Have no fear, your miniature gardener is here!
Okay, in all fairness, there may be multiple reasons why your fairy garden may have died but, after studying everything ‘miniature & garden’ for well over 25 years, I think I might be on to something here. I’m seeing a consistent pattern of missteps that can be easily fixed so here are a few easy things that you can do to ensure your miniature or fairy garden will thrive.
Getting the Roots of the Matter
(Oh, when will I stop punning around, you ask? Answer: Never. :o)
Here’s the conversation with a fairy gardener that triggered this post.
Hi Janit!
I really enjoy reading the Mini Garden Gazette! This weekend I will be replacing a Pixie Dust Alberta Spruce that I adored and inadvertently let die. I learned from a recent issue that it was a watering problem. Lesson learned, I hope. (Picture attached) My miniature daisy and elfin thyme almost died, but they may recover.
I have this cute Jean’s Dilly Spruce I received from Steve a couple of days ago that I plan to put into this container. I have a couple of questions:
1) Would it be best to trim back the thyme or leave it alone as it is?
2) Besides watering in the morning instead of the late afternoon, do you have any other tips to help me keep my new spruce alive?
Thanks!
Melissa
The Initial Answer
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for your email and your great questions.
The Elfin Thyme
– You can try trimming back the dead stems but it might take a few months to get them looking good again. I’m wondering if you can nurse these two Elfin Thymes elsewhere and use something else so you can enjoy your fairy garden again. Personally, I would show them the compost bin. When any plant is this far gone, it’s usually not recoverable but you can learn about why it died to prevent it from happening again.
The Dead Spruce
– It does look like a watering issue and everything got scorched unfortunately. Most plants can handle full sun if their roots are kept cool and damp. When you take it apart and dig-up the plants, see if the roots were getting enough water – the roots will be dried-out and dead looking too.
The New Spruce
– When you replant with the new Spruce, raise the entire bed up to about 1” below the rim of the container. The trees need air to help them breathe, especially in the heat of the summer. By raising up the entire garden, air can get through the leaves and branches to help it stay cool. I’m also thinking of that the “walls” of the pot will reflect the heat, and act like a little oven to help bake the plants – which probably didn’t help.
– If you can, keep this new planting in a part sun spot until the sun cools off in September. It’ll help it adjust.
Yours in Miniature Gardening,
Janit
See the top photo for Melissa’s redo! (Emails and photos are reproduced with her permission.)
More Insight is Available
So, here are some quick examples of what I mean, you can find a lot more in the The Miniature Garden Society website about maintaining a happy miniature garden in containers, and in the ground.
If Your Garden is Living Solo:
- If you have that pot, living all alone in the corner of your deck in full sun, it’s at risk of getting dried-out from the hot sun way too much and way too often. Create a nice environment AROUND the miniature garden – wether it’s in a pot or in-ground. It’s just a little garden! It needs some “family” around it to help it thrive. A garden is its own ecosystem and, being the caretaker of that little ecosystem, you have options: change, adjust, adapt, plant, pull-out, prune-away, replace….
If Your Garden is Too Dry:
- “Add shade” by planting a bigger tree that will shade it for the summer months. You can find (full-sized) Japanese Maple that only grow to 15 or 20 feet tall. Enough to shade, but never big enough to dominate.
If Your Garden is Too Sunny:
- There are “Coolaroos” or small shade cloths available in all kinds of shapes and sizes – find them online. Mount it so the hottest sun in the mid to late afternoon is blocked. I love this option for my containers because the pots can dry out quickly in the hottest months. It also lets that breeze through to keep the foliage cool and dry.
If Your Garden is Too Wet:
- Focus on water-loving plants or at least plants that don’t mind their feet wet or damp all the time. Raise the bed and add sharper-drainage material and you might be able to try non-water-loving plants. Always test the soil before watering to see if it actually does need watering, but also realize the soil might dry out completely during a long drought.
Like this? Want to dig into the new miniature garden hobby to explore the many ways this hobby can keep you creative, inspired and growing? Checkout our Miniature Garden Society, it’s where miniature garden dreams come true!
