Miniature Gardens: Tiny Complete Worlds in Any Container

A fascinating form of indoor gardening is constructing and cultivating tiny, complete gardens. They can be made in almost any container—a vegetable dish, bowl, old-fashioned meat dish from a street market, or even a baking tin. Miniature gardens give particular pleasure in winter and early spring when flowers are scarce and more time is spent indoors.

If the container has drainage holes, great. But they're not essential—they just create the problem of protecting polished furniture; a tray beneath solves this.

Whether or not there are drainage holes, cover the base with a 1-inch layer of crocks, small stones, or pebbles to drain moisture from soil above and keep roots from standing in water. Next, spread a thin layer of leaves or coarse peat to prevent finer soil sifting through.

Then add soil—either John Innes potting compost (without fertilizer) or equal parts coarse sand, peat, and loam with a little crushed charcoal and brick rubble.

The miniature garden can be designed in as many ways as a full-scale garden. For a rock garden, pile soil unevenly for an informal effect and introduce small natural stones. For a formal garden, construct little paths and sunken beds around small lawns. Use thin stone or slate for walls and pathways; sow lawns with grass seed and trim with nail scissors. Some loveliest miniature gardens are Japanese-style with small bridges, temples, similar ornaments, and sunken pools from meat-paste jars.

Whichever style, the aim is keeping trees, plants, and stones all in proportion.

Dwarf evergreen piceas form height-giving trees. Chamaecyparis obtusa ericoides, a tiny cypress-family conifer, makes a dome-shaped tree a few inches high and wide. Dwarf oak and beech seedlings last a few years before outgrowing the space. Another suitable tree: dwarf juniper, Juniperus communis compressa.

Most small bulbs work well. Try Narcissus asturiensis (syn. N. minimus), snowdrops, dwarf cyclamen, crocus. Rhodohypoxis baurii produces red flowers through most of summer at only 4 inches high.

Miniature roses can be included. Dwarf Rosa roulettii (syn. R. chinensis minima) forms are a few inches tall with red, pink, white, or yellow flowers.

Other suitable plants: sedums, sempervivums, muscoides and kabschia saxifrages, dwarf Iris cristata, Tolmiea menziesii (rough leaves). Mentha requienii (minty smell, blue flowers) is one of the smallest flowering plants.

Armeria caespitosa (small thrift) is charming. Two delicate blue-eye grass varieties: Sisyrinchium bermudiana (blue flowers) and S. californicum (yellow flowers), both with small rush-like leaves.

Once planted, never let the miniature garden dry out—it needs daily attention. Occasionally, during a warm shower, stand it outside for rain to wash foliage. Never let it become waterlogged. Large-dish gardens are too unwieldy to drain except through holes, but smaller bowls can be gently tilted to drain surplus moisture.