
~ It’s one thing to know what you did last summer, but the real question is: do you remember what you did last summer? :o)
In last week’s Mini Garden Gazette, I shared the one thing that I tend to do every winter: I leave a least one pot outside that can’t handle the freezing temps so I end up with a broken miniature garden. It doesn’t seem to matter that I do loops around the garden in fall, trying to find all my tender plants and any china or porcelain pots before the first dip in the temperatures hit – I seem to always lose something.
But there is one thing that I tend to do every spring that I’m slooowly getting better at NOT doing.
Remembering where all my dormant plants are.

Come springtime, I get so excited for the planting season that, in previous years, I look for spots to plant more plants. I do it in my miniature gardens as well as my full-sized garden beds. And, sometimes these “spots” are exactly where my dormant plants are sleeping and I end up chopping the root-ball in half by accident.
Because I couldn’t see them so I forgot about them.
You see, plants go dormant in different ways. The obvious ones are the deciduous woody shrubs and perennial plants that drop their leaves but, their stems are left to remind us that they are there.

However, some of our tiniest plants for miniature gardening die right back to the ground and can’t be seen until they start to grow again – or, worse yet, we see them AFTER we’ve cut them in half with our trowel.

So, here is a list of the plants that we carry in our online store, TwoGreenThumbs.com, that die right-back to the ground. Hopefully it will trigger your memory so you don’t dig into a plant in your miniature garden bed by accident, like I often do.
These plants are only available from our store when they are budding and growing. We don’t like to sell dormant plants because, in my experience of buying dormant plants online, sometimes they don’t come back and all I paid for was a pot of soil plus shipping! Ugh.
Note that not all plants are NOT available at all times. The time to buy a miniature garden plant that you like is when you see it.
- Crimson Red Star – Rhodohypoxis baurii crimson
- Miniature Astilbe – Astilbe glaberrima var. saxatilis
- Miniature Bearded Iris – Iris suaveolens ‘Rubromarginata’
- Miniature Cranesbill ‘Minutum’ – Geranium sanguineum ‘Minutum’
- Miniature Goldenrod – Solidago virgaurea ssp.alpestris minutissima
- Miniature May Lily – Maianthemum bifolum kamtschat ‘Minima’

Also, and, as well as: I’m always reminding you to photograph your miniature gardens when they look their best so you can enjoy them in the off-season months, and to help you remember what worked and what didn’t. THIS is another reason – take a look at last year’s photos to see where your dormant plants are.
SEE what is in stock today at America’s Favorite Miniature Garden Center store, TwoGreenThumbs.com, and check back often! Our inventory is always changing…!
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I have an old bird bath shaped like a large mushroom the fountain part does not work and the dish leaks. So I’m thinking rather than throwing it out I’m going to make a small fairy garden with it if I use succulent plants it should work. What do you think
Hi Marilyn! YES! Stick with Sedums and Hens and Chicks for even more texture. We have more Sedums coming next week – red and pink ones too. One thing to remember is the soil should dry out in between watering sessions BUT if it’s in the hot full sun, you might need to water it more often during the hot months. In other words, don’t let them go dry for too long in between watering sessions – they get spindly and wrinkly. (<~ technical terms. Lol! :o)
The leaks will help succulents keep dry feet. Just be sure all plants have similar water requirements. Sounds like fun.
Do you have the miniature iris in stock?
Rhonda Hughes