We have declared May as Miniature Garden Month – just as we declared miniature gardening an official hobby. We’re not sure whom to ask permission for doing this, so we’re just calling it – again. Now to wait for the world to catch up to us.

We’ll wait… we’re not going anywhere soon. :o)

And yes, I have filled-out the registration form on the National Day Calendar website for getting this officially on the books -again, I might add. But who knows when “they” will deem us worthy of having our own month to celebrate! Hmmm? So let’s just make it so!!

(Note that a LOT of gardeners and garden centers still call everything small a miniature garden – irritatingly so. Terrariums, fairy gardens, small-space gardening or even planting veggies in a container is considered by some a miniature garden. Quite frankly, a miniature garden is just that – a garden in miniature – and there are really no other words to call it, except what it is.)

Give Yourself a Pat on the Back

So, if you’re already a miniature gardener, CONGRATULATIONS! – you are STILL ahead of curve, the trendsetter and the first responder to this gardening in miniature hobby!

Who knew you could be so hip?

And, in an effort to spread the joy of this wonderful hobby far and wide, I am going to ask your help. It’ll be fun – stay with me for a minute…

_{A May Day miniature garden from 2020. The pot is a ceramic water-bowl that is 22″ in diameter and about 9″ deep, drilled for drainage.}

When someone says, “I’m a knitter,” you know exactly what they do – even though you may not have any idea how to make a sweater with two sticks and one long strand of wool, you still know what knitters do. We only want the same for this hobby.

We Need YOU!!

We need you to brag about your miniature gardening.

Boast about it in the line at the grocery store, talk about it while you are sitting in the theatre waiting for the movie to start, or share a photo or two when you’re waiting for your food at your favorite restaurant. You’re not trying to convert anyone; we just want you to spread awareness of the hobby.

The one thing that I’ve found out is that you can’t force someone to take-up _____(insert anything here)____ despite how wonderful it we think it is, but what you can do is share, talk about it, boast, and show-off your work. Tell people about your miniature gardening so they know about what this new hobby is about.  

You know, when someone says, “I’m a knitter.” We know exactly what they do even though you may not have any idea how to make a sweater with two sticks and one long strand of wool, you still know what knitters do.

THAT’S what we’re after here.

Here are a couple of ideas on how to introduce and/or share the topic of your miniature garden hobby in a way that is subtle, yet fun, even if the end result is, “Huh, I didn’t even know that was a thing!” (Fairy gardeners be warned though, you may not get as much interest – it’s the “miniature” aspect of this hobby that will impress and/or enchant most people, even if they aren’t interested in doing it themselves.)

At Work:

Scroll through these scenarios/conversation-starters to see if you can use them to work-in a promo for your hobby. Note that if you say that you build anything by yourself, that alone should spark enough curiosity for them to at least have a look.

• You’re in the lunchroom at work, sitting there and talking to a co-worker, you can say, “Hey, do you wanna see my garden that I built and planted all by myself? ”

• You’re on a break, hanging around the water cooler, instead of gossiping, try, “Hey, do you want to see the garden I built in one day?”

• You’re sitting in your carpool, stuck in traffic, you can ask, “I finished planting my entire garden in one afternoon last weekend, do you want to see it?”

At the Park:

• You’re sitting on a bench at the park, sitting there and talking to a friend, you can say, “Hey, do you want to see what I made last weekend?”

• You’re on a walk with your friends, taking a lap around the park, you can say, “Oh, I have to show you what I’ve been doing, it’s so much fun!”

• You’re waiting in line at the coffee shop with your friends after your walk, “I want to show you the garden that I planted the other day…”

For more humor:

• “I finally got some time to develop my own real estate, do you want to see my new property?”

• “I spent yesterday installing a patio in my garden all by myself, did you want to see it?”

• “I’ve taken-up a little gardening, can I show you?”

And that’s it. They might ask some follow-up questions or not, but now they know about gardening in miniature so next time the topic comes up, they’ll have a visual – thanks to you!

And we thank you too!

Like this? Like miniature gardening? Join us and thousands of like-minded miniature gardeners from all over the world and get your Mini Garden Gazette newsletter delivered to your inbox almost every week. It’s FREE. Join us here.