Miniature Gardens

[Lesley Cox]

How wide is the pot Cliff? Looks about 15 inches or so?

[ranunculus]

Thanks Lesley ... the pot is just a tad under the maximum size allowed at AGS shows - 36 cm outside diameter.  Probably needs a couple more seasons to get well established, will replace some plants and add some small bulbs.

[JohnnyD]

WOW! What a terrific thread. I would have been here sooner but..... (well WORK is four letter word isn't it?)

It is a great boost to the old ego to have someone produce such wonderful mini-gardens and think I had something to do with it. Well done Mandy, they look super and will. I am sure, get the red stickers they deserve. Nice pics too Mike.

I have spent a great deal of time trying to persuade people to start mini-gardens and they always say it is difficult.

For me the hardest part of starting a new garden has been the landscaping - finding the right rocks and placing them to create the best impression is not that easy. Tufa works well and, with the possibility to plant directly into the rock is probably the most forgiving, but slate, schist, sandstone, coal and probably many more have all featured at some time or another.

What Mandy has done best is to create height. This means a relatively shallow pot can be made to almost disappear when the garden is fully planted.

Mandy has a super shallow pot which I very much like, and the height is brilliant. So why second?

There is no way to know. Perhaps a little more colour would help, perhaps the conifer is a little large, perhaps the 'non-rock' area is a little flat. Perhaps it is just a case of 'catching the judges eye'. Take your pick.

Cliffs pot is yet to see the light of day. Despite promising a debut over a considerable period nothing has yet emerged. Again, look at the rock! What a super piece with all those piddock holes. (That is how you spell it isn't it Cliff?)

I suggest this will lend itself to cushion plants, semps, dwarf bulbs etc. perfectly, though it will be difficult to rotate plants from those deep holes.

There are a few general rules which I have found of help when planting mini-gardens new and old for show :

1. Never give a plant too much room. Pack them in. This way they stay compact and in keeping.
2. Never feed. They don't need it.
3. Only water in a drought.
4. Never plant conifers and such above the 'tree line'. A little mountain top goes a long way in the landscape.
5. When plants get too big take them out. Plants which are out of proportion score poorly.
6. Don't though be in too much of a hurry to remove dwarf bulbs. Rhodohypoxis in particular seem to revel in mini-garden conditions and survive much better than in the garden proper.
8. When removing plants take them out as a plug. Don't be tempted to try teasing out the roots as it damages the surrounding plants too much. I have seldom lost a plant this way and it leaves the perfect hole to pack in new plants.
9. Don't be afraid to use common plants which self-seed in the garden. A few plants of Erinus alpina, Saxifraga cymbalaria, Primula wanda, Scilla rosea and others, in clumps or as a few dotted around the mini-garden, bring a very natural effect.

That's all for now. Will try to add more, and a few pics, later.
John

[Maggi Young]

Johnny, you are forgiven for uttering the "w" word !
What top-notch advice you give there.. and so succinctly....FAB!!

What Mandy has done best is to create height. This means a relatively shallow pot can be made to almost disappear when the garden is fully planted.

This is the  key point for me in the success of Mandy's ( and any other) miniature garden.

[Carlo]

Damn...now I've got another project for spring...

[Carlo]

...as well as, to my mind, any trough garden. Adding the vertical element not only makes it aesthetically more pleasing, it creates more space to plant!

What about winter care? The photos make it appear as if most of these are constructed in terra cotta pans. These, unless high-fired, will not survive the freeze/thaw of winter with cracking and falling apart.

[Maggi Young]

Carlo, we are lucky in the UK in being able to source some very good terracotta pots which will withstand lot of frost, though some garden centres do sell very easily ruined types 

It looks to me that Mandy has chosen bonsai type pots for her lovely gardens and these have the benefit, in my experience of being made of very sturdy ceramic or even sturdier resin type material.... good to look at and completley frost hardy.

[ranunculus]

Hi Carlo,
The garden I have illustrated is actually constructed in a very strong plastic pot that is made to look like terra cotta ... a British company produced these a number of years ago and, though quite expensive at the time, they proved an excellent buy (especially for exhibiting plants) - unfortunately I haven't seem them at garden centres for quite a while and the name of the manufacturer has joined a very long list of forgotten facts in my ever shrinking memory bank.  (Another crumbling bank that pays few dividends these days)!

[JohnnyD]

Hi Carlo,
I must say I prefer the look of clay pots over plastic though suitable types are hard to find.
The best are those with thin, regular walls and no thick collar.
To protect them there is one trick which you might try. Soak pots in a weak solution of the white pva wood glue (around 10%) and then allow them to dry completely.
This reduces the penetration of water and avoids much of the freeze/thaw problem.
Cliffs suggestion of plastic is a good one, not only in respect of winter survival, but also as a means of reducing the weight of a fully built garden.
Many a mini-gardenist has been found to be a member of the hernia club!
Another suggestion is to use lightweight clay aggregate (leca) or even chipped polystyrene in the base to keep the weight down.
John

[JohnnyD]

Just a note regarding the rules for AGS shows in respect of mini-gardens.
The schedule now states what has been the accepted rule for some time that : 'a few seasonal plants may also be added for effect - these additional plants need not meet the 6-month ownership rule.'
This makes the presentation of an attractive garden easier, and adds greatly to the effect on the bench.
It would be great to see more gardens produced for show and perhaps this rule change will encourage more entries. I do hope so.
JohnnyD

p.s. I'm not sure if the same applies in SRGC shows.

[Ragged Robin]

What a super thread    Miniature gardens have a great appeal to me and, armed with the inspirational photos and info here, I am on the case to try to create one for lime loving rock garden plants in tufa  

[JohnnyD]

Great news RR.
When shall we see it at a show?
J.

[Maggi Young]

oops! quoted the wrong post... here we go with the correct version:

Just a note regarding the rules for AGS shows in respect of mini-gardens.
The schedule now states what has been the accepted rule for some time that : 'a few seasonal plants may also be added for effect - these additional plants need not meet the 6-month ownership rule.'
This makes the presentation of an attractive garden easier, and adds greatly to the effect on the bench.
It would be great to see more gardens produced for show and perhaps this rule change will encourage more entries. I do hope so.
JohnnyD

p.s. I'm not sure if the same applies in SRGC shows.

 Interesting to hear this, Johnny: I'll raise the point at the  SRGC Show Secs meeting next week.

[ranunculus]

Mr Miniature Garden; JohnnyD from Frodsham in Cheshire and his latest creation.

JOHN DOWER
MINIATURE GARDEN

[maggiepie]

What a fantastic thread.
These miniature gardens are absolutely wonderful.  I feel  a new obsession coming on 
I hope some updated pics will be posted.
Congrats to all who posted pics.