Reading Lush Little Landscapes Miniature Gardening Book
31 May

What’s the Plan for the Lush Little Landscapes Book?

We didn’t fund our Kickstarter, so for now, the book is on hold. But here’s what is planned for the book when it’s eventually released…

Every chapter of the Lush Little Landscapes book is planned to be full of possibilities and each garden will have 6-12 pages of inspirational photos, DIY instructions and buying guides.

I work with so many quality vendors and craftspersons – you will be amazed at what’s coming. It’s jam packed with things you’ve never seen before that will breathe life and realism into your miniature gardens.

Of course, we’ll have to make some choices because it can’t all fit in one book. As always, I’m inclined to give you a ton of value for the money – and will likely put a lot more in the book than I originally planned, but my readers will have to make some choices about what can fit in the book. Just going over the table of contents gets me excited all over again and I don’t know what I’d leave out if I had to decide.

Miniature Trailer Garden

Table of Contents for Lush Little Landscapes

(If we find a way to get the book done)

Featured Gardens

  • Garden Railway in Miniature Garden Scale (I’m really excited about this one – tiny working trains all the way from Australia!)
  • Fantasy Land 1, 2
  • Kitchen Herbs for miniature gardens in Creative Containers

Events (Centerpieces for parties, gifts, or just for you)

  • Tea Party 1, 2, 3 (You’ve seen a peek at one – there is lots more to come)
  • Picnics and BBQs 1, 2, 3 (I’m dying to break out my picnic basket. Want to see?)
  • Camping Trailer 1, 2, 3, 4 (The Airstream trailer is a fan favorite – but I have them in several scales and lots of other ideas to explore.)

Places

  • Farm 1, 2, 3 (The farm is the ultimate garden – now you can grow your own)
  • Treehouse 1, 2 (This has been on my list to make since a friend asked for one a year ago. I’m finally making it and you’ll want to make one, too!)
  • Beach 1, 2, 3 (An easy garden to take care of – and I have a variation that requires no care at all and is fun to play with)
  • Front Yard 1, 2 (The front yard is a perfect place to plant your flowers, a tree and park your favorite car in the driveway)
  • Back Yard 1, 2 (Full of tree swings and croquet sets, volleyball and barbecues, pools and ponds and pets)
  • Park (Take a walk through a city park, with lights)
  • Neighbors (Good fences make good neighbors – and I’ll show you how to make a fence you haven’t seen before)
  • Campground (Break out the tents and the marshmallows over an open campfire)
  • Pond (There’s nothing prettier than a pond in your garden)
  • Topiaries and Mazes (Exciting, right?!?!)

Seasons

Let’s explore one garden, going through the seasons. And let’s look at gardens that are built for the season they’re celebrating.

  • Winter 1, 2
  • Spring 1, 2
  • Summer 1, 2
  • Fall 1, 2

Worldwide

  • Japanese Zen Garden
  • Italian Winery
  • English Village
  • Irish Hills
  • French Countryside
  • Tropical Beach
  • Savannah in Africa
  • Amazonian Jungle
  • City Garden
  • American Desert
  • Alpine Mountain
  • Rocky Mountain Forest
  • Coral Reef

Holidays (These make great gifts and centerpieces)

  • Valentine’s Day
  • St. Patrick’s Day
  • Easter
  • Cinco de Mayo
  • Mother’s Day
  • Father’s Day
  • U.S.A. Patriotic Holidays (President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veteran’s Day, Election Day, Labor Day)
  • Halloween 1, 2, 3
  • Thanksgiving
  • Christmas 1, 2

Minimal Care Gardens

  • Zen
  • Beach
  • Succulent

Basics

  • Calculate and plan the right scale
  • Creating Water Features (Waterfalls, Ponds, Streams, Fountains)
  • Creating Natural Topography (Hills, Cliffs, Dunes, Ravines)
  • How to light your garden
  • Planning and design

Structures (to make and to find)

  • Paths & Patios
  • Walls
  • Buildings
  • Fences
  • Bridges
  • Stairs

Making Accessories

  • Chairs, benches and tables
  • Birdhouses
  • Swingset & Sandbox
  • Ponds
  • Sandcastles
  • Fountains
  • Windchimes
  • Reference: List of additional tutorials for food and other accessories

Finding Accessories (Covered throughout, plus pages of the best miniature items that bring life to your miniature gardens)

  • Leisure: Chairs, benches, hammocks, tables, lounges
  • Refreshment: Food & Drink
  • Keepsakes: Sentimental items to find and collect
  • Recreation: Activity, sport, play
  • Creatures: Wildlife, pets and their accessories
  • Decorations: Making it real
  • Personalization: Making it memorable
  • Homes: Houses, castles, tents, campers
  • Transportation: Cars, motorcycles, bicycles and wagons
  • Reference: Accessory vendors and ideas for finding all items

Containers

  • Making
    • Hypertufa
    • Wood
    • Wire
    • Pottery
  • Decorating
    • Decopauge
    • Painting
    • Accessorizing
    • Mosaic
  • Finding
    • Where to look for bargains
    • Quality for a lasting garden
    • Unexpected Containers
    • Garden Themes Extended

Plants Reference Guide

  • Flowers and color
  • Texture and tone
  • Easy care
  • Tender care
  • Plants for Topiaries and Mazes
  • Plants for…
    • Sun
    • Shade
    • Indoors
  • Trees
    • List of good tree-like shrubs for all kinds of gardens
    • Pruning shrubs to create trees
    • Trees that stay miniature
  • Where to buy
    • Online
    • Nurseries with fantastic miniature garden departments
The Secret to Making Perfect Miniature Garden Paths | Lush Little Landscapes
10 May

The Secret to Making Perfect Miniature Garden Paths

Most miniature gardens need a path through them – something that makes them look “lived in.” And that path can be made with flat stones or tiles – or it can be left as dirt. Here at Lush Little Landscapes, I like to fill every tiny spot so dirt is not showing – to make the garden look like it’s been growing for a long time and well-tended. So any spot where dirt is showing, including an entire path, I like to fill with gravel. But where do you find gravel small enough to look correct in a tiny garden?

The Aquarium section of the Pet Store. Yes, really. And IKEA sells some small gravels as vase filler, too.

There are dozens of colors and one will work well with your garden. Consider what you’re going for in your overall design when choosing colors. Sometimes you want natural…

What is the Secret to Making Perfect Miniature Garden Paths? | Lush Little Landscapes
Natural-colored aquarium gravel (pet store) and brown decorative sand (IKEA vase filler).

And sometimes the starkness of black and white…

Using white and Black Aquarium Gravel in a Miniature Japanese Garden | Lush Little Landscapes
White aquarium gravel around light stepping stones creates a filled-in path, black aquarium gravel under the lanterns create a clean look (better than exposed dirt) and at the bottom of the pond the black gravel creates depth.

Here’s the prettiest idea I found for water…

Crushed Glass Water and Aquarium Gravel | Lush Little Landscapes
Crushed glass “water” (IKEA vase filler) and white aquarium gravel filling around the stepping stones.

There are lots of colors available. Sometimes choosing a bright color (or colors) is the way to go…

Halloween Orange and Black aquarium gravel path | Lush Little Landscapes
There are lots of colors available – and here is a bit of fun for Halloween with an Orange and Black aquarium gravel path, with the black filling in around a dark flat stone path.

Miniature Halloween Fairy Garden by Lush Little Landscapes
03 Oct

Halloween Miniature Garden Preview

A New Garden Guide is coming – make sure you’re on the mailing list so you know the moment it’s available. Learn where to get the supplies and accessories, how to make some key items (including all the tables!) and what plants bring all the right spookiness and color to your Halloween mini garden. And a whole section on decorating containers. All of these fairy gardens are lighted and have glowing features too — so they’re fun even when you turn out the lights! Great as a centerpiece for your holiday party, or next to your pumpkin for the trick-or-treaters to marvel at.

Miniature Pumpkin Carving at Lush Little Landscapes

More great miniature food and even an amazingly real pumpkin carving scene from my friend at The Mouse Market.

Halloween Miniature Garden at Lush Little Landscapes

Googly eyed cake and spooky cookies! How fun is that?

Halloween Miniature Fairy Garden at Lush Little Landscapes

Halloween Miniature Fairy Garden at Lush Little Landscapes - Miniature Food, Spooky Lights and glowing effects, pumpkin patch and mini pumpkin carving with cat for scale

My cat decided to supervise part of the photo shoot – use the back of his head for scale.

More photos and detailed how-to instructions to come in the Halloween Garden Guide. Be sure you’re on the mailing list to get it the moment it’s ready.

Miniature Farm Garden Preview | Lush Little Landscapes
01 Aug

Miniature Farm Garden Preview

This is just a sneak peek…

The Miniature Farm Garden is coming! I’m waiting on a few items from from my fantastic miniature accessories partner at Miniature-Gardening.com to finish the how-to guide.

But I couldn’t resist taking a few quick photos and giving you a preview of the progress because I’m so excited about this garden!

Miniature Farm Garden Preview | Lush Little Landscapes

Miniature Farm Garden Preview | Lush Little Landscapes

There’s a bit left to do before final photography and finishing the guide.

  • Plant trimming
  • Cleaning up the rows in the field
  • Replanting seeds that didn’t quite grow
  • Fences for the pasture
  • Place a few more fantastic accessories from Miniature-Gardening.com
  • Build a smaller satellite garden with a chicken coop that’s attached with a bridge (seriously excited about this!)

The how-to project guide for this one will identify lots of plants from our partner Armstrong Growers.

Stay tuned! Sign up for the email list if you don’t want to miss an update.

Miniature Farm Garden Preview | Lush Little Landscapes Miniature Farm Garden Preview | Lush Little Landscapes

31 Jul

What Makes a Lush Little Landscape Different?

I do things differently than many miniature and fairy garden creators. I love a lush garden. What makes a garden lush?

I look at photography and gather inspiration from life-sized gardens. That’s why I include photos of inspirational full-scale landscapes in my guides. It’s like a painter – you have to observe your subject before you can interpret it in a smaller form. Make it artful!

My basic list of rules for maximum lushness…

No dirt showing

That means covering even the tiniest of spaces with aquarium gravel (black, white or natural), mini boulders, pieces of driftwood, stepping stones and accessories after filling with closely planted varieties of plants.

Treat each garden like a real landscape

Look at the layout of life-sized landscapes for inspiration. Create levels with retaining walls and stairs, paths that meander, different interesting points of view, a variety of textures and a variety of kinds of plants.

Accessorize

Thoughtfully combine objects so they fit a theme and they match in style and scale. Don’t just put things together because they’re all miniature. Think about it like a landscape architect: does the style of these things match?

Whimsy

Add something fun and unexpected. That’s always going to be something different – it all depends on the garden. Is it a tire swing? A colorful birdhouse? A wagon full of toys? An Airstream Trailer? Lawn gnome?

Trees

Trees can be made from English and African Boxwoods, Rosemary, Thyme, Conifers, Australian Tea Trees (which bloom in a really pretty way in a sunny garden). Trim away lower branches (look at real trees to observe growing patterns). Some trees have several branches attached low and then bush out. Some trees have a definite trunk and then the tree branches out higher up.

Plants

Choose plants that don’t grow more than a few inches tall, unless they’re supposed to be a tree or meant to be a large bush. Look for densely packed small leaves and tiny flowers. Think about which plants you put together – don’t combine plants the need shade with plants that love sun and plants that love dry with plants that must be kept wet.