For all of you miniature garden folks (You know who you are!), some new tiny accessories came in recently that might be of interest if you want to rework one you already have. Some of you may want to create more of them or you may have children and grandchildren that love these tiny worlds as much as we do! We even have a gentleman who comes in on a regular basis whose hobby is creating tiny train worlds. He’s always on the lookout for new pieces and plants to add to his extensive train villages.
If you’re going to the Hand In Paw fundraiser this month, you’ll also see one of our miniature garden creations there – it will be in the silent auction. Here’s hoping it does its part to raise needed funds for that worthy organization!
Some people have asked why we don’t carry fairies and other inhabitants for our miniature gardens. For us, the garden is the key – creating a miniature garden world with plants that actually will grow for you…along with some judicious clipping when needed. (Fairies are there in spirit, not seen, and, if the garden has the magic of the creator’s touch, of course they’ll come.)
These miniature gardens have really struck a chord for adults and kids alike, and it’s so much fun to see the delight by adults and excitement of little ones as they browse (and play with) the tiny creations that can be used in their own gardens. Of course, any activity that stimulates imagination is certainly worthwhile! For children, it’s a make believe world; for adults it’s an outlet to grow plants in a different way.
A customer came in one day to ask for help reworking her daughter’s miniature garden… according to the parent, her little girl absolutely loved this garden, which had been a present. This one had a winding pea gravel path and stone “courtyard” (which she would smooth with her tiny rake each day), rock “boulders”, a bench, and other little accessories as well as a few sedums for the garden plants.
All was well until the night the little girl had a sleepover party with a couple of her friends…you might well imagine where this story is going! Somehow the miniature garden, which she kept in her bedroom, was completely up-ended in the middle of the bed, an utter mishmash of soil, plants,pea gravel, stones and little accessories. It must have been like Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall in the fairytale! We helped rework the little miniature garden, and hopefully that little girl is still happily raking her pea gravel “path”…
Not long ago a parent, her daughter, and the girl’s little brother came in. The mother marched to the counter with the little boy and said that he needed to buy, with his own money, a stone for his sister’s miniature garden. Puzzled, I asked what kind of stone he needed. Well, the mother said, her daughter had a stone with the words “My Garden” written on it in her miniature garden. Evidently the little boy had turned it around and scrawled “bathroom” on the back! Of course, the boy’s sister wasn’t having any of that in her garden. So, we found the perfect stone, wrote “My Garden” on it for the little girl, and the little boy brought out his money to pay for it. Before they left, the mother gave the little boy the stone that he’d written on. Much later we found it hidden in the miniature garden displays and had a good laugh….he didn’t want it either!
Some of the fun things we’ve gotten in recently include a pair of ghosts (It’s never too early to begin thinking about Halloween!), wooden soda bottle crates with soda bottles, a wine basket with wine bottles, a metal tub (just right to put the wine and soda bottles in!), tiny turtles, frogs and one very fat cat, some pretty urns, a very realistic Celtic cross, a stone walking bridge, a triple trellis and more. And there will be additional miniature garden items coming in down the road too. It’s a good idea to pop in every now and then to see what’s new.
The miniature gardens shown in this post showcase a few new things, as well as some items we’ve had. Mostly though, I hope they illustrate how much fun making these gardens can be, and how each one is a little different…imagination is a wonderful thing!
The last planting is shown to serve as an example of how you can definitely have color in the shade using foliage in addition to flowers…the ‘Garden White’ caladium in contrast with the golden carex and sunpatien really catches the eye! The planter at the top of this post is also one for shade, and, once again, the foliage is the star.
WOW! A customer brought this in the other day and I was the lucky one that got to plant it up! This clam shell is the real deal…a beautiful, large piece of natural art that had found its way to us.
And there are such pretty things to play with! This time of year, with spring in the air but not quite yet here – this is the time of hydrangeas, calla lilies and sweet alyssum – the soft colors of Easter mingling and overlapping with the brightness of other, more exuberant blooms of gerbera daisies, ranunculus and the first of the geraniums. So much to work with! So we begin to gather flowers and foliage and perhaps a few herbs to add their scent, color and texture to the mix.
This post isn’t going to be about design rules, because quite frankly, we sometimes break them. (Maybe we’re just rebels at heart!) No, this is about what feels and looks right to you. And, perhaps it’s more about not being afraid of making a “mistake” – with arrangements, container plantings or your own garden.
Container gardening – putting together great combinations that are long lasting and beautiful is something we love to do! The planters here show groupings of houseplants (yes, you can use combinations of houseplants too!) chosen for the variation of leaf color, shape and size…and perfect for a summer on a shady porch or patio.
One is a loose, informal combination and the second arrangement is much more structured – see the difference?
The last example is a small planter filled to the brim (don’t be skimpy with your plants!) and designed to be seen on a table or shelf. We’ll continue to showcase more container ideas to spark your imagination and creativity and help you choose the perfect combinations for your home and garden. We may be in the middle of winter now, but spring is fast approaching and we want you to enjoy creating your own container gardens – or, if you’re in the area we’re always glad to help. Happy planting!