With this idea, you can grow a little miniature garden just about anywhere.

Miniature Garden Ideas for Black Thumbs, Part II

~ With a name like Two Green Thumbs, I think I turn-off non-gardeners immediately. I don’t mean to, if they only knew that I’m pretty good at killing plants too. So, the other week when I was brainstorming for a Pottery Barn gig, I had to switch my thinking to be more inline with their inventory. It wasn’t hard to get enthusiastic about their products – someone give me a gift certificate and I’ll show you how fast I can use it – but it was a bit of a puzzle to come up with new and different ways to use living plants in a miniature garden that included what this home decor store sells. Here’s the second half of what I demonstrated for the customers at the University Village Pottery Barn store, plus more tips on how you can build your own.

See the first blog post here, When Pottery Barn Meets Miniature Gardening.

Miniature Fun with Houseplant Cuttings

For a fun beach garden idea shown above, I placed a clear glass tequila bottle in the bowl first, then layered in the different stones and sand. Between each layer of stone or sand, I put a piece of landscape cloth to help preserve the layers. Any kind of cloth or paper will suffice because it’s not supposed to get wet.

I used two Pothos Vine cuttings at first – but it didn’t look right, so I added a couple of Begonia branches for some much-needed height. After they root, I can either try planting them in soil (by transitioning them from the water, to wet soil, to regular damp soil gradually, which sometimes works,) or, I can leave them to grow in the water until they decide to give up. Either way, I’ll have a cute little scene to enjoy for more than a few months providing I top-up the water in the vase from time to time. Easy. Peasy. This low-maintenance idea is also awesome for your office where you may not have much light.

This can be done with any theme. I always tend to go for a beach theme because its one of my fave places to go – I seldom have a chance to because of my work, so I getaway in small doses. (Ha! Do the puns EVER stop? ;o) The patio was taken out of a regular miniature garden that needed repotting. The Adirondack chair, logs and shells with the superfine sand in perfect scale, delivers the message perfectly. Find your miniature garden accessories at TwoGreenThumbs.com

Now you have an idea for that darling candy dish or vase that you’ve had for years but never used for anything. Make a wee-twee garden!

I’ve been holding on to these small glass vials that I think were used for ginseng.

Aaaand that little vials sits in this dish just right.

When you put it together, hold the vase at the height that you want inside the vase/dish and then pour the pebbles in. If you mess-up, dump it all out in a tray or cookie sheet so you can corral the pebbles easily.

Looks like dessert! Wouldn’t this be a perfect centerpiece for a wedding or special event? Those are Hinoki Cypress branches that last for a surprisingly long time – but they probably won’t make a very successful plant start.

The Definition of Twee: In British English it is used much more widely for things that are nauseatingly cute or precious. – The Urban Dictionary

This small vase is buried about half-way into the pebbles. That is a Japanese Adromeda ‘Little Heath’ branch that lasts a long time in water but I don’t expect it to root to make a new plant. Note that the miniature accessories will tell the scale, and the story.

I’m not expecting this Andromeda branch to root abut it will last a long time in water. With this idea, you can treat it like a flower vase too, and refresh different cuttings whenever you want. A friend with a garden would be very handy to have, and they probably won’t mind giving you a wee branch of something on a regular basis.

A quick list of plants that apparently root well in water: succulents, vines, spider plants, pothos, mint, basil, rosemary, African violets, begonias, coleus, geraniums, impatiens and willow. Have fun experimenting.

When you’re bored with it, or it need a cleaning, dump all the pebbles onto a tray or cookie sheet and start again. Rinse the pebbles in a colander if they need a wash. Swap out different accessories and pop in a different plant cutting.

I put in a fresh Andromeda Little Heath branch for a show the Seattle Miniature Show past weekend, and all of a sudden it needed something taller. The miniature tower birdhouse fit the bill perfectly.

See our selection of bird houses here.

With this Twee Garden idea, you can grow a little something just about anywhere, and you don’t have to worry about the water or dampness. I used a turkey baster to direct the water right into the vase. Squirt gently!

See our selection of miniature furniture here.

I brought the group to the Seattle Miniature Show and, everyone liked it! I won the second place ribbon!

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