Today, we learn the topic of miniature gardening design and techniques. A living garden of a tiny scale, but looks like a garden which is full-sized is a miniature garden. This will look like it has shrunk completely in size. Miniature gardens will consist of dwarf plants which grow very slowly, a patio, an in-scale bedding plant, miniature gardening accessories where all the elements get related in scale and are proportionate to one another as the garden gradually grows.
Creation of a miniature garden
Preparing your pot or container:
You have an option to place your miniature garden in a different variety of containers starting from glass bowl to a terracotta pot. You should search for a container which consists of holes for drainage beneath it so that the water gets drained through the soil when the watering is done to your miniature garden.
The pots made of terracotta are the best suitable ones as they will mostly come with drain holes and are also good at holding the potting medium. Search for a terracotta pot which will be able to hold a variety of plants as you will always want a container which is large enough to place your miniature garden.
You can make a decision on reusing a clay pot which is broken. You can use it only if it is broken on one end of the pot. You can take up the piece which is broken and add it as a property in your miniature garden.
You should use potting soil which is regular for laying down at the container’s bottom. You will be able to find the potting soil medium at a plant nursery in your locality.
You will need to choose small stones of different colors and also textures to use them in your miniature garden as elements of decoration.
If you have a plan to use a glass bowl for your miniature garden, you should have charcoal used in horticulture along with potting soil medium. This charcoal will be of great help to the plants by allowing them to grow even more better in the glass container. You can lay down the charcoal and the stones at the glass bow’s bottom.
Choosing plants for your miniature garden:
While choosing plants for your miniature garden, you have to go for the plants which will remain small and also require very less trimming. You should also make sure that you are selecting plants which can be grown easily even in little space but produce blooms which are very attractive. Few miniature garden plants are herbs such as basil, sage, thyme, oregano, Firecracker plants, geraniums, Begonias, Dwarf liquorice, spider plants, winter greens.
Read:Ideas for Indoor Moss Gardening.
Including the soil and plants to the pot or container:
You will need to start this step by rinsing the container and drying it completely. Then you should fill the container with potting soil medium up to the rim. The potting soil can be a bit higher on one end if you are interested to keep your plants visible from one side.
You will need to dig small holes for the plant roots by making use of a small knife or shovel.
You can also plan the layout of your miniature garden before you start your plantation by deciding where you want to keep your plants and also the miniature garden accessories. After deciding this, as per your design, you will have to dig the holes in the potting soil.
If you are making use of a glass container, you will need to lay a 1-inch layer of small stones at the container’s bottom in the first place. This will make sure that your plants are getting a sufficient amount of nutrients in the container. This will also help the plants in proper draining.
After this, you will need to add a ½ inch layer of charcoal which is used in horticulture. As the last step here, you should add a 3-inch layer of potting soil medium.
Once the soil is laid, you should start preparing your plants. This will make sure that they are growing in a healthy way in your miniature garden. You can start preparing your plants by taking them out of their usual pots or containers. Also, avoid breaking or touching the ball of the root. After that, trim the leaves of the plants which are damaged by making use of miniature garden tools like tiny pair of garden shears.
Keep the plants in the holes which are prepared. Once the plants are kept in place, the soil must be patted on the roots.
The taller plants must be placed in the garden’s back whereas the shorter ones should be placed in the front. You should also try having different varieties of plants in each spot so that your garden will have patterns and colors which are attractive and also interesting.
If the opening of the container which you are using for your miniature garden is narrow, you can make use of two chopsticks for positioning the plants in the soil.
Once all these things are done, water the plants.
Adding the accessories of miniature to the garden:
You can also let out your creativity by placing the accessories of the miniature in between the plants of your miniature garden as long as it is miniature in terms of size.
You can also make a decision on adding the structures of miniature to your gardens such as a miniature bridge, a fence or a set of tables and chairs all are of the miniature. You also have an option of adding miniature figures for the creation of a garden scene. As a final step, you can add miniature food items.
If you are opting for a normal miniature garden, you can make a decision of adding simple elements such as beads, marbles or any decorative wood pieces.
Once you add the plants to your miniature garden, you can start decorating it with miniature garden decors like figurines and rocks. You can also try a variety of accessories by placing them beside your plants to check what looks best.
You can also use simple and general items like decorative rocks, stones, and marbles which are colored and twigs. You can also be creative here and make the garden look colorful.
You can also choose a particular theme for your miniature garden, you can add different accessories which will suit the theme. Miniature gardening decorations with a theme will make your garden look more artistic. Example of a well-known miniature garden theme is a fairy-garden. This will have mini chairs, mini benches, mini eggs, etc. You can also get miniature gardening ideas from sources like the internet and few gardening books.
The stone pathway will be another accessory which can be added to your miniature garden and this would be a permanent one. You can make use of tiny stones for the creation of a pathway or a stone and marble mixture.
Make use of a small shovel for drawing lines in the soil in order to make a mark about the location of the pathway would be. After that, lay down the stones for the formation of a path. Place the stones very close so that they will form a pathway.
Make sure that you are using the stones of different colors and also mix marbles with the stone for the creation of pathway in your garden.
Caring and maintenance of your miniature garden:
Once the preparation of the miniature garden is done, you will need to keep it outdoors or indoors on a surface which is flat such as a table or smooth ground. The garden should be kept in a place where the sunlight is not direct so that the plants will get some amount of sunlight.
If your miniature garden is kept in a window which is facing south direction, keep a window shade over it. This will help you by blocking any sort of direct sunlight and will allow only the filtered indirect light in.
Windows which are facing south with a shade will provide a large amount of light. You can make a decision on placing your miniature garden to an east-facing or west-facing window as this is the direction which will provide a sufficient amount of light all across the year.
Mostly avoid the window which is North-facing as it will not get sufficient indirect light all across the plants by which the plants will not be able to survive.
Make sure that you are regularly checking the mini garden soil so that it will not become dry. The soil must be kept damp by running water from the pot once you feel that the soil is dry around the plants’ roots.
Based on the plant types in your miniature garden, you should keep watering the plants. If you have any succulents in your miniature garden, for instance, they will not need much watering like herbs. Ensure that you are following the directions of watering which are suggested on the plant’s label.
If you are making use of a glass bowl for your plants, watering should be done slowly. When the water will reach the height of the stones which are located at the bowl’s bottom, stop watering.
When your miniature garden survives and starts growing, leaves of few plants will be overcrowded in your container. In order to control them, start trimming the plants by making use of tiny gardening shears.
