With a name like Two Green Thumbs, I think I turn-off non-gardeners immediately. If they only knew just how good at killing plants I am, they would probably take away my “two green thumbs” status.

So, when I was brainstorming for a Pottery Barn gig as part of the book launch for my first Gardening in Miniature book, I had to switch my thinking to be more inline with PB’s inventory. Huh. It was a bit of a brain teaser, I must say.

It’s not hard to get enthusiastic about Pottery Barn’s products – please give me a gift certificate and I’ll show you how fast I can use it up – 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 – but alas, I got it!

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, Quick and Cute: Indoor Miniature Gardens that Anyone Can Make.

Miniature Garden 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 so I can reclaim then when I need to redo it. 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. Mix and match to your heart’s content. It’s just a stem so if it doesn’t root, try another!

Rooting for Roots?

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.

The Themes are Endless…

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 pebbles and garden accessories at TwoGreenThumbs.com

Assembly Tip

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, cookie sheet or newspaper so you can corral the pebbles easily.

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. If you don’t have a garden to get a cutting from, ask your neighborhood gardener – you can always tell by the number of plants in their yard or balcony. Gardeners love to share and probably won’t mind giving you a wee branch or cutting of something to play with.

What Roots Well?

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! If it doesn’t root, try something else.

Easy Peasy Maintenance

When you’re bored with it, or it needs a cleaning, dump all the pebbles onto a tray, cookie sheet or newspaper and start again. Rinse the pebbles in a colander if they need a wash. Use a skewer and a paper towel to get in the tiny vases to get them clean again. Swap out different accessories and pop in a different plant cutting.

See our selection of bird houses here.

See our selection of miniature furniture here.

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