Greenongreenworksinthismonochromaticindoorgardeninaglazedpot.

ATINYGARDENINAPOT

AGREATINTRODUCTIONtominiaturegardening,thisprojecttakesonlyanafternoontocreateandcoversthefoundationstepsformostsmall-scalecontainergardens.Fromthesebasics,youcangolargerorsmallerandaddorsubtractfeaturesorplantsinfuturegardens.Theplantsshouldbeabletostayinthiscontainerandgrowtogetherforacoupleofyearsbeforeneedinganyrepottingordividing.

MATERIALS

Pot,11incheswideanddeep2dwarftrees,1tall,1mediumheight,in4-inchpots3differentgroundcoversorsmall-leavedplants,in4-inchpotsPottingsoil

TOOLSANDSUPPLIES

Gloves(optional)Knife

ATINYGARDENINAPOT

1.Choosethebestsideofthecontainer;thatwillbethefrontofthegarden.Fillthecontainerwithpottingsoiluntilitisalmostfull.Groundlevelshouldbe,atmost,ahalfinchbelowtherimofthepot.Gentlytaptheplasticnurserypotsoffthetreesandloosentherootswithyourfingers.Iftherootsaretightlycompactedandyouareunabletoloosenthemeasily,

carefullyuseaknifetoscorethemeveryinchorsoaroundtherootballs.Thiswillsignaltherootsthatthereisnewsoiltogrowinto.Ifonlyafewrootsareshowing,justplantasis.

2.Iftheplantscanbedivided,gentlypulltherootballapartandplacethedivisionstobalancethedesign.Placetreesinthebackcornerorrearofthepot,bestsidesfacingfrontward.Createasmallholeforeachrootball;thecrownoftheroot

massshouldbeatgroundlevel.Ifaholeistoodeep,lifttheplantslightlyandtucksoilunderneath.Tapthepotsoffthegroundcovers,loosentheroots,andplacethemaccording

toyourdesign.Allplantsshouldbeatthesamegroundlevel.

3.Fillgapsinbetweenplantsandthepot,aswellasbetweeneachplant.Packthesoilingentlytoavoidairpockets.Tucksoilbetweentheplantsbycarefullyliftingtheleavesupwithonehand,whilepokingmoresoilinwiththeotherhand,untilthegardenbedisfilledin.

4.Gentlypushthewholebedtowardsthebackofthepottoclearspaceforyourpatio.Thisclearedareashouldbe1inchto1¼inchesdeeperthangroundlevel,

dependingonthedepthofyourpatiomaterial.Thebottom¾inchoftheclearedareawillbefilledwithalayerofsand,thenminipatiomix.Whenthepatioisdone,itshouldbeevenwiththesurroundingground,soadjustthecleareddepthaccordingly,leavingenoughroomforthethicknessofyourpatiomaterial,stones,ortiles.CreatetheSorUshapeofyourgardenbedfromyourchosendesign.Evenoutthesoilinthefuturepatioareaandtampdowngentlytoeliminateanyairpockets.

YOURCUSTOMMINIATUREPATIO

MATERIALSDryminipatiomix,about1poundSand,½poundPatiomaterials:½poundtilepieces,smallstonesheetBorderedging,1-footlengthWoodskewersMiniaturegardenaccessories:bench,hangingpotwithshepherd’shookSedum

cutting

TOOLSANDSUPPLIESGloves(optional)HandclippersScissorsWatersprayerwithamistsetting

YOURCUSTOMMINIATUREPATIO

1.Cutalittleofftheendofyourbordermaterialtofollowtheinsidecurveofthepotsothatyouhaveasnugfit—whetheritisstraight,curved,orslanted.Thiswillkeepthedrypatiomixfromwashingintothegardenbedwhenitismistedwithwaterattheendoftheproject.Holdthecutendoftheborderedgingwhereyouwantitontheinsideofthepot.Useaskewertohelpholditinplace,whilebendingtheborderagainsttheedgeofthegardenbedandacrosstotheotherside,buttingupagainsttheothersideofthepot.Noteormarkwithyourfingerswhereyouwanttomakethesecondcut,thencuttheborderedgingalittlelongerthanthemark.

2.Puttheborderedgingbackinthepotusingtheskewerstohelpkeepitinplace.Ifitdoesn’tfit,takeitoutandshavemoreofftheendgradually.Besuretheborderbuttsupagainstbothsidesofthepotandfitsagainstthegardenbed.Placeskewersinthecornerstoholdtheborderfirm.Placeathirdskewertoholdthemiddlebendorcurve,creatingafirmandlevelgardenedge.Thetopoftheborderedgingshouldbelevelwiththetopofthepot.Fillinbothsidesoftheborderwithsoiltohelpkeepitinplace,too.Yourminiaturegardenisnowreadyforthepatio.Don’twatertheplantsnow—thesoilinthepatioareamustbedrybeforeyoumoveontothenextstep.

3.Topoffthepatioareawithmoredrypottingsoil,leavingatleast1inchfromthetopoftheborderedge.Levelthesurfaceallaroundthepatioareabyadding

moresoilifneeded.Tamplightlytomakesuretherearenoairholesinthesoil.Poursandintothecontainedarea,about¼inchdeep.Thissandbasewillbufferthedryminipatiomixfromthesoilandroots.Smoothoutthesanduntileventhroughoutthepatioarea.Gentlypushsomeintothecorners.Pourapileofdryminipatiomixintothecontainedarea.Smoothoutmixuntileventhroughoutthearea.Makethislayerabout½inchdeep.

4.Layoutthepatiopiecesortilesonthetablesoyoucanseethedifferentshapesandsizes.Getyourcobblestonepebblesoryourpebblesheetready,too.Ifyouareputtingapathwayinthemiddleoraroundtheedgesasshown,laythisinfirst,thenworkarounditwiththepatiostones.Thinkofitasajigsawpuzzleandstartwiththecornersfirst.Placethemgently,workingfromonesidetotheother,adjustingpiecesforthebestfit.Topsofthestonesshouldbelevelwitheachotherandthepot’sedge.Ifatilefitsperfectlyontwosidesbutleavesalargegapontheotherside,tryanotherpiece.Thegapsbetweenstonesshouldbeconsistentacrossthepatioforarealisticlook.Asyoulaythepiecesin,placeyourhandflatontoptoseeiftheyarelevel

witheachother,withthegardenborder,andwiththepot’sedge.Keepchecking;ifastoneistoolow,gentlyliftitup,addalittlepatiomixbeneathit,layitbackdown,andcheckagain.

5.Whenyouarefinishedlayinginallthestones,gentlytampthemdownwithaflatpieceofwoodoroneoftheunusedtilepieces.Thiswilllevelthetopsofthestonesinrelationtoeachother,tocreateasmoothsurface.

6.Gentlypourasmallpileofdryminipatiomixontothemiddleofyourpatiostones.Becarefulnottopouritintothegarden,usingyourotherhandasabarrier.Thenwithaflathand,smooththemixtureintothespaces,corners,andedgesofthepatiobetweenstones.Carefullytapthepotonitssidetosettlethestonesandmix,andtoeliminateanyairpockets.Checkthesurfaceagaintoensurethatallstonesarelevelwitheachother.Addmorepatiomixifneeded.

7.Usingcaution—theedgesofthetile,marble,orglasspiecesmaybesharp—gentlysweepofftheexcesspatiomixwithyourhandandreturnleftovermixtothebagforfutureuse.Takecarenottodisturbthestones.Ifsomemixgetsintothegardenbed,cleanitoutlaterwhenthepatiohascuredawhile,soasnottoupsettheworkalreadydone.Youcanremovetheskewersgentlyiftheyarenotholdingtheborderinplaceanylonger;fillintheskewerholeswithmoremix.Iftheborderedgingstillneedstobeheldinplace,cuttheskewerinhalfandburyitjustbeneaththepatiosurface.Don’tfusswiththegardenbedatthispoint,toavoidgettingsoilmixedupwiththepatiomix.

8.Usingthefinestmistsettingonyourwatersprayer,lightlymistthepatiofromonesidetotheother.Washthestonesandwetdownthedrymixasyouwork

acrossthepatio.Stopwhenthewaterstartstopoolonthepatiosurface.Waittobrushoffsandorexcessmixuntilafterthepatiohascured—otherwise,thetexturewillberuinedanditwon’tlookreal.Waterplantsgentlybutthoroughlyfromthebacksideofthegardenbed.Letyourpatiocureslowly.Thesloweritcures,thestrongeritwillbe.Ifyou

havemadeyourpatioinamovablecontainer,placethepotinashadyspotforacoupleofdayssothepatiodoesn’tdryouttooquickly.Ifyourpatioisinasunnygardenbed,coveritwithplastic(aplasticbagisfine)andkeeptheplasticinplacewithwoodskewersorrocks,foratleastoneday.Mistthepatiooftenthroughoutthefirstdaytoslowthecuringprocess.

9.Yourpatiowillsetupwithinafewhours,butcuringtakeslonger.Treattheareagentlyduringthisperiod,keepingitdampandoutofthesunforatleasttwenty-fourhours.Afterthat,youcanaddaccessoriestocompletethescene.Waitatleastamonthortwoifyouwanttomovethewholepatiotoadifferentlocation.

Patiorepair

Iftherearegapsorcracksinyourpatio,lettheareadrycompletely,thensprinklesomedryminipatiomixinthegaps,sweepofftheexcess,andmistwithwater.

Oncecured,yourpatioisreadyforaccessories.

Smallpebblesmakeforasimpleyetsophisticatedpatio.

APEBBLEPATIOINTHEGARDENBED

PEBBLESCANADDbeautifultextureandcolortominiaturegardens,whethertheyarethesolematerialinasmallpatio,ordefineapaththroughthemiddleofagardenbed.Apebblepatioisalsosimplerandquickertocreatethanapermanentone—somethingmanyenthusiastsappreciate.Therearecountlesstypesandcolorsofpebbles,sodon’tbeafraidtoexperimentandtakefulladvantageofyourrangeofoptions.

MATERIALS

Borderedging,2feetWoodskewers,4Smallpebbles,about2poundsLandscapecloth,about12inchesby12inches

TOOLSANDSUPPLIES

Gloves(optional)TrowelScissorsKneelingpadMiniaturegardenfurniture

APEBBLEPATIO

1.Intheareawhereyouwanttobuildyourpatio,cleardebrisandcarveoutthesoilabout1inchdeep.

2.Linetheperimeterofthecarvedareawithborderedging,usingskewerstoholditinplace.Theborderedgingwillcorralthepebblessotheydon’tgetscatteredaboutinthegardenbed.Workfromonesidetotheother,makingsuretheborderislevel.Cutoffanyextramaterial.Addorremovesoilsotheareais1inchdeepandlevel.Fillinthebacksideoftheborder—thegardenbedside—withsoil,bringingitjustbelowthetopedgeoftheborder.

3.Placethelandscapeclothoverthepatioarea,lininguponeofthesideswiththeedgeofthecloth.Holditinplacewhileyoucutaroundtheedgeofthepatioarea,usingtheborderasaguideforthescissors.(Youwon’tbeabletoseetheborder,butyoucanfeelitwiththelowerbladeofthescissors.)Landscapeclothunderthestoneskeepsthemclean,soyourminiaturepatiowilllooklikenewforyears.Whenit’stimeforachange,thecleanstonescanbeeasilyrecoveredandreused.Insteadoflandscapecloth,youcanusemeshscreenorburlap—bothmakeidealbarrierswhilelettingwaterthrough.

4.Pourpebblesgentlyintothepreparedarea.Smooththeseintothecornersandpatthemdownsotheyarelevel.Adepthof1inchisidealforpebblepatios.

5.Placeyouraccessories.(Thenbragaboutinstallingagardenpatioinlessthanan

hour.)Createacharmingoutdoorroom.

Fromthisperspective,noonewouldsuspectthesceneharborsasecretminiaturegarden.

ASECRETGARDEN

THISLOVELYCONTAINERgardenhaslotsofgreenery,includingadwarftreeandavarietyofshrubsandgroundcovers.Ourprojectaddsadelightfulsurprise—atinypathleadingtoasecretgarden.Likeallgoodsecretgardens,it’snotimmediatelyvisibleandcanonlybeseenatcertainangles.Thisideacanbescaleddown;justbesurethegardeniswideenoughforalltheelements.Alsokeepinmindthatyouwillneedplentifulplantingstohidethesecretgardenfromfrontview.Forfun,placethepotonaturntablesoitsdifferentscenescanunfoldinfrontofyou.

MATERIALS

Plantedpot,atleast12inchesacross(picturedisa22-inch-diameterwaterbowldrilledfordrainage)Stonesheet,12inchesby12inches

LoosestonesforpathBorderedging,12inchesWoodskewers,3–5Dryminipatiomix,1½poundsDrysandMossMiniaturegardenaccessories

TOOLSANDSUPPLIES

Gloves(optional)HandclippersScissorsWatersprayerwithamistsetting

ASECRETGARDEN

1.Startwithanexistinggardenfeaturingvaryingheightsofdwarftrees,shrubs,andgroundcover.Clearanareaforthesecretgarden’spatio,towardthebackofthepot,anareathatwillnotbevisiblefromtheoppositesideofthegarden.Alsoclearasmallswathwherethepathwillgo,keepingthewidthofthepathtoscale.Makeabendinthepathwaysoyoucan’tseethroughtothebackofthepot,orthesecretgarden,whenlookingatitfromthefront.

2.Carveoutthepatioareainthesoil,makingaledgeabout1inchdeep.Workingfromonesidetotheother,linetheedgeofthepatioareawiththeborderedgingmaterial,usingtheskewerstohelpkeepitinplace.Cuttheskewerstomake3-inchto4-inchlengths.Measureandcutthebordercarefullybycuttingoffalittlebitatatimeandputtingitbackinplaceandmeasuringitagain.Pininplacewith

theskewer.Smoothoutthesoilinthepatioareaandmakeitlevel,about1inchdeep,leavingenoughroomforthethicknessofyourpatiomaterial,stones,ortiles.

3.Pourabout¼inchofsandinthepatioarea;smoothoutintocorners.Pourabout½inchofdryminipatiomixontopofthesand;smoothoutintocorners.

4.Placethestonesheetontopofthepatioareaandcutthesheettofitthespace.Cutthestonesfromtheunusedsheettofillinanygaps.(Youcantearthestonesoffthemesh,butsometimesthemeshisfiberglass,sousegloves.)Workfromonesidetotheotheranduseyourjigsawpuzzleskillstofigureoutthebestfit,makingsuretoleaveevengapsbetweenrocks.Makesurethestonesarelevel

witheachother,levelinthepot,andevenwiththepot’sedge.

5.Poursomedryminipatiomixontopofthestonesandgentlybrushthisintothecrevicesandcorners.Brushofftheexcess.

6.Checkthelevelagainbeforeyougentlymistthepatioarea,workingfromonesidetotheother,stoppingjustbeforethewaterbeginstopooluponthesurface.

7.Nowbeginworkingawayfromthepatio.Usingtheloosestones,createyourstepping-stonepaththroughthegardenbed.Whenyouarereadytodothesecond,smallerpatio(notsetinminipatiomix),workfromonesidetotheother.Thereisnobordertoguideyou,butvisuallycreateanovalorsquare-shapedareaforthepatio.Leaveconsistentspacebetweenstonesthroughoutthepatioandpathway.

8.Tearoffbitsofmosstoplacebetweenthestones.Makeitlooknaturalbypokingtheminrandomlythroughoutthepatio.

9.Oncethepatiohassafelycured,placeyouraccessoriesonbothpatios.Rememberthatit’sasecretgarden—soletviewersdiscoverthesurpriseforthemselves!

Asecludedpathconnectsonepatiotoatinysecretgardenterrace.

Aredbridgeoveradrystreambedticklesthecuriosity.

ADRYRIVERBED

AREALMINIATURESTREAMcanrequirecomplexsetupandmaintenance,butadryriverbeddeliverstheconceptwithminimaleffort.Ifyourriverbedisinaningroundminiaturegarden,itcanalsogiveyouanaccesspointtostepintoyourgardenforweedingorplanting.Whethertheriverbedisfiveincheslonginapot,orfivefeetlonginagardenbed,besuretheboulders,stones,andpebblesarescaledappropriatelyandmatchincolor.Topolishoffthelook,placeafewbouldersinthelandscape.(Whentheglaciersreceded,theyplacedbouldersrandomlyinthelandscape,too.)Asforsurroundingflora,looktonature—treessuchashemlockandspruce,aswellassmallershrubs,wouldoftenflankastream.

MATERIALS

MiniaturebouldersRocksPebblesMiniaturelogsorstumpsMiniaturebridge

TOOLSANDSUPPLIES

Gloves(optional)GardenclawortrowelKneeler

ADRYRIVERBED

Fallenlogsandlargestonesarenaturaltodrystreambeds

1.Foranestablishedminiaturegarden,useatrowelorgardenforktograduallycarveariverarea,about1inchto2inchesindepth.Thinkabouttheriverbankandcarverightuptoplants;avoidcreatingstraightedgesandtheurgetomakeitperfect.Foranewminiaturegarden,plantyourshortestplantsontheedgesoftheriverbank,withtheoddtreeaddedforcontrast.

2.Placeyourlargestminiaturebouldersrandomlyonbothsidesofthecarvedareatoestablishtheriverbank.Nestletheminandoutoftheplants.Positionthemrandomly,withnoidentifiablepattern.Thinkabouthowthewaterwouldflowandpushbigstonesintoplacegraduallyovertime;createinletswithacoupleofbouldersplacedfurthertowardthecenterofthestreambed.

3.Placesmallerrocksnexttotheboulders,nestlingthembesidethebiggerrocks.Setsometowardsthemiddle.Again,berandominplacement.Yourriverbanksshouldbehaphazardlylinedwithrocksatthispoint.

4.Addafewsmallstumpsandlogsalongtheedge.Thinkabouthowtheygetcaughtandtrappedontheriver’sedge.Orperhapsatreethatfelldecadesagoisnowalmostdecayed,halfintheriverandhalfout,overlappingtheriverbank.

5.Finishbypouringsmallpebblesintothebottomoftheriverbed.Makesuretheycoveranysoil.Sprinklethemaroundbiggerrocksalongthebanksoftheriver.Ifthescaleislargeenough,tampthemdownbywalkingontheriverbed.

6.Sprayrocksandpebbleswithwatertowashoffanydirt.Thisalsohelpstosettletherocksintotheirnewhome.

7.Italwayshelpstohavesomekindofaccessory,evenwhencreatinganaturalorforestscene,tocommunicatescaletotheviewer.Chooseanelementtosuityourtheme—abridgeforatrail-likefeel,wildlifeforaforesttheme.Animalscanworkespeciallywell;tuckthembetweenthebushesattheriver’sedge.Ifyouincludeabridge,don’tforgetpathsateachendforwhenyou’reonmentalhikes.(Alwaystellsomeonewhereyouaregoingandbringafullychargedcellphone.)

Overtheriverandthroughthewoods.

Waterfeaturesbringanenticingdimensiontominiaturegardens.

APONDINAPOT

IT’SEASYTOLOVEfull-sizedpondsandwaterfeatures—butnotthetimeandmoneytheyrequire.Thissimple,affordableminiatureoffersacaptivatingalternative.Thecohesivenessofthesceneisenhancedifthepotscomplementeachotherincolorandtexture,buttheydon’thavetomatchexactly.Investinginhighqualitypotsisagoodideasimplybecauseagardenofthissizecanstayinthepotandgrowtogetherforyears.Accessorizemodestly,orwithwhimsicaladditionssuchasasmallfrogbidinghistimeonthepond’sedge,becausethepondisafocalpointalltoitself.

MATERIALS

BigpotforentiregardenSmallerpondpotwithnodrainageholeMedium-sizedplasticplantpots,2to4PlantsofyourchoiceSmallpebblesLandscapecloth,12inchesby12inchesPottingsoilAccessories

TOOLSANDSUPPLIES

Gloves(optional)

Gloves(optional)KnifePitcherofwater

APONDINAPOT

1.Choosethebestplaceforthepondbeforehand;off-centerisalwaysmoreinteresting.Figureoutthelevelofthepondinthebiggerpotbystackingacoupleofplasticplantpotsupsidedowninthebottomofthegardencontainer.Thenumberofplasticpotsyou’llneedwilldependonthedepthofyourbigpot.Placeyourpondpotontopofthestack.Thisprecariousplatformwilleventuallybesurroundedbysoilonallsidestokeepitsafelyupright.Thelevelofthepondpotshouldbeabout1inchhigherthantheedgeofthebigpot—soyoucanvisuallysitdownonthepond’sedge.Playaroundwiththestackofpots—add,takeaway,orcutoffwhateveryouneedtogetthepondpottotherightheight.

2.Pourinsoilaroundtheplasticpotstack,makingsuretherearenoairpockets.Filluptheareawithsoilandbeginplantingyourgarden.

3.Placetallertreesinthebackandtierdownwithshorterplants,finishingoffwiththelowestplantsasyouworktowardthepondarea.

4.Finishplantingandestablishthegardenbededges.Preparethepatiospacebyclearinganareaabout½inchdeep.Tampdowntogetridofanyairpockets.

5.Linethebottomofthepatioareawithlandscapecloth,whichwillkeepthepebblescleanlonger.Inthisproject,becausethereareminimalgardenedges,thelineractsastheborderbetweenthesoilandpebbles,sonoborderedgingisneeded.Poursmallpebblesintothepatioaninchbelowthepond’sedge.Tampdownwithaflathandsothatthepatiosurfaceislevelwiththegardenbedsurroundingtherestofthepondpot.Nestleanystepping-stonesintothepebbles.

6.Pourclean,clearwaterintothepond.

7.Addminiatureaccessoriestosetoffyournewpondfocalpoint.

PlugginganExistingHoleinYourPondPot

MATERIALSAcorkSiliconeglueAstickorskewer

Astickorskewer

1.Thepotandcorkshouldbebone-dry.2.Carvethecorkdownsoitcanfitintothedrainagehole.Cutitsoitfits

thedepthoftheholewithoutstickingoutthetoporthebottom.3.Spreadglueallaroundtheholewiththeskewer.4.Placethecorkinthehole.5.Glueallaroundthecorkontheinsideandoutsideofthepot.6.Letdryovernight.7.Ifthegluedrippedwhiledrying,shaveofftheblobs,makingsureyou

don’tbreakthesealnearthehole.8.Testyournewpondwithwater.Ifitleaks,pourthewateroutandletit

drycompletely.Applymoresiliconeglue.Letitdryovernight.Testagain.

Apond-sideseatofferscoolreliefonahotday.

Comecloserandyou’lldiscoverthisrestfulscenealsofeaturesanaturallake.

ALAKESIDEHIDEAWAY

HAVINGAPRIVATELAKEisthepinnacleofluxuryforsomepeople—nowyoucanhaveyourveryowntoenjoyatyourleisure.Tellyourfriends,family,orco-workersthatyoujustacquiredlakefrontpropertyandwatchthefreecoffeeandsmallfavorsstarttoflow.Takethefunevenfurtherandinvitefriendsandfamilytothelakeforabarbecue—anddon’tforgettotellthemtobringtheirswimsuitsandatowel.

SettingtheStageforYourLakefrontHaven

Thewoodboxusedinthisprojectismadefrom8-inchpineboardswitha1-inchplywoodbottom.Theoutsideandabout2inchesdowntheinsidewalloftheboxwerepaintedwithawalnutstain.Therestoftheinsideoftheboxwasleftuntreated,assomestainstaintthesoilandharmtheroots.Holesweredrilledinthebottomfordrainageofexcesswaterorrain.Twosmallslatsof1-inchby2-inchwoodwereattachedtothebottomoftheboxtopropitupoffthegroundsoitcandrainmoreefficiently.

Plantyourlakefrontpropertystartingwiththetreesanchoringthecorners,thenfillintomakeabackdropoftrees.Fillintheunderstorywithshorterplants,tuckingthemunderneathandinbetweenthetreesasyougo.Youcanuseboulders,logs,andstumpsinthelandscapetoo,togivethegardenasenseofpermanence.

MATERIALS

WoodboxwiththeshorelineplantedHeavyblackplastic,2feetby1½feetRocksheet,darkgrayRocks,anassortmentofsizesLogs,varioussizestomatchyourscale

Logs,varioussizestomatchyourscaleMossPottingsoilAccessoriesoratoyanimal

TOOLSANDSUPPLIES

Gloves(optional)ScissorsPitcherofwater

ALAKESIDEHIDEAWAY

Whowouldn’twanttodiptheirtoesinthesecrystalclearwaters?

1.Withtheboxalreadyplanted,digoutanirregularlyshapedareaforthelake,about3inchesto4inchesdeeperthanthegroundlevelofyourgarden.Buildupthelakeshorewithmoresoil,rememberingtomakeitabitirregulartomimicnature.

2.Placethesheetofblackplasticoverthelakeareaandholditinplacewitharockonthebottomofthelake.Holdingtheplasticagainstthesideofthelakewithonehand,cutaroundtheshapeofthelake,leavingatleast3inchesextrabeyondtheedgeofthelake.Massagetheplasticintoplaceasyouworkaroundthelake’sedge,holdingandcuttingasyougo.Withthisfirstcut,leaveagenerousamountofplasticbeyondtherimofthelake—youcanalwayscutmoreoff,butyoucan’tputitbackon—andyouwilleventuallyhideitwithrocks.

3.Pindowntheplasticedgeswithyourbiggestbouldersonallsides.Youwillhavetopleattheplasticinacoupleofplaces;asyoumassageandworkittofit,itwillpleatonitsown—justfolditwhereitwantstogo.Createtheedgesofthelakegradually,fillinginwithlargerrocksfollowedbyprogressivelysmallerstones.

4.Addtheoddstumpordriftwoodlogstoyourminiatureshoreline.Cutoffanyplasticthatistoolongorsticksout.Holditgently,beingcarefulnottoundoyourrockplacement.

5.Fillinthelakebedgraduallywithanassortmentofrocks.Here,weusedastonesheettospeeduptheprocess,bycuttingitlikeapieandusingthetrianglestolinethebottomandsidesofthelakebed.Thestonesheetalsohidestheblackplasticonthefloorandwallsofthelake;importantforrealism.Concealtheplasticontheshorelinewithmorerocks,moss,stumps,andlogs.

6.Graduallyfillinwithsmallerrocks,coveringtheblackplasticwhereveritisstillvisible.Placeabiggerrockortwointhebottomofthelakebed.

7.Fillinthelakewithclean,clearwaterandplaceyouraccessories.Getoutyourwaterskisandfireuptheboat!

Stones,minilogs,moss,andshrubsgivethislakesideanauthenticlookandfeel.

Gardeningundertheshadeofanelmtree.

ASMALLBUTSWEETTWIGFENCEANDTRELLIS

FENCEBUILDINGHASBEENapartofthegardener’slifeforaslongastherehavebeengardens.Regardlessofsizeorscale,woodfencesaddorder,definition,andarusticcharmtothegardenstheysurround.What’smore,withalittleingenuity,youcanusethejoiningtechniquesexplainedheretomakeyourowngardenaccessories.Utilizedifferenttypesandtexturesoftwigstopromotethetheme.Forexample,inthisproject,thefenceandtrellisaretobeplacedinacountry-formalpot,sowechosetwigsfromaredtwigdogwoodforamorepolishedlook.Thisprojectisinone-inchscale.(Tomakethefenceandtrellisinhalf-inchscale,dividethesemeasurementsinhalf—andhalfagaintomakethemin

quarter-inchscale.)

FENCEMATERIALS

TwigsofvariousthicknessesandlengthsFloralwireMetalrod

TRELLISMATERIALS

1Ytwig,8incheslong3smallertwigs,4inches,5inches,and6incheslongFloralwireMetalrod

FENCEANDTRELLISTOOLSANDSUPPLIES

ClippersWirecuttersFlat-nosedpliersBoxknifeRulerDrill

TWIGFENCE

Twigology101

Notallbranchesarecreatedequal.Choosetwigsfromtreesandshrubsforthemostpart,asstalksfromperennialscanbecomebrittleoncedried.Sometreeandshrubtwigshaveasoftcenterandyoumaynotneedtodrill—justpokearodintothecentertomakeitstandupinthesoil.

Twigsclippeddirectlyfromtreesorshrubscanbeusedrightaway,buttheygetsturdierwhendriedforacoupleofweeksbeforeusing.Ifyoudoworkwithfreshlyharvestedtwigs,youwillhavetogobackandtightenthewirejointsafterthetwigsdryoutandshrink.

However,onlyfreshtwigsbendeasilyandarepreferredfordesignsthatrequireshapingorcurvedlines.Bendslowlyatfirsttotestthelimitsofthebranch;youarepullingapartthewoodfibersandultimatelycompromisingtheintegrityofthewood.Pin,brace,ortiethebranchtokeepthecurveinplacewhilethebranchdriesoutforafewdays.Whenyouremovethebinding,thebranchwillstaycurved.

1.Cuttwofencepostsfromthethickerbranch,eachabout4incheslong.Cutthetopofthepostataslant(theydothiswithfull-sizedfencingsotherainrunsoff).Thecutatthebottomofthepostshouldbestraight.

2.Fromskinniertwigs,cuttwo8-inch-longpiecesfortherailsofthefence.Theendscanbecutatanangleorstraight,yourchoice.

3.Putthefencetogetheronthetableand,whileholdingthepieceinplacewithonehand,scoreeachpostonbothsidesoftherailwiththeboxknife,exactlywhereyouaregoingtojoinit.Dothisatallintersectionswherethepostsandrailsmeet.

4.Cutintothescoreswiththeboxknife,about1/16inchdeep,andwhittleoutanotch.Dothisfortheotherthreespotswhereyouscoredtheposts.It’snotimperativetonotchthetwigstowirethemtogether,butthepieceswilllastalotlongeroutintheelementswhentheyarenotchedbeforejoining.

5.Flipthefenceoverandplacethepostsandrailstogetheragain.Scoretherailonbothsidesofthepostatallintersections.Makesuretherailsarelinedupevenlywitheachother.

6.Cutintotheincisionabout1/16inch;whittleoutthenotch.Whenyouaredone,youshouldhaveatotalofeightnotches,twooneachtwig.

7.Cutfourpiecesofwire,eachabout3incheslong,andbendeachintoaUshape.Holdingtherailandpost,notchestogether,placetheUabovetherailandbendthewirearoundthepostandtothebackofthefence.

8.Twistthewiretogetheronthebacksideofthepost;tightenwithpliers.Cutexcesswireendswithwirecutters.Bendthewireendsupordownsoyouwon’tgetpokedwhenplacingthefenceintheminiaturegarden.

9.Drillaholeinthebottomofapost.Repeatonotherposts.Gluerodsinholeswithtwo-partepoxy.

10.Asecuresectionofminiaturefencing,waitingforplacementinthegarden.

Aminiaturetrellisisperfectfortrainingadwarfclematis.

TWIGTRELLIS

1.UsingtheYtwigasaguide,cutthreecrosspiecesforthetrellis,approximately4inches,5inches,and6incheslong.Laythepiecestogetheronthetabletobesureyouhavetherightsizesanddesign.

2.Cutsixpiecesofwire,eachabout2½incheslongandbendtheminaU.Holdingthetrellistogetherwithoneofthecrosspieces,placetheUabovethecrosspieceandbendthewirearoundtheothertwigandtothebackofthefence.Twistthewiretogetheronthebacksidesoit’stightenoughtostayput;you’lltightenallthejointswhenthecrosspiecesareinplace.

3.Workthroughtheremainingjoints,doingonecrosspieceatatime.

4.Adjustthealignmentoftherailingsandposttomakesurethetrellisissquareandparallel.Tightenallthewirejointswiththeflat-nosedplierssotheyarejustsnug.Becarefulnottotwisttoomuch,oryou’lltwistthewireintothetwigandbreakit.

5.Clipoffexcesswireandfoldtheendinsoitdoesn’tpokeyouwhenyoupositionitinyourminiaturegarden.

6.Trimtheendsofthecrosspiecestoeventhemup.

7.DrilltheendoftheYandgluearodinit.

8.Aminiaturetrellis,readyforplacementinyourgarden.

YOURFORKASARAKEMINIATUREGARDENMAINTENANCE

EVERYGARDENrequiressomeongoingattention.Whetherit’satinylandscapesittingonyourdeskatworkoraningroundminiatureempireinyourfrontyard,plantsneedregularcare.Hopefully,youhavechosenasizeandtypeofsmall-scalegardenthatcorrespondswithyourlifestyleanddesiredinvolvement.Itreallyisyourownprojecttobuildandgrowhoweveryoulike.

Caringforminiaturegardenscanrequireaslittleasafewminutesamonth.

Miniaturegardeningtasksrangefromroutinewateringtodividingplantsonceayear,butunlikewhatoftenhappenswithfull-sizedgardening,youshouldn’teverfeeloverwhelmed.Rememberthatwearecombiningcraftingwithgardening—thecraftfunisintheconceptionandbuilding,thegardeningisintheplanting,growing,andmaintenance.Whilebasicrequirementsaresimilartothoseforlargergardens,maintainingaminiaturegardencantakeaslittleasafewminutesamonth,notincludingtimespentwatering.Inthischapterwe’ll

coverwhatittakestokeepyourminiaturegardenthrivingforyearstocome.

WATERINGYOURMINIATUREWORLD

Forthenewgardener,knowingwhentowaterisoftendaunting,butitdoesn’thavetobe.Themainconsiderationsarewheretheminiaturegardenisplantedandhowmuchwatertheplantsneed.Rememberthatwhenyouwereplanningyourgarden,youchoseplantswiththesamegeneralwateringrequirements,whichwillsimplifythings.

Newplantstakeawhiletogrowroothairsintothesoil.Thesetinytendrilssoakupmoistureandallowtheplanttogoforperiodswithoutwater.Largerrootsanchorandholdtheplantinplace.Wateringroundgardensattentivelyforthefirstyeartohelpplantsadjusttotheirnewhome.Avoidoverwateringbystickingyourfingeroneinchintothesoilandtestingthelevelofdampness.Waterdeeplyandinfrequentlytotraintherootstolookfortheirownwater.Plantingyouroutdoorminiaturegardeninspringorfallistheidealtime,asrainwillhelpwiththewatering;however,don’trelyonrainfalltosupplyallofyourgarden’swateringneeds.Checkingwithyourfingerisalwaysthebestgauge.Afterthefirstyear,ingroundplantsrequirelessattention,butwillstillneedalittlewateringinthedrymonths.

Thegardenmaybeminiature,butthetoolsofthetradearestandardsize.

Illusionintheminiaturegardenisequalpartsart,craft,andmaintenance.

Wateringcontainergardensismoreprecisebutnotdifficult.Itiseasytooverwaterifyouaren’tcareful;rootsneedairtobreatheandwaterloggedsoilchokesoutair.Ontheotherhand,containersdryoutquicklyinhotsummermonths.Someplantscansurvivebeingparchedbutforthemostparttheyhaveahardtimerecoveringfromlackofwater.

Thinkofthecontainergardenasasmallecosystemwheretheplantsarelimitedintheirsearchforfoodandwater,sotheyrelyonyoutofulfillthoseneeds.Ifyouareanewgardener,keepacloseeyeonyourcontainers,especiallyduringdryperiods,andusethefingertesttomonitorsoilmoisture.

Allcontainersshouldhaveadrainageholeortwo,dependingonthesizeofthecontainer.Stonesinthebottomofthepotarenotnecessary,althoughsomegardenersinsistthattheyhelpwithdrainage.However,thespacetheytakeupcouldbefilledwithextrasoil,whichisultimatelywhatrootsneed.Whenwatering,giveyourcontainergardenadeep,thoroughsoakuntilwaterdrainsfromtheholesinthebottom.Repeatthisasneeded,dependingonthetemperatureandyourplants’particularneeds,usingthefingerchecktoseeifmoreorlesswateringisneeded.

Notethatplantswillneedmorewaterduringtheirgrowingperiodsinspring

andsummer,andlessduringthedormantmonthsoffallandwinter.Foroutdoorgardenplants,itiscriticalthatthesoilremaindampthroughoutthefreezingmonthsofwinter,whetherplantsareinthegroundorinapot.Rootscantoleratethesoilfreezingaroundtheirroots,buttheywon’ttoleratebeingfreeze-dried.Ifthesoilfeelsdryduringthewinter,orifyouareexpectingafreeze,waterwithcoldwater.

Alwayswateryourminiaturegardengentlyfromthebackoftheplanter.Lateafternoonsorearlymorningsarethebesttimestodothis,sotheheatofthedaywillnotevaporatethewaterandyoureffort.Ifwatergetsontheminiaturepatio,waituntilitdries,thensweepupanysoilthatmayhavewashedontothestone,usingyourfingersoradrypaintbrushasabroom.

Ifyou’reworriedthatyou’llforgettowater,pickadayoftheweekandmarkthesamedayonyourcalendarforthenextsixmonths.Thencheckyourplant’ssoilmoistureeveryweekonthatday,andwaterifnecessary.Eventually,wateringwillbecomesecondnature.Afterawhile,youwilllearnhowtotellexactlywhenyourplantsneedwater,andwillnotneedascheduleanymore.

Whileit’seasiertouseplantswiththesamewaterneeds,youcanmixmoisture-lovingplantswithdry-lovingplantsinthesamecontainer.Plantthewater-lovingplantinitsownpot,thenplantthatpotinthelargergardencontainer.Thatwillseparatethewaterforthemoisture-lovingplantfromthesoilintherestofthegarden,andyoucanwateritmoreoften.Foringroundminiaturegardens,thistrickhasmixedresults,asplantsareallsubjecttothesameweatherandit’shardertokeepsoilmoisturelevelsseparate.

Checksoilmoistureoftentoavoidwateringtoomuchortoolittle.

Sawara-cypress,‘TomThumb’cotoneaster,and‘Jean’sDilly’dwarfsprucehavethesamewaterneeds,whichstreamlinesmaintenance.

Tendingtoaconifer’swaterneedswillkeepitsneedlesgreenandsupple.

GIVEITSOMEAIR

Whetherincontainersoroutsideinbeds,soilshouldbeaeratedtokeepitfromcompacting.Thishelpsgrowth-enhancingairandwatergetthroughtotheroots—andtherootstogetthroughthesoil.Withtheconstantwateringanddryingoutthathappensincontainers,thesoilwilleventuallyformacrustylayerandridgeswillform,directingthewaterdownthesidesofthepot,awayfromtheplant’sroots.Soaerateeveryfewweeks,usinganoldkitchenfork,smallrod,orsticktopokedownafewinchesbetweenplants,whilelightlychurningthesurfacesoil.Foringroundgardens,useahoe,rake,oragardenclawtobreakupthiscrustylayer.Yourplantswillthankyou.

FEEDINGTIME

Asmentioned,fertilizingyourminiaturegardenisnothighonthelistofprioritiesbecauseyoudon’twantplantstogrowtooquickly.Theobjectiveistokeepyourweeworldtogetherforaslongaspossible(ornot,dependinguponyourtasteforchange).Insteadoffertilizing,somegardenersmulchwithmanureandcompost,whichbreaksdownandfeedsthesoil.Freshpottingsoilisinfusedwithnutrients,butafteracoupleofyears,alightapplicationofatimed-releaseorganicfertilizerisagoodideaforcontainers.Lessisalwaysbetterthanmore.Followdirectionscarefully.

Someplantsalsohavespecificfeedingpreferences.Annualslikeacoupleoffeedingsthroughoutthegrowingmonths,andperennialsrespondwelltofertilizerinthespringandthefirsthalfofthesummer.Mostpottedconifersdonotrequirefertilizeratallforthefirstcoupleofyears,thenneedalittletimed-releasefertilizerduringthegrowingseason.Ingroundconifersdonotneedanyfertilizer.

Keepingthesoilinyourminiatureyardaeratedwillhelpplantsthrive.

Fillinbarespotswithground-huggingplants.

MAINTAININGGROUNDCOVERS

Groundcoversgrowinvariousways.Bytakingnoteofthesegrowthhabits,youcancontroltheplant’sreachandextendthelifeofyourminiaturegarden.

Somegroundcoversspreadacrossthetopofthegroundbyextendingabranchandsendingrootsdownintothesoilfromthatbranch.Vinestypicallyspreadthisway,asdoScottishandIrishmoss.Byclippingorpinchingthisnewgrowth,youcanslowitsspreadwithminimalfuss.

Othergroundcoverssendshootsoutfromthemainplantjustbelowthesurfaceoruptoaninchdeep,wheretherunner(theshootgrowingunderthesoil)sendsupleaves.Theseleavesaccessthelightandallowtheplanttocontinuegrowing.Youcanborrowatechniquefromrailroadgardenersandshovel-prunearoundtheplant,severingthenewgrowth,thentugattheabove-groundendsoftherunnerstopulloutthecutstems.Ofcourse,youwouldn’ttakeabigspadetoyoursmallgarden;youcanuseagrapefruitspoon,asharpchisel,orapairofheavy-dutyscissorstoachievethesameresult.

Thentherearegroundcoversthatreseed,somemoregenerouslythanothers.

Thentherearegroundcoversthatreseed,somemoregenerouslythanothers.Simplypullupthenewgrowthwheneveryouseeit.Themoretheshootgrows,themoremessyouwillmakeremovingit,sobesuretopulltheunwantedseedlingassoonasyouseeit.

DIVIDEANDREPLANT

Ifyouaregardeninginacontainer,youmayhavetodividegroundcoverseverycoupleofyears.Thissoundsalotworsethanitactuallyis,andtakeslesstimethanyoumightthink.Fromthebackofthegarden,usingatrowel,gentlyslipthebladedownalongthebacksideofthepot.Usingleveragefromthetrowel—don’tusethepot’sedge,oritmaybreak—gentlyliftupandloosentheplant’srootsabit.Takethetroweloutanddothesamethingontheothersidesoftheplant.Youareessentiallycuttingtheplantoutofthepot.Whenallsidesareloosened,usingyourhands,gentlyliftuptheclumpofgroundcoveroutofthepot.Divideitgentlybypullingitapartasyouwouldasoftdinnerroll:gentlybutfirmly.Putthemoredesirableclumpbackintheminiaturegardenandmakesuretofacethenicestsideoftheplanttowardthegarden’sfront.

Therootsofyourplantswilleventuallyoutgrowtheirpot.Thiswilltakeseveralseasons,dependingonthesizeofthepotandtheplantsyouhaveused.Witheitheranoldkitchenknifeoratrowel,cutdownalongtheinteriorsidesofthepot—justaswhenyoufreethesidesofacakefromitsbakingpan.Thiswillcutanyrootsthathavestucktothesidesofthepot.Thentipthegardenpotonitssideandholditinplacewithonehand,whilecoaxingthecontentsoutofthepotwithyourotherhand.Whenthegardenisoutofthepot,startseparatingouttheplantsthatwillbemovingtoanotherhome,coaxingtherootsapartgently.Youcanusedividedplantstomakeanothergarden,planttheminaningroundbed,orgivethemtoafellowminiaturegardener.

Youcanalsoprunerootsbytakingtheplantoutofthepotandcuttingtherootsbynomorethanone-third,andreplacingtheplantinthepotwithsomefreshpottingsoil.Waterthoroughly.

Sedumspurium‘Tricolor’sendsoutleggybranchesthatwillrootandslowlyturnintoadividablenewplant.

Onlypruneminiatureplantswhenyoumust,tohelpthemkeeptheirshapeandplace.

PRUNEIFNECESSARY

Theurgetopruneaminiaturegardenisoftenstrong.Asniphere,asnipthereonasunnysummermorningisheavenonearthtosomepeople.Inthistypeofgardening,however,youprunesparinglyratherthanasaroutinepractice,becauseitonlyencouragesmoregrowth.

Thefrequencyandtypeofpruningcanvarydependinguponyourplants,buttherearesomegeneralrules.Forallplants,pruneanydead,dying,broken,ordiseasedbranches,andbranchesthatarerubbingorcrossingeachother.Formostplants,pruneafterthespringgrowthspurtoraftertheyfinishflowering.Forperennials,deadheadspentflowerstogettheplantstobloomagainbeforetheygotoseed.Iftheplantisgettingleggy,meaningallthegrowthisatthetopofthestems,andyouseenewgrowthatthebaseofthegroundcoverorperennial,prunethestemstojustabovethenewbuds—thiswilldirecttheplant’senergytotheyounggrowth.

Tohelpaplantkeepitsshape,ortodirectthebrancheswhereyouwantthem

Tohelpaplantkeepitsshape,ortodirectthebrancheswhereyouwantthemtogo,pruneorpinchbackjustaboveasetofleaves,andremovenomorethanone-thirdoftheplantatatimetogiveitachancetorecover.Trimmingtoomuchoftheplantatoncemaykillit.

PLANTINGTIMESFOROUTDOORGARDENS

Indoorcontainerplanting,fortunately,canbedoneanytime.Butplantingoutdoorsrequiresalittlemoreplanningandattention.

Foringroundgardens,fallisthebesttimetoplant.Newplantswillgetwateringhelpwithautumnrainsandwillgodormantalongwiththerestofthegardencomewintertime.Whenspringarrives,therootswillbeestablishedandstable.Monitornewplantingsforthefirstfullsummertomakesuretheygetthewatertheyneed.Bythesecondsummertheywillbeestablishedandonlyneedwaterinextremedroughtconditions.

Ifyouareinatemperatezoneandthegroundisnotfrozen,youcanalsoplantinthewinter.Iftheweatherhasbeenverywet,holdoffuntilthesoildriesoutabit.Workingthegroundwhenitissoakedwillharmthetinymicrocosmsandairpocketsthatareneededforhealthysoil.

Springtimeisanothergoodtimetoplant,asspringrainsnurturenewtransplants.Again,ifthesoiliswaterlogged,letitdryoutbeforeyoudig.Ifthegroundisfrozen,waitforittothawcompletely.Ifitisadryspring,youwillhavetoprovidethewater.Generally,plantstakeaseasonortwotobecomeestablished,soyouwillstillhavetotendyourminiaturegardencloselythroughthefirstsummer.Youmaywanttoaddsomecompostorpeatmosstothesoilbeforeplanting,tohelpitretainmoisture.

Inmoretemperateregions,youcanplantinsummer,butinthehotterclimates,fallisbetterforingroundplanting.Withexcessiveheatandfullsun,plantsmaynotsurvivebothtransplantshockandextremehotweather.Therootsarenotyetestablished,somaintainaregularwateringschedulefortherestofthesummer.Shadenewplantsthatareinextremeheatandsun.Abiggolforgardenumbrellaworkswell.Anchortheendoftheumbrella,orusetentstakesandropetoholditinplace.

Treesareespeciallyvulnerabletotransplantshockandweatherconditions,soifyoucan,planttheminthefallorspring.Ifyoumustplantatreeinthesummer,somespecialcarewillincreaseyourchanceofsuccess.Afterdiggingtheholeforplanting,fillitwithwaterandletitdrain.Addabitoftimed-release

theholeforplanting,fillitwithwaterandletitdrain.Addabitoftimed-releasefertilizerforalittleboost.Whileholdingtheplantsuspendedinsidetheplantingholewithonehand,useyourotherhandtoscoopthesoilbackintothehole,aroundtheroots.Spreadoutyourfingersandgentlypushthesoilthroughandtotherootballtoengagetherootswiththenewsoil.Waterthoroughlyanddeeply.Turndownthehoseuntilthewateristricklingoutandplacetheendofthehoseatthebaseofthenewlyplantedtreetosoakthesoilforafewminutestohalfanhour.

Toturnashrubintoatree,trimthebottom-mostbranchestoshowmoreofthetrunkandlowerbranches.

Gardenorgolfumbrellascanhelpshieldnewplantingsfromperiodsofextremesummersun.

Checkconifersforconiferdieback,whichcanblocktheplant’slightandair.

CONIFERDIEBACK

Conifers,likeallevergreens,loseneedlesthroughouttheyear.Thisiscalledconiferdieback.Manydwarfconifersholdthedeadfoliageintheirbranches,whichpreventslightandairfromreachingthecenteroftheplant.Thisisparticularlytroublesomeforverytight-growingtypesandcankillindividual

particularlytroublesomeforverytight-growingtypesandcankillindividualbranches—andeventuallytheentireplant—ifdroppeddebrisisnotclearedaway.

Tocheckyourconiferfordieback,partthebranchestoviewitscenter(glovesareadvised).Stickyourfingersthroughthebranchesintothecenterofthetree,andsloughoffanydeadfoliage.Youcanuseagardenforkasaraketocleanupthedebris.Ifyou’reworkinginapotthathasbeengrowingforatleastayear,youcancarefullytiptheentirepotoverontoitsside,andbrushoffthedeadneedles.Sprinklesometimed-releasefertilizerontopofthecontainer,givetheoutsideofthepotagoodwipewithadampcloth,andthegardenisreadyforsummer!

Checkforconiferdiebackeveryseason.Someminiatureanddwarfconifersshedfromthemiddleofautumnrightthroughtolatesummer.Ifyoucheckoftenandearly,youcaneasilystayontopofthisnecessarychore.

Plantedinthespring,thispink-floweringseathriftisreadytobloom,comesummer.

Outdoorcontainergardenscanbeplantedanytime.

POTTINGFORWARD

Asyougetfurtherintothiswonderfulhobby,thetreeswillgrowupslowly,yourgroundcoverswillspread,andyou’llfindthatyourminiaturegardenkeepsgettingmoreandmoremagical.Itreallybecomesanoldfriendafteranumberofyears.

Buttherewillcomeatimewhenyou’llneedtopullatreeoutbecauseithasgrowntoolargeforthescaleofthegarden,thesoillevelhasgonedowninthepot,oryouaresimplyinneedofachange.Youmaywanttokeepthegardeninitspotandjustgiveitamakeover.Youmayalsowanttotransferthetreetoaningroundbedandstartabrandnewminiaturegarden.Mostimportant,you’llhaveoptionsgalore,havinglearnedhowtogrowyourownworld.

Ittakesdecadesforsomeminiaturegardenstogrowintotheirfullglory.

Whenaminiaturetreeoutgrowsitscontainer,lookforaplaceitcanfitintoanoutdoorbed.

Countonafairyhousetoaddahintofmagictoyourminiaturegarden.

ADDITIONALREADING

Tocomplementyourminiaturegardenadventures,I’veincludedalistofbooksyoumayenjoy,alongwithnotesaboutwhyIlikethebook.

Ashberry,Anne.1951.MiniatureGardens.London:C.ArthurPearson,Limited.Oneofthefewbooksonminiaturegardeningthatfocusonthehobby.Itisfullofplantinformation.Annewroteseveralotherbooksaboutminiatureplantsthatareinterestingtothehard-coreminiaturegardener.

Bloom,Adrian.2002.GardeningWithConifers.RichmondHill/Buffalo:FireflyBooks.Agorgeousbookthatgivesanoverviewofconifers,withreferencestotheminiatureanddwarfconifersweloveforminiaturegardening.Ultimateheightofeachconiferlistedisincluded.

Brickell,Christopher,andH.MarcCathey.2004.TheAmericanHorticulturalSocietyA-ZEncyclopediaofGardenPlants.NewYork:DKPublishing.Anindispensableplantreferenceforthegarden.Includesheatzoneinformationthatthesouthernstatesandwarmerregionswillfindveryuseful.

Constable,John.1984.LandscapesinMiniature.London:LutterworthPress(Guildford)andSheldonPress(London).Verydetailedandprojectoriented.Maybeofmoreinteresttotheminiaturistthantothegardener.

EdwardsForkner,Lorene.2011.HandmadeGardenProjects.Portland:TimberPress.Lorenehasalovelyhow-toinhereoncreatingyourownminiatureknotgardenmadeoutofboxwoodcuttings.

Fincham,RobertL.2011.SmallConifersforSmallGardens.Eatonville:CoenosiumPress.Aninterestingreadforconiferlovers.Roberthasincludedashorthistoryofeachplantlisted.

Gray,Freida.1999.MakingMiniatureGardens.EastSussex:GuildofMasterCraftsmanPublicationsLtd.Focusesoncreatingartificialminiaturegardens.Someoftheprojectscanbeusedforlivingminiaturegardens.

Hessayon,Dr.D.G.2002.TheHouseplantExpert.NewYork:ExpertBooks.Agreatreferenceforindoorplants.

Moorey,Teresa.2008.TheFairyBible:theDefinitiveGuidetotheWorldofFairies.NewYork:SterlingPublishingCompany.Averycuteandverycompletereferencetoeverythingfairy.

Schenk,George.2006.GardeningonPavement,Tables,andHardSurfaces.Portland:TimberPress.Afunbookfullofgorgeousideas.You’lllearnthatyoudon’tneedasmuchspaceforaplant’srootsasyouthinkyoudo.

Tajima,Lisa.2004.PopBonsai.NewYork:KodanshaInternational.Averyfunbookthatwillinspireyoutobeevenmorecreativewithtinyplants.

METRICCONVERSIONS

INCHES CENTIMETERS¼ 0.6½ 1.3¾ 1.91 2.52 5.13 7.64 105 136 157 188 209 2310 25

FEET METERS1 0.32 0.63 0.94 1.25 1.56 1.87 2.18 2.49 2.710 320 630 940 12

TEMPERATURES°C=5/9×(°F−32)

°C=5/9×(°F−32)°F=(9/5×°C)+32

FLUIDVOLUMEMEASUREMENTS1ounce 30mL4ounces 125mL8ounces 250mL12ounces 375mL16ounces 500mL1pint 500mL1quart 1L1gallon 4L

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ThispathonwhichIhavefoundmyselfwaspavedbymanypeoplewhonudgedandhelpedmealongtheway.Startingatthebeginningofmyjourney,IwouldliketothankMariaRuanoofBedrockIndustriesforturningmyeffortstowardthegardenindustrymanymoonsago;itwasapivotalstepinthislongjourney.IwouldliketothankKristineHill,oftheSeattleDollhouseMiniatureShow,forherundyingenthusiasmandsupportoftheminiaturesideofmypassion.OnecannevergettoomanyBestofShowribbonstofeelvalidatedandmotivatedtostayfocused;theystillhanginmyoffice.Abelatedthank-youtothelateJoyceCliffordofDolly’sDollhouse,forfosteringthestartupofmybusiness;Iwasabletoexpandandsharethejoyofminiatureswiththeworldthroughmyonlinestore.Awarmthank-youtoCarolNehringofIseliNursery,whotookmeunderherwingandtoleratedmytinytreeordersanddetailedrequestsinthemidstofahugenurseryoperation—Icouldn’thavedoneitwithoutyourhelp.

Thankyou,BarbaraPeterman,forwithoutyourgiantnudgeandprofessionaladvice,thisbookwouldstillbeinpiecesonmyshelf.Yourwayofdirectingmywritingwassothoughtfulandsubtle,Ididn’tevenrealizeyouweredoingituntilmonthsafterward.Ahugethank-youtoallmyfriendsandfamily,forunderstandingthatIhadtodropoffthefaceoftheearthtogetthisdone.Thankyou,Mom,foryournever-endingsupportasalways,andforproofingeverywordofthisbookwithyourexperteye—twice.

TherearenowordsinthedictionaryfortheamountofgratitudeIhaveformylovinghusband,Steve.Thankyouforcomingovertothe“greenside”andmovingmountainswithme.Youtookoverthehouse,theonlinestoreoperation,andprettymuchhelddowneveryaspectofourliveswhileIpushedthisoutthedoor.Andallofthatontopofbeingmybiggestfan.Youaremyrock.

Thebiggestandwarmestthank-yougoestoallmyfellowminiaturegardenersthroughouttheworld—youwerewithmeeverystepoftheway.Eachandeverytimeitgottoorough,andIwasreadytopackitallin,Iwouldgetane-mail,phonecall,oracardtothankmeforinspiringyou.Thoseverytimelyinjectionsofencouragementandpositiveenergymademesitrightdownandgetbacktowork.Thisbookisforyou.

PHOTOCREDITS

PhotosbyKateBaldwinappearonpages8–9,11,14,15,17,20–21,23,31,33,38,39,40,41,43,44,45,46right,48–49,50,53,54,57right,58,59,60,61,63,64–65,66–67,69,70–71,72,77,80–81,83,84–85,88,89,91right,93,95,96,102–103,104,105left,108–109,111,112,113,115,120,121,123,125,126,128left,130,133,134,135,137,138–139,142,144,146–147,149,150,153,154–155,160,161,162,163,164,165,166,168–169,170,172–219,220–221,223,224–225,227,230–231,234–235,241,242–243,245

AllotherphotographsarebyJanitCalvo.

INDEX

Abieskoreana,107accessories.Seealsoanimals

farmstead,141indoorandoutdoor,145,146metal,148personalityof,139pond,132quality,145scaleandsize,44–47,48,51,142seasonalandholidaythemes,171wood,145,152,157

Acorusgramineus,107aeration,plant’sneedfor,228Africanviolets,22,119,114,129,131Albertaspruce,57,59,90,106,117,132aloevera,114,119alpineplants,104,114anchorpoints,57,62,99animals,asminiatureaccessories,10,13,140,142,151,162,164,165,199arbors,157

babytears,107,117,119,131balance,55,59,73balsamfir,91,117barkmulch,73beddingplants,102,107begonias,131Belliumminutum,102,107birdbathsandbirdhouses,miniature,52,62,140,142,151,157,167bluespruce,74,99bluestarcreeper,107,117bonsai,22,92–93,104,226borders,68,76,89,157

botanicalnames,91box-leafeuonymus,106boxwood,61,106brassbuttons.102,107bricks,73,76,82,159bridges,miniature,9,24,56,157,168,193,196broadleafplants,98Buddhistpine,119Buxusmicrophylla,107Buxussempervirens,106

cactus,119,128,129Canadahemlock,75,101,106,107,110,117Canada’sNationalLandandWaterInformationServicewebsites,122ceramicbowl/tile,32,74,77Chamaecyparislawsoniana,106Chamaecyparisobtusa,90,106Chamaecyparispisifera,106Chamaecyparisthyoides,106chisel,howtouse,77color

brick,useof,76glassproviding,79monochromaticgarden,175plant,61,97trees,100,101winterblush,101

concrete/concretecontainers,35,82conifers

dieback,239–240fertilizing,136,228miniature,dwarf,andbaby,52,99,140slow-growing,99soilneeds,124waterneeds,116winterblush,101

containers/containergardens,22,25,29,30,38,240

forbonsai,92fertilizing,228glazed,32,175materials,30,32–35plantsfor,88size,choosing,42,44–47soilfor,129wateringin,131,132,135,225–226forwindowsill,47

Corsicanmint,107,117,119cotoneaster,106,117,226Cotoneasterintegrifolius,106cranesbill,107Cryptomeriajaponica,106Cupressusmacrocarpa,106Cymbalariaaequitroloba,107

daisies/miniaturedaisies,10,37,102,107,115,117Delospermacongesta,107designelementsandrules,55,56,64dollhouses,asaccessories,10,44,145,162,164,165dryriverbed,step-by-step,193–196dwarftreesandshrubs,52,91,90,93,187

EasterIslandreplica,46elephantexample,142elmanddwarfelm,106,211Englishboxwood,37,106,131Englishgarden,37Erodiumvariabile,107Euonymusjaponica,106Europe,zones,website,122evergreens,97,98,100,122,239

fairygarden/fairyhouse,47,157,245fairyvine,107,117farmtractorandimplements,miniature,141fauxmaterials(bricks,stone,wood),35,68,76

fences,112,145,152,157fertilizer/fertilizing,129,136,218,228,236ficus/babyficus,86,119flagstone,67,68,75flamingoaccessory,134,170focalpoints,44,55,62,139foliage,61,97,98,86form,59fountains,151,167FourthofJulygarden,80FrenchProvincialeffect,30furniture(chairs,benches),miniature,15,42,46,51,100,139

Adirondackstyle,147inpondinapot,202seasonal,171wood,152,154,157

gardenart,19,151,162.Seealsoaccessoriesgarden/gardendesign,56.Seealsominiaturegardening/gardensbed,building,82

country-themed,37personality,142shrinking,41–42,55sizing,37,71small-scale,37,38starter,29storytelling,64sustainability,6,7

gardeninapot,step-by-step,175–181gazebos,157glass,tumbled,73,79,167goldenbabytears,107,117,119granite,75,80grasses,ornamental,37gravel/ballast,80groundcovers,52,59,61,100,104,187,242

maintaining,231pruning,235

sedum,61soilquantityfor,129thyme,117

growingseasons,122

Halloweenminiaturescene,26hardinesszones,122hardscapes,67,75,79,82haworthia,119hemlock,75,94,101,110,117,193hensandchicks,38,46,55,89,107herbs,94hinokicypress,57,90,106,110,117houseboatscene,55hypertufa,35,52

iceplant,miniature,107Ilexcrenata,106,107indoorgarden,26,145,146

plantsandplantingtimes,114,121,236lightandlightlevels,118,119

ingroundgardens,25,27,37,38,97aeratingandfertilizing,228plantsfor,86,101,222replantingin,232scale,46,48soilfor,127treesin,242watering,222,226

Internetordering,104,121Irishmoss,121Isotomafluviatilis(Pratiapendunculata),107Italian/ItalianRenaissancefeature,26,35ivy/dwarfKenilworthivy,107,119

jade/babyjade,119,121Japaneseandromeda,106,107Japanesecedar,109,117

Japanesehemlock,94Japaneseholly,35,68,98,106,107,117juniper,30,34,56,106,109,116,117Juniperuscommunis,106Juniperushorizontalis,106

koipond,miniature,25Koreanfir,88,107,117

lakesidehideaway,step-by-step,205–209Lawsonfalse-cypress,119,131layers/layering,57Leptinellasqualida,107lightconditionsandrequirements,38,115,116–119lilyturf,dwarf,107Liriopespicata,107littleleafboxwood,107,117,119Londonpride,107

maintenance,86,92,93,102,104,110,222marble,68,74,77materials

breakingapart,77container,30–35miniaturized,73patio,68,71recycled,30,74,75,79

Mentharequienii,107metalaccessories,148metricconversions,247microclimates,127miniaturegardening/gardens,9,12,15–16,86,105,242

components,22design,6,42,55,56,64double-sided,29formsof,22imaginative/creative,15–16,21,25longevityandsustainability,6,7

overtime,64placementof,25–26snow-covered,122

miniaturepatio,custom,177minipatiomix,68,82mondograss,57,107,117,119Montereycypress,106,119mosaicsheets,78mosses,52,71,82,113,209,231mugopine,30,61,106,116,117Muelenbeckiacomplexa,107mulch,73

newmath,forscale,48NorfolkIslandpine,119,121Norwayspruce,117nurseries/gardencenters,10,61,75,104,122,132,136

oasis,miniature,13onlineordering,104,121Ophiopogonjaponicus,107ornamentalgrasses,37outdooraccessories,qualityof,145outdoorplants

bringinginside,124conditionsfor,114lightrequirements,117plantingtimesfor,236,240watering,222

palmparlor,119ponytail,114

path/pathway,18,24,67–68,73,75,86,190patio/patiodesign,30,32,67–69

custom,planting,177hideaway,77materials,68,71,82

repair,181size,estimating,73

patiomix,82,181pebbles/pebblepatio,step-by-step,80,183–185perennials,10,228Piceaglauca,106picketfence,145Pierisjaponica,106,107Pinusmugo,106plant(s)

growthrate,86,90,91,94,104sizeandscale,37,52typesof,34,38,97,98,100,104,114,226

plantcare,86,110planterboxes,26plantselection,85–86,136planttags,91,104,121,122plasticmaterials,34,68,151pleurocarpousmoss,71pondfeature,132,167pondinapot,step-by-step,199–202pools,30,38pots/pottedgardens,30,38,242.Seealsocontainers

bonsai,93coniferdiebackin,239glazed,32,175hypertufa,52scaleandsize,29,46,48soilquantityfor,129forstartergarden,29

pruning,231,235

railroads,model,10recycledmaterials,30,74,75,79replanting,232resin,151riverbed,step-by-step,193–196

Romanesquepedestals,68rosemary,94ruleofthirds,forsizing,73,167

sage,94sand/sandysoil,73,124,128saucers,29,132,135sawara-cypress,104,106,117,226saxifrages,107,114scale,42–44,46,52,55,71,110

ofaccessories,142,157ofmaterials,77newmath,48ofplants,86

seathrift,240secretgarden,step-by-step,187–190sedge,brown,61sedum,15,30,34,37,102,104,115,128,158

drainageneed,131groundcover,61Oregonstonecrop,107small-leavedhensandchicks,117soilfor,127two-rowstonecrop,107

Sedumalbum,127Sedumoreganum,107Sedumspurium,107,222Sempervivumspeciesandcultivars,107Serissafoetida,86shadeplants,106,107,115,117shrinkinggardens,41–42,55shrubs,101,140

dwarf/miniature,10,52,91forshade,107forsun,106

size.Seealsoscaleofgarden,37,44,71

oflarge,medium,andsmallminiatures,46–47,48,51ofplants,52

soil,124amendments,127,129forcontainergardening,129inoutdoorgardenbed,127potting,129,136sandy,128

Soleiroliasoleirolii,107spaceconsiderations,25,38,44spirea,98spruce,193staging,124statue/statuary,25,62,110,151,160streambed.Seeriverbedstone(s),77,80,82

edifice,miniature,94andfauxstonepots,35sheets,78,177,187

succulents,30,102,104,110,119,124,131drainageneed,131soilfor,124

sun,plantsfor/sun-lovingplants,38,106,107,116indoorlightrequirements,119outdoorlightrequirementsfor,117

sweetflag,107,131

temperaturezones,121terraceincontainergardens,30terracotta,30,55,76,158terrariums,miniature,22,51texture,55,61,98,100thyme,57,61,102,107

groundcover,117red,94,107wooly,34,61,107

Thymus,107

tinygardeninapot,step-by-step,175–180tools,garden,222toolsandequipment,miniature,158–159tree(s)

asanchorpoint,57bonsai,22,92–93conifer,99dwarf/miniature,10,52,90,91,100,101,104,244sizeof,52,86forsunandforshade,106transplanting,236,242

treeofathousandstars,86trellises,152,211,217–219troughgarden,52Tsugacanadensis,106,107twigfenceandtrellis,step-by-steps,211–219twigs,selecting,212

Ulmusparvifolia,106UnitedKingdomzones,website,122UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture,PlantHardinessZoneMap(website),

122

variegatedbox-leafeuonymus,106vegetablegardening,10,118VenusofHohleFels,10vines,231

walkway,18,67,71.Seealsopath/pathwaywater/watering,134,136,184,187.222–226.Seealsopond;riverbedbonsai,93

incontainergardens,131,225–226features,167,199inground/outdoorplants,226,236pumps,167saucerstocatch,132succulents,110interracotta,30transplantedtrees,236

waterfalls,167whitecedar,106windowsillgardensandcontainers,22,47wisteria,151wood

accessories,145,152,157,165borders,68box,building,205containers,34faux,68

zones/zonecharts,122