Mini gardens can be created in all types of containers. Some popular choices include terracotta pots, troughs and deep dishes such as bird baths; glazed and plastic containers as well as recycled containers, such as small wheelbarrows and wagons, old drawers, tin tubs and more. A rummage around your garden shed or your local second hand store could provide lots of inspiration. The only thing to keep in mind are drainage holes if you are using real plants, so if your chosen container doesn’t have them, you should add them yourself. Just make sure your container is on the shallower side with a wide surface area at the top to accommodate your design easily. For an ideal starter size, we recommend a container that’s between 30-40cm in diameter.
Alternatively, you could pick a spot in your garden underneath a shady or old tree and decorate the area to make the tree part of the scene, but just make sure it’s well protected from the elements.
Before you get started, draw or lay out what you want your landscape to look like and where everything is going to go. A feature of most mini gardens is rolling hills, steps or a curves which imitates the traditional English countryside, and creating height is a great way to add dimension and scale to your landscape. Ensure you have enough room to add paths, stepping stones and bridges, as well as plants and moss to soften the hard edges.
Think about materials that you could use from nature to add to your landscape. Pieces of bark could be used to make a table and bench seat, ice cream sticks could be used to make doors, chairs and fences, a tea light candle could become a fire pit, and a wine cork a chair! Use broken pot pieces to form stairs or banks, twigs to make fences, bottle caps as stepping stones…your imagination rules and there really is no right or wrong – you are creating something which will be completely unique!
We recommend searching online for examples and ideas, and Pinterest is a great place to curate your favourite ideas together. Make sure you visit our miniature garden board on Pinterest where we’ve collected the best ideas we’ve found online, plus we’ll be adding our customer’s creations here too.
Once you’ve got your layout planned, visit your nearest Palmers Garden Centre to find the best selection of miniature house plants, cactus, succulents and accessories to complete the space. Adding greenery really brings the garden alive, with some plants looking exactly like trees in any country landscape. Plants from the miniature range won’t grow too tall too quickly and the leaves are smaller so are easier to maintain. Choose a mixture of heights and textures to add variety into the garden, and either moss or artificial grass to create hills and lawn.
Now that you’re feeling all inspired, why not give these DIY projects a go!
