ARCHIVES – I bet you’re tired of me calling this miniature garden hobby new, huh? Well, pat yourself on the back for being way ahead of the majority curve, because it’s still new to most people. Our job is to make this hobby as well known as knitting and grow the idea slowly throughout the world. From industry professionals to your next-door neighbor, you can still be the first person to introduce this new way of gardening to those who haven’t heard about it yet!
New New New!
So, a new season means new plants and accessories to help you do what you love to do, garden in miniature! This week, we’ll go over a couple of new accessories – there are more in the store – and tools that we’ve collected over the last couple of months. Next week, we have some new plants to introduce that will excite and inspire.
Authentic Cedar Accessories
Don’t you love the smell of freshly cut wood? It’s always fun opening the box of cedar accessories, especially if they are made right here in the U.S. of A. Growing up, we had a cedar storage closet that we used to keep our winter clothes in back in Toronto. The strong smell would hit us in the face as soon as we opened the door. Needless to say, cedar smells like home to me.
It’s also the perfect wood to use in the garden and will age gracefully as cedar does. It will slowly turn a lovely silver color with undertones of the original deep tan colors. Just perfect for those miniature gardeners that love the details!
So, find more of your favorite trellises in two different sizes, small and large, up in the store. The trellises are staked to hold in place in the garden soil. Use them to fill in the back of the bed to balance your design, and to keep the eye and focus IN the miniature garden, instead of what’s behind the garden. Very fun.
We have two new sizes of cedar decks that we can’t wait to play with! Bigger sizes mean more room for your furniture sets and miniature barbecues. The two sizes are great for in ground or for larger containers. The oval deck is double-sided, can be used lengthwise or widthwise, (meaning the boards run in different directions on either side,) and measures almost 8” long. The square one is too fun at 8” by 8”, a nice size with more play-ability. A natural choice for the miniature garden and for the environment, and you’ll be supporting a US based small business too!
Tools and Supplies
As you go deeper and deeper into the hobby, you will find yourself wanting to branch out (pun!) into the many different facets of miniature gardening. We are slowly adding to the world’s only Miniature Garden Workshop Supply Department to get you the tools and supplies you need to do the job right. This month we are pleased to have found the perfect set of round-nosed pliers – great for production work if you make gardens to sell, or to have in your arsenal. Our Set of 3 pliers that are a bit smaller and ideal for miniature work too.
And two more tools that we got in over the last couple of months: Miniature clamps are perfect for miniature work. The have a good grip on them and the tips of the clamps swivel, to help grip your work. Don’t store them gripping something or they’ll lose their tension. They are very handy and necessary for any miniature garden toolbox. The other must-have tool is a craft knife, ours come with 10 blade refills so you can stay sharp.
There are endless applications for wire in this hobby. If you are enjoying our Gardening in Miniature: Create Your Own Tiny Living World book, the small gauge wire can be used for the twig trellis and fence project towards the back of the book. The thicker, green aluminum wire is easy to twirl to make your own miniature garden art or to embellish an arbor or trellis too.
New to Miniature Gardening?
If you are just starting out, here are a few resources to get you jump-started:
Our Beginner 101 Series on this blog starts here.
An instant download, How to Create a Miniature Garden PDF is here.
And for a complete overview that includes almost everything in the PDF and a whole-lot more is in the best-selling book on the hobby, Gardening in Miniature: Create Your Own Tiny Living World. And, of course, Amazon.com has a better price on un-autographed copies, here.
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