Several months ago, an editor from the Zine Group reached out to me looking to reproduce an article from my first book launch back in 2013-ish. Well, leave it to me to make the project ‘bigger’ than asked – despite being a diehard miniaturist. And, despite me telling everyone about it, a lot of people couldn’t find the magazine at their local grocery store or newsstand. (Are they still called “newsstands” these days?) So, here is the article in its entirety for your miniature garden pleasure.

I’ve included photos from the magazine so you can see how pretty it looked in print, plus a few extra photos so you can see more of the details and info for each garden shown. (I didn’t cross-reference the edited copy from the article against the copy that I sent in initially, so there may be some differences between the two.)

First, a special shout-out and huge thanks to the editors at the Zine Group for a fun project and a great magazine that inspired me to dig-into my full-sized container gardening too.

Now, grab a cuppa, settle in for a few, and enjoy!

Let me know if you have any questions about anything in the comment box below – glad to help.

See what miniature garden plants, patio materials and garden miniatures are available for your hobby here.

~ Tell me about your gardening background.

I started as a landscaper, weeding beds and blowing leaves for residences in Toronto, but I didn’t fall in love with gardening until I moved to Seattle in 1998 and saw flowers bloom in January. I got a job in a local garden center in the perennials department and eventually became an assistant manager of the garden accessory department.

I also worked for a high-end container garden designer that served the greater Seattle area, where I was able to experience a way of container gardening that is fun and easy. But I’ve learned how to garden simply by growing one. I’ve had large container gardens with over 300 pots, vegetable gardens, perennials beds with specimen conifers, and lately I’ve been growing a cut-flower garden to share with the bees.

See what miniature garden plants, patio materials and garden miniatures are available for your hobby here.

~ What initially intrigued you about miniature gardening?

I’ve always had a love of miniatures since I was a child. My mom and I would make little props for my dollhouse displays for hours, little towels for the bathroom or sheets and pillows for the tiny beds. So when I discovered the true dwarf trees at the garden center where I was working, that was my light-bulb moment. I paired the small plants with dollhouse miniatures and I was hooked. I found that an authentic living garden in miniature is just a wonderful combination of play, creativity and growing your own world.

~ What was your first miniature garden?

My first miniature garden was created in a box as an impromptu scene for a greeting card line that I looking to start, I wanted to make a garden invitation card. The little garden was just darling. I kept nurturing it through the summer and winter and it grew-in beautifully with not much work at all. By the next summer, planter box fell apart before the garden did. The miniature plants and trees I used stayed small, grew slowly and still looked great. I knew it was something that others would enjoy.

See what miniature garden plants, patio materials and garden miniatures are available for your hobby here.

~ What are the key gardening tips for people who want to try miniature gardening and want to try it in a container? 

The most important tip for anyone that wants to try miniature garden is to choose the spot where the garden will live first. Do you want to grow it indoors? Outdoors? In part sun or full sun? Then go and find the plants that will do well in the spot. “Right plant in the right place” is the golden garden rule for a reason and it applies to miniature gardens as well.

It’s worth it to invest in a nice container. Your miniature garden can last for years before needing to be repotted so it’s important to get a pretty pot that will look great for years. If you’re growing a miniature garden indoors, get a pot with a saucer, or go to your local thrift store to find a pretty plate to use. Make sure the ceramic plate or saucer is glazed on both sides or moisture will wick onto your wood surfaces.

Another key tip, plant your container so there is only 1” between the soil-level and the top edge of the pot. I see a LOT of people planting their containers deep inside the pot. Now if that pot is in the sun, the plants will bake themselves to death because the air can’t get through to keep them cool. You also can’t see the scene until you’re on top of it and you won’t be able to enjoy your miniature garden scene from any other angle.

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~ What soil/light/plant conditions should people keep in mind?

The kind of soil I recommend is plain potting mix with no extra-added fertilizers or water retaining polymers. Save that kind of soil for your heavy feeders, like your annuals and veggies. Basic potting mix has all the nutrients in it that our miniature garden plants need for up to 2 years, before needing any mild fertilizer. You don’t want them to grow faster than normal in your miniature garden.

For outdoor gardens, judge the light in the spring and fall. If the spot gets 4 to 6 hours, that’s part sun. Over 6 hours is full sun. Watch that hot afternoon sun in the summertime though, and shade or move your pot so the garden won’t dry out too fast, too often and put stress on the plants.

However, for indoor miniature gardening, I’ve found the best way is to “add light” rather than depend on a window for light. Get a grow bulb or two from your hardware store that can fit regular lamps, put it on a timer for an easy, well-lit indoor solution. (Remember to use indoor plants.)

~ What plants are optimal for a miniature garden?

The best miniature garden plants look like a miniaturized version of full-sized plants and trees. And, we’re looking for plants that grow slowly, stay in scale and are easy to maintain. That’s why we love the miniature and dwarf conifer trees and shrubs, and we pair them with small-leafed, slow-growing ground-covers or rockery plants that can create a perfectly designed miniature garden bed with layers, texture and color for year-round interest.

See what miniature garden plants, patio materials and garden miniatures are available for your hobby here.

~ How should people handle plants as they grow?

Maintaining the plants as they grow is a lot easier in miniature. As the wee trees and shrubs grow up and out, you can prune away the bottom-most branches to make them look like a tree. The ground covers, aka “miniature garden bedding plants” will want to eventually cover the ground of course, but we can keep them small by dividing them every two years or so. Pinch back any stems that creep onto the path or grow into your mini shrubs whenever you see them.

~ How should people select props to get the look they want?

Some people like a lot of miniatures in the garden but keep in mind, the smaller the prop, the more chance it has of getting lost in the garden. Match all your accessories in scale and the plants will follow. I like to work with themes and occasions for more fun but one simple bench with a birdhouse can be just as cute and enchanting to the viewer. As with any design project, less is more.

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~ How can people pick props with different scale/heights to keep things interesting?

You can choose props with different heights to fill-in any gaps in your design or if you’re waiting for your wee tree to grow up a bit. A taller trellis at the back of the container will keep the interest focused in the garden. A bird house on a pole can help balance the scene too. Remember to keep the scale the same though, using different scales in one scene will confuse the viewer, and you won’t get the enchantment and the giggles you deserve.

~ If the plants want to stay contained within a container since we are container-garden focused, what’s the best way to do that?

Most trees will bonsai themselves in the pot and grow into a fun little tree without the work of maintaining a real bonsai. The mini bedding plants will weave and grow and need replacing every couple/few years. Add mild fertilizer in the spring and early summer after a few years of growing your miniature garden in the same pot.

See what miniature garden plants, patio materials and garden miniatures are available for your hobby here.

~ Are their organic containers, like a tree stump or large piece of driftwood, people should consider for a miniature garden?

If you want to grow a miniature garden in a tree stump or large piece of driftwood, keep in mind that the container will start to rot before the miniature garden will need repotting. You can plant in just about anything but keep the drainage in mind and drill holes in the bottom of the “container” so the excess water has a place to go.

What other containers should people consider?

A miniature garden can last up to 10 year or more in a container so make sure it’s a nice one that you really like. Metal buckets and tubs can help create a fun rustic theme but shelter the finished garden from that hot afternoon sun in the summer that will heat the metal up and bake the plant’s roots.

Terra cotta tends to be an affordable option and it can be painted to suit any décor. But it can’t freeze, the clay walls of the pot absorb water and will crack when frozen. If you want your miniature garden to live outside all year long, get a pot that can withstand your winter weather, like any high-fired ceramic planter or one of the new eco-pots, and you’re all set, just remember drainage holes if you’re thinking outside the box – or pot.

~ Where can people find miniature garden décor that can withstand the outdoor elements?

For your miniature accessories, choose weatherproof and waterproof figures, birdbaths and benches that are made of resin or metal. At our store, TwoGreenThumbs.com, we specialize in miniature garden accessories and we go out of our way to drill and stake them – so they stay put in the mini garden bed. If your accessory has faded in the sun, consider a wash of acrylic paint to rejuvenate it, to make it like-new again. You can also treat your colorful accessories with UV protectant in early spring and again in the middle of the summer to help keep any colors vibrant as possible.

See what miniature garden plants, patio materials and garden miniatures are available for your hobby here.

~ What are ways for people to change up a miniature garden in each season if they can only create one?

Change your miniatures, change your garden! By swapping out miniature accessories each season, or decorating your wee world for special events and occasions, only adds to the amount of joy you can grow in a miniature garden. It’s the miniature accessories that tell the story and the scale of the garden.

~ What are common questions you get about miniature gardening?

The most common questions I get about miniature gardening is about where to grow the plants. You can’t fool Mother Nature and try to grow a sun-loving miniature garden in full shade, nor can you grow outdoor plants inside and expect them to thrive. By matching the right plants to the place where you want your mini garden to grow, you’ll be successful.

~ What tips for success can you give to those who want to try miniature gardening?

A miniature garden can be made in an afternoon and enjoyed for years but it’s still a garden. If you do lose a plant or two, learn from it and try again. A new music student can’t sit down at a piano and instantly play Mozart, it takes learning and practice. Enjoy the process, and you’ll enjoy the wonder and the discovery of nature that only a miniature garden can bring. You’ll be enchanted for the rest of your life.

Whew! That is quite the article! If you missed seeing it at the newstands, take heart: A lot of the plant and photo details explained didn’t make it to print so there is more here, than what’s in the magazine.

Got questions? Leave them below.

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