All About Those Garden Bones...
Hi ,
Things are really starting to heat up for Spring here in the PNW and I'm itching for warmer, sunnier weather. The magnolia tree's buds are swelling, I saw my first Camelia in full bloom the other day, the tulips are coming up AND the robins are here - but they're not singing - yet. So hey! Spring is officially on its way!
And now that we've got the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day out of the way, it's time to start thinking about your miniature gardening and Spring! Two of my most-favorite topics EVER!
You may be thinkin' "But, Janit, it's still winter where I live - why, why, why in heaven's name, should I start thinking about gardening NOW??"
It is because your garden is showing you its bones right now - or, er, will be soon if you're still under a pile of snow. By thinking about the bones of your gardens - any sized garden for that matter - it can set you up for some thoughtful planting and fun garden designing this summer - more on this below.
AND for this lesson, I've resurrected a double-sided miniature garden that I made in 2005 for a client that wanted to have the Northwest and Hawaii all in one place. A feat only possible with a miniature garden, I might add!
Grab a cuppa and read-on. I think you can tell I miss blogging. Lol! We have some new-again Greek mythology miniature garden art, as well as some new plants and trees this week. Find them up in the New and Back-In-Stock section here!
Enjoy!
Stay safe. And whatever you do, please make it fun and safe for everyone,
Janit Calvo, Head MG, Owner
Two Green Thumbs Living Miniature Garden Center
ABOVE: From the Archives, 2005. I think there is a photo or two of this garden in my first Gardening in Miniature book... more details below!
Looking at your miniature garden from above (literally a bird's-eye view,) helps you to see the proportions, textures and overall balance of the miniature garden design.
From left to right: White Pygmy Sawara Cypress, Tricolor Sedum, Elfin Thyme, Strieb's Findling Cotoneaster, just above that is Dwarf Lily Turf, the tall tree is Jean's Dilly Dwarf Spruce and above that is the Bishop's Form Cranesbill. The "agaves" beside the pool are Hens and Chicks.
~~~
Enjoy the Bones of the Garden
Winter gardening is the best time to re-evaluate your garden design because what is left in the garden are now called the "bones" or the structure of the garden. A solid garden designed with an intentional structure can help you decide what to plant and where, eliminate buying too many plants, and help you create a cohesive and striking design from any
ordinary plants.
The "bones of the garden" is a term that the full-sized garden designers (I mean the garden is full-sized, not necessarily the designer... :o) often use to simplify an overall garden design, and make it easier to decide what to do next, what plants to move and/or what to work on.
The "bones" of the garden are what structures are left after the flowers and leaves have gone, and the deciduous plants have gone dormant.
Garden bones can include:
- any evergreen trees and shrubs
- garden beds
- patios, pathways,
- ponds, pools, riverbeds or fountains
- boulders or rocks
- "permanent structures"* like walls, sheds, fences or garden follies
(*there is nothing really permanent in a miniature garden, everything can be easily moved but it's a good descriptor for this lesson.)
And NOW is the time you can see the bones - or as soon as your snow goes away!
The idea behind analyzing your garden bones is to set yourself up for a pretty garden design that you can add to or amend as the growing season progresses. Another thing to think of as well, because we often only look at our miniature gardens from one side: is to set up a backdrop, or layers of plants, on the backside of your scene, to help set the stage
for your garden.
Look for:
- gaps in the garden bed - these will dictate the number, size and height of plants needed to fill that gap.
- balance - feeling lopsided? You can move around your dormant plants now (if the soil isn't soggy) or add another tree or shrub where you need balance.
- textures - mixing up the plant's textures helps to define them from one another, otherwise it'll look messy.
- shapes - the overall shape of the garden beds or pathways.
- personality - trellises, walls or fountains create focal points to give the garden purpose.
- in-ground gardens - the edges and shapes of your garden beds: do they make sense? are they well-defined? too big? too small?
Find more about garden design in my first book, Gardening in Miniature: Create Your Own
Tiny Living World. (Which is about to go out of print soon! Sniff!)
For a LOT more on all facets of this wonderful hobby, visit see our Miniature Garden Society, it built especially for us miniature gardeners!
~~~
The Miniature Patio was made from broken-up marble tile and set with our Mini Patio Mix Kit. The pool is handmade from a plastic container coated with marine paint, then laid-in with the dollhouse brick. The only thing I would change if I did this garden over is a better pool and high-fired brick - the dollhouse bricks don't
last as long outside in the weather as well as high-fired ones do.
~~~
We are America's Favorite
Miniature Garden Center Store,
Since 2001!
~~~
Get started today!
- Set yourself up for a ton of garden fun!
- I've done all the work so you don't have to!
It's an unusual website, the Miniature Garden Society, because it's made JUST for miniature gardeners and fairy gardeners BY a miniature gardener.
Find projects, information, directories, ebooks, resources, links to member's work and a LOT more!! AND it costs less than a large latte per month.
AND you get FREE stuff and standing discount to save on every order from our online store!
"Sending MG Love in the form of Java! Thanks for the passion and inspiration! xoxoxoxo
- Suzanne, GA"
Thank you to Sue in WA!
And a big mini thank you to
Suzanne in GA for ALL your "cuppas!"
We turned your coffees into lunch
For Steve and I - TYTY!! <3 <3
Your cups of coffee helps keep this
Mini Garden Gazette free and our websites
free of that annoying outside advertising
so you can focus on what counts.
Thank you for supporting the Miniature Garden Hobby!
A HUGE AND SUPER-SPECIAL
THANK YOU
TO ALL THE FRONT LINE WORKERS,
THE FIRST RESPONDERS
AND ALL OUR ESSENTIAL WORKERS!
PLEASE STAY SAFE AND KEEP OTHERS SAFE AS WELL
Janit Calvo, Self-Proclaimed Renaissance Woman
and Founder of the Miniature Garden Hobby.
We have been serving the Miniature Garden Hobby since 2001
Sending from USDA Zone 7, Seattle, Washington
in the Northwest corner of the USA.
CONTACT US ~ OTHER WAYS TO ORDER FROM OUR STORE:
~> Via Email - hit reply, (please don't email any credit card info!)
-> Via Phone - 206-352-0494 ~ We are in Seattle, 3 hours behind east coast time.
We no longer have regular office hours, please leave a message if we miss you!
PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITES:
ABOUT OUR SHIPPING:
We Ship Internationally (- but not the plants!)
All shipping costs are checked by Steve and we refund any savings promptly because of our wide range of unique inventory: we ship tiny miniatures, heavy patio materials and living plants, sometimes the automatic shipping calculator "packs" the order in multiple boxes which costs more. Steve can pack better than any online shipping calculator can - if we can
save you money on shipping, we will.
~~~
We appreciate and serve everyone regardless of race, color,
gender, politics, religion or who they love.
Viva la difference!
If we were all the same, the world would be a
very, very boring place to live.
We believe in Oneness, Kindness & Love.
~~~
REMINDER: This email is not spam. You are receiving this because you signed up for it and then you confirmed your subscription through your own email - you did a "double-opt-in." If you do not want this newsletter, we'll be sad to see you go, you will miss out on a lot of upcoming fun with this new hobby, and you'll have a hard time finding a better resource for
miniature gardening, but please unsubscribe using the link below.
|
|
|
