Time To Plan A Miniature Garden Landscape

By Author: Linda-Ann Hinde
Total Articles: 11
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Oh my goodness… ten inches of snow fell this week. I have noticed that ice and snow doesn’t stop gardeners from enjoying their craft. The excitement of planning an outdoors-miniature garden is evident. In honor of fellow mini gardeners and their well-thought-out plans, I am sharing some of my favorite tips on creating a mini landscape.

Think about Time
Be realistic about your time. Is your mini garden going to encompass the whole backyard, because you thoroughly enjoy spending all day in the garden? Or will you walk by the garden on your way home from work and think, “I hope I have a few minutes this weekend to weed.” Create a garden that works with your time frame.

If you want to tinker in the garden all day long, then plan a large-scale landscaped village with cottages, many accessories, and an assortment of plants. A gardener with less time may consider planting a container mini garden. The containers could be a traditional pot or one might consider using a unique container such as an old wringer wash machine. The container garden would require less care, but still fulfill the need to work ...
... with minis and plants.

Consider your Space
The art of garden design requires a well-thought-out plan. While planning mini garden, take the measurements of the garden space and draw a plan on graph paper. There are also many computer programs available for this task. Next, it is time to concentrate on the soil.

To begin planning a miniature garden, test your soil and amend it before planting. Consider the amount of sun or shade your plants will receive every day. Remember you will be selecting plants that require the same growing climate. The United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a good resource to follow when determining which plants are most likely to thrive at a location.

Now that your soil is ready, it is time to consider what accessories and plants will be going into the garden. Will your garden have a theme?

Work with the Principles and Elements of Design
While in college I took an art class, in which the instructor talked about the purpose of design and I use that information when planning a miniature garden (How proud he would be if he knew I was sharing the wisdom I learned!). The main elements of design for landscaping are mass, form, and line. Color and texture provide a secondary role by adding richness and interest to the mini garden. The principles of design are scale, balance, rhythm, emphasis, simplicity, and transition.

It is the principles that guide the elements from individual pieces into a complete or total look. Design creates a unified landscape.

Miniature Gardening offers a variety of accessories, fairies, plants, garden tools & furniture to create enchanting miniature landscapes for containers or your yard. We carry the largest online selection of plants for miniature and fairy gardens and of unique handcrafted miniature hardscape paths and patios. Visit our website: http://miniature-gardening.com