lily51
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Miniature gardens - Is anyone else obsessed?

I have become fully engrossed in miniature gardens. Don't think they qualify as bonsai, because there's no shaping, etc. Of course, I really don't know what a garden has to be to be called bonsai.

The miniatures I love contain miniature plants of all kinds like mini-hosts and mini-heuchera, low growers like blue star creepers, and succulents. It just depends where the garden is going to be displayed. Some are hardy perennials and can survive through winter, but must have their dormant time, so these are best outside.
Others contain "tender" perennials, which are treated like house plants.
:D I love all the accessories of trellises, walkways, stepping stones, gazing globes, chairs, etc. I think why I love them is that I know the only way I could have these gorgeous garden designs in real life would be to have a crew of gardeners working for me!

Is anyone else planting these mini-gardens?

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applestar
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I'm not but I'd love to see some photos when you get a chance.
My kids like making miniature animal figures, aquatic life, mythological creatures, flowers, food/utensils, etc. From modeling beeswax.

thanrose
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lily51, they sound great. I'd love to see them, too.

I don't do bonsai, but am attracted to the artform. Had a friend years ago who did those miniature houses and rooms, and another that did the really small scale trains with all of the features like caves and trees and buildings.

One thing that I'm thinking about lately is prompted by a tiny collection of tiny bottles. Think insulin and extract bottles. I saw a link somewhere of someone who was making wearable terraria with miniature plants. Seems to me that it would be difficult to maintain for more than a few weeks max. I'm not one to plant something with the expectation of it dying so soon. Growing edible sprouts aside, of course.

Do you have any links for what you have in mind or have done?

thanrose
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[url]https://www.twogreenthumbs.com/[/url]
[url]https://www.miniaturegardenshoppe.com/[/url]
[url]https://www.miniature-gardens.com/[/url]

The first two have some examples of what I think lily is discussing. The last was the first link that came up, and has tons of tiny decor of the sort my old miniature loving friends would have used.

I cannot find a link for whatever I saw recently on the terrarium as necklace bit. It's bizarre enough that maybe I dreamed it?

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froggy
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Nah, I saw 'growing jewelry' on the web too when I was looking up terraria and bottle gardens a while back...
It seems a bit weird because if you're so 'green' to wear plants for jewelry, wouldnt you think it cruel because it is going to die soon anyways?
I saw a bunch of terraria for sale with air plants in them - but proper care for them would be to totally submerge the plant in water every week or so - it will take a while to die, but eventually it will.

Miniature gardens sound fun though. A bit more plant friendly actually :D

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Kisal
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I've seen some lovely miniature gardens, but I've never made one, myself. That might be fun for me, since I garden in containers, anyway. Thanks for posting about them!

Have you built any? Do you have any pictures to share? Maybe some work-in-progress pics? That would be fun to see. :D

Green Mantis
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:D Those miniature gardens are really cute!!! Sounds like a few of us might take up the miniature gardens! They really are interesting, and only your imagination, would stop any garden develepments! Now I'm wondering what I could put one on???

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froggy
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It looks like they rely heavily on the accessories...

I have to do 2 planters 4'x4 for our apt building. Now I am thinking this could be a fun thing to do with them. If only I could get away with accessories that won't end up stolen or broken....

I could plan it though and see if it will burst the budget :)

Green Mantis
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:( Froggy........Sounds like you could have fun there, but your'e right, so could someone else! Why do people have to spoil things???

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froggy
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So I bought myself two older container gardening books and they both include miniature / troth /sink / alpine gardens. They have lots o names, hypertufa I believe is another. They were started by a guy who collected alpine plant species, because they often grow as miniature versions of bigger ones.
Then yesterday at the local horticultural society plant sale I got talking to a guy who is also a member of the rock garden society. He has 16 troth gardens arranged in his backyard an does workshops as well.
So if anyone is looking to learn more about miniature gardens and needs a place to start looking - there are rock garden societies out there too, some of which should be quite knowledgeable in alpine plants and mini gardens too. (now that was news to me)
Oh and the guy I chatted with, has 'only' 60 different alpine species so far, as opposed to another guy he knows with a few hundred...
I wasn't sure if I felt like an impostor, or just plain uneducated.... :p



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