Operation Spark Joy has begun! Our first installation as The Miniature Garden Society at the Washington Old Soldier’s Home in Orting, Washington, south of Seattle.
I love it when a plan comes together.
After talking to Linda for a minute on that cold, gray day in the middle of the winter, it felt like I was talking to an old friend. She was asking if I knew of a speaker that could come and talk at their big workshop day that is held every spring for the the Hill and Dale Garden Club. Who knew that that would turn into a project that, quite possibly, can “spark joy?”
I’ve always wanted to find out if a miniature garden can really deliver some garden therapy to non-miniature-gardeners if it was put in the right spot. If a full-size garden can be therapeutic for everyone, why not a tiny one too? And now that the Miniature Garden Society is established, we can make time to reach out into the community, to see what we can do with our hobby to share the joy of gardening in miniature.
So, with the help of Linda and the ladies at the Hill and Dale Garden Club, we installed a larger miniature garden in the courtyard at the Old Soldier’s Home in Orting, Washington. Here’s what happened:
The Hill and Dale Garden Club did the hard part: the lugging in of the trough and the potting soil. The tub is 6′ x 2′ x 2′ and it’s filled more than half-way up with chunks of Styrofoam. The Styrofoam won’t make it easy to move but it saves a boatload of time, money and energy not having to fill it all up with soil.
Find out more about the right potting soil to use for your miniature garden here.
After the mountain was in place, we dug in. I’ll be putting the instructions on this easy-mountain-install in the Miniature Garden Society!
I made the little cinder block fence from tiny cinder blocks and a couple of skewers. The silo and the fence were glued on to a board which was hidden with micro gravel.When Linda and the ladies installed it, they made sure it was a good height for most wheelchair-users. That need triggered the idea for some sort of backdrop for their point of view, so we built up a hill with a solid chunk of Irish Moss from my full-sized garden that needed a good home. It’ll be a great place for a picnic!
Linda brought some full-sized Hen and Chicks so we used them as Agave-type plants to add some great texture to the miniature garden bed.Layers and textures, oh my! Here’s what we planted in the trough. It’s going to get full-sun all summer, and it’s protected in a courtyard to it should be a great growing environment for the plants.The patio was a bit rushed at the very end, but I don’t think anyone else noticed. The bright green chair matched the Golden Torch Barberry in the upper-left corner.
The Mercedes Dwarf Birch, the Goldfinch Fir and a few of the succulents were donated by Bob Fincham and Linda Maida.
Dueling Photographers. That’s Linda taking a photo of the finished garden. Steve said everyone was just beaming with smiles as they slowly realized what was happening. For someone who didn’t know what was going on, it must have looked strange. Lol!That’s Thomas, he’s a master gardener so we left it in his good hands.
A few of the residents and staff gathered to watch us build it. It was fun to see them respond as the garden came together. Between us, the garden club, the residents and the staff, it sounded like everyone wanted to “look after the garden” so I imagine it will be well-taken care of. We’re looking forward to going back in a couple/few weeks to see how it’s growing – and to see if it sparked joy.
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Here’s an UPDATE! We visited the OSH to decorate the garden for the Fourth. See it here.
5 Comments
Dr. K on May 20, 2017 at 6:30 am
Love this project! It would be great to see these all over the country. And thanks for labeling the plants in the photos.
Hi Janit, I Love, Love, Love this garden! And I’m so glad to see you and Steve still making magic! I’m happy that you named the plants. Happy Spring to you.
Hi Janit, I Love, Love, Love this garden! And I’m so glad to see you and Steve still making magic! I’m happy that you named the plants. Happy Spring to you.
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Love this project! It would be great to see these all over the country. And thanks for labeling the plants in the photos.
Hi Janit, I Love, Love, Love this garden! And I’m so glad to see you and Steve still making magic! I’m happy that you named the plants. Happy Spring to you.
A flag pole would be a nice addition
They have flags everywhere around the property and then some. We wanted it to be a “place to get away to” for the residents.
Hi Janit, I Love, Love, Love this garden! And I’m so glad to see you and Steve still making magic! I’m happy that you named the plants. Happy Spring to you.