The Basics of Gardening in Miniature
If you’re a new gardener, welcome to the wonderful world of gardening! If you are an experienced gardener, welcome to another level of true gardening in miniature!
TOP TIP: The basic rules of the miniature garden are the same as in a full-sized garden. We’ve just shrunk the rules to fit.

Tips and Techniques: How to Renovate an Existing Miniature Garden
A pretty miniature garden scene. This photo was take about 6 weeks after the project photos were done for our Gardening in Miniature book. The tree is a Jacqueline Hillier Elm, the two globe-shaped shrubs on either side are White Pygmy Dwarf Cypress. Renovating a...
Miniature Gardening at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Bringing true miniature gardening to the huge Epcot Flower and Garden Festival at Disney World was such a treat! It was great to connect with many Fellow Miniature Gardeners that came from all over the Florida State. Here is me in the middle of one of my...
Miniature Gardening in the Southeastern States
I was hired to do a talk and demo for three days so I took the opportunity to make three different gardens. The silver shrub is a Blue Star Juniper. The burgundy bush is the Helmond Pillar Barberry matched with Red Thyme. Perfect for an eastern or cool sun spot....
Adjusting to the New Winter Weather in the Miniature Garden
Oh how we love the miniature and dwarf Mugo Pines for hardy miniature gardening. Most are hardy to -40F. This is a one inch scale garden. The Sedums on the right turn red when stressed and they'll go back to green when the spring decides to stay. This pot has been...
Miniature Gardening: Favorite Plants for a New Season
Miniature Gardening: Favorite Plants for a New Season Fall has become the best time to plant your trees and shrubs. The summer weather is getting hotter and drier – depending upon where you live, you may have had the exact opposite this year – it’s critical to get...
Miniature Gardening in Recycled Containers, Part I
You can fit a miniature garden in almost any sort of container, but all containers might not be suitable for plants. If you don't care about that, treat the garden as temporary and you can still enjoy a wee spot of whimsy for a couple/few weeks. Miniature Gardening in...
Planting Miniature Gardens Under Existing Trees
Before you plant miniature gardens under your existing tree check if the tree likes to be planted under first! (Google it!) Above, sedum spurium seems to tolerate the shade of a Rhododendron. There is nothing so charming a place in the garden as under a big tree. It...
Caring for Your Indoor [Miniature] Gardens
Our regular houseplants got a bit stressed out during the flower show. This is our front room after the cleaning. We kept the two problem pots separated after finding the source and cleaning all the other pots, the shelf and the general area. Caring for Your Indoor...
Winterizing your Miniature or Fairy Gardens
Take your accessories in before Old Man Winter comes a'knockin' ! They will last longer and won't get damaged by the extreme weather. ~ The rains finally came back to Seattle a couple of weeks ago after a record dry spell of over 90 days. Thankfully, our in-ground...
Sharing Your Miniature Garden Hobby
This miniature garden was created in an empty pond at our last house. It was in the backyard so it was only visited by friends and family. We had more fun with our mini gardens in the front of the house, next to the sidewalk for all to see and visit. ~ You'll hear the...
[Miniature] Gardening in the Heat
Beat the heat by choosing plants that do well in the heat. This combination of the tall Compressa Juniper, a Blue Star Juniper on the left surrounded with Hens and Chicks, Brass Buttons, Miniature Daisies and assorted Sedums is perfect for a sunny spot. [Miniature]...
Miniature Garden Plants: Secrets to Success
Our old miniature garden, back in 2007, dressed for Father's Day. The Tompa Spruce was called a dwarf back then, now it's called a true miniature, with a growth rate of less than 1" per year. I love it when a great idea comes together... When I stumbled on to this...
Miniature Gardening: Turning Learning Curves into Opportunity
The Miniature Junipers standing small in Jennifer's miniature garden look like they didn't miss a beat being buried several feet under the snow last winter in Connecticut. When I wrote the blog back in late June about New Gardeners Coming to Miniature Gardening with...
New Gardeners Coming to Miniature Gardening with Mixed Results
An outdoor Miniature Garden for full sun New Gardeners Coming to Miniature Gardening with Mixed Results “Dead as a doornail. All three plants. Dead.” So went the phone call the other morning. Miniature gardening offers a completely new way to garden but the plants we...
Growing Wood: Miniature Gardening and Bonsai
Growing Wood: Miniature Gardening and Bonsai ~ [Scene: Northwest Flower and Garden Show, February, 2011] It was as if I was responsible for the misunderstanding in the bonsai hobby. I met bonsai-expert-extraordinaire, Dan Robinson, at the Northwest Flower and Garden...
Miniature Garden Kits Jumpstarts Your Learning Curve
Miniature Garden Kits are the one of the only ways to fast-forward the mini garden learning curve. With all the thinking done for you, you have all the fun putting it together in less than a couple of hours. I’ve been creating miniature gardens for over ten years,...
Don’t Wait for the Seasons to Have a Reason
Don't Wait for the Seasons to Have a Reason So, it’s late July and you’re a gardener. The vegetable garden is doing well, the flowers are blooming and looking wonderful, the weeding is done. You’ve filled all the spots in the garden bed that you can and there is not...
Turn Your Balcony into Your Own Backyard: Miniature Garden style!
Turn Your Balcony into Your Own Backyard: Miniature Garden style! So you wake up on spring mornings and wish you could do some gardening. But living in a condo makes the task a little more challenging. It’s especially frustrating when you begin your work week with a...
Why Do Conifers Make Great Mini Garden Trees?
Why Do Conifers Make Great Mini Garden Trees? ~ Why do our true miniature and dwarf trees and shrubs make such great miniature garden trees? Well, let me count the ways! Our miniature garden conifers get better and better with age. The trunks thicken, the branches...
How to Win a Garden Contest
How to Win a Garden Contest By Janit Calvo Miniature gardening has taken off! It looks like enthusiasts have discovered the “fun-factor” and the planting has begun. But beware! All small-leaf plants are not created equal. I was recently browsing through old photos for...
For New Miniature Gardeners: How Plants Die
Did your plant die? Remember that plants don't grow on trees - they are trees! Try again! Most plants don’t just die. They don’t have a cardiac arrest and cack-out on the spot. No heart attacks either. No brain aneurysm … nope, no sudden death at all… It is normally a...
Top 10 New Gardener Questions Answered
Top 10 New [Miniature] Gardener Questions Answered ~ I asked my mailing list last month, what two questions were foremost on their minds when talking about miniature gardening. The questions that came up in the survey were more than miniature garden questions; they...