Do the miniatures give us an excuse to plant a garden? Or, does the gardening give us an excuse to make miniatures? BOTH – it’s just too much fun!
As a continuation of the ongoing frenzy and the upcoming battle with Seattle Seahawks versus the San Francisco 49ers this weekend for a chance at the Superbowl, we decided to share some more details on our 12th Man* miniature garden display. How else can you blend two very different pasttimes?
This miniature football garden is meant for full, cool sun, and because the box it is only 5 ½” deep, I’ve chosen drought tolerant ground covers as the bedding plants – BUT the soil should not be left to dry out completely as the tree’s roots prefer evenly damp soil. See my notes underneath each photo for more miniature plant insight.
The Jean Iseli Hinoki Cypress started as globe-shaped shrub and eventually grows up and out to resemble a full-sized garden tree. The Nana Dwarf Cypress is very similar, but a little slower growing. Hardy to -20F, full sun to part sun.
The Thyme Leaf Cotoneaster will delight you with the most perfect little flowers in springtime. Get the camera! The flowers turn into berries that look like apples in miniature (Inedible!) Here, we’ve trimmed it to look more like a tree. It grows a bit fast, but it doesn’t mind the pruning. Hardy to -20F, full sun to part sun.
The leaves of the White Variegated Rockcress blushes pink in the colder temperatures. In the spring, clusters of delicate white flower will shoot up on 3″ to 4″ stems. A sturdy plant for full sun, hardy to -10F.
The Baldwin Hinoki Cypress will get a bit leggy if you leave it untrimmed. Keep it sheared if you want it to stay bushy. It’s great for a miniature hedge too. The foliage blushes a bit amber in the colder months as you can see above. Hardy to -20F, best in part or cool sun.
Shhhh – it’s sleeping. Lol! This little guy is still dormant. When looking for Hen and Chicks for your miniature gardening, choose the smallest ones by looking at the ‘adult’ rosettes. Some varieties can grow up to 6″ tall and wide. Hardy little things too! Full sun, well drained soil.
A test “miniature garden bedding plant” that we’ve been growing since last summer. Marble Cream Rupturewort, or Herniaria glabra ‘Marble Cream.’ It’s very similar to the ground cover thyme but we are finding it a little faster growing. Love the yellow & green coloring. Tiny white flowers in summer. Will turn red in colder areas apparently. Hardy to -20F. Full sun.
A hedge of Podocarpus anchors the right side of the container. Miniature gardening is a great platform for playing with different garden design ideas. That’s our favorite Dwarf Mondo Grass in front of the hedge – both are hardy to 0F.
And here are some more views on the garden shed. We made the deck out of popsicle sticks and it can be removed – it’s for display only. Little pots and garden accents can really bring the a lot of interest to the scene.
We painted the inside of the shed for fun. It was an opportunity to do something I wished I could to in full-size – so I painted the potting bench that wonderful lime green too. The shed comes without a floor so you can create a variety of themes with it quickly and easily.
A good spot for all the little miniatures collected along the way. After all, it’s a workshop and it doesn’t need to be perfect.
We’re always on the lookout for medium sized garden accessories – see what’s in the up in the store today. Check back often as our inventory changes all the time.
A good reason to keep a stash of your aged and weathered miniatures: there is always a spot in every garden that will look a little unkempt. We used our old bricks, crates and “stuff” for underneath the deck.
Love the peekaboo views through the windows! We make the shelves from popsicle sticks and painted them to match the walls.
Like this? Then you’ll love our Mini Garden Gazette Newsletter. It’s fun and free. Join us here.
(*Seahawk fans are called the 12th Man because of the roll they play whenever the Seahawks play at home. They are officially registered as the loudest fan base in the NFL and their cheering registers as a tremor on the seismic scales. It’s a controversy as to whether it is fair play or not – much to the chagrin of any team that plays here because they can’t hear the calls of the quarterback when they are on the field, and they are not used to playing in such a din.)
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I’ve just started looking around here and this football gardening composition is my absolute favourite.
Thanks, Jamie! It was too much fun to do. It’s tempting to go through the NFL-list and do one for each team. Lol! #GoHawks!
Very inspiring. Also like the fact that you have used DIY shelves and deck and all those “should I throw or keep” things!
Thank you, P & S! We prefer to reuse, reduce and recycle with our garden miniatures – and it really helps with the realism too! ;o)