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.