You can grow a garden in a dish or planter that will be a nice conversation piece on your coffee table, near a window, or on another type of table. By carefully choosing the correct dish or planter, soil, plants and accessories you may be able to maintain your mini dish garden for several years.
Planning
Planning is an important part of this project. Before you begin spend some time considering where you would like to place your mini dish garden. Consider the light that is offered. How bright is the light? How many hours a day will the mini garden receive light? Is the light diffused or direct? Will the mini garden receive only artificial light? The answers to these questions will help you choose the plants for your mini dish garden.
More questions are: How large is the space for your dish garden? How high can the dish garden be? What shape would fit best in the space a long rectangular planter, a square dish, or a round dish or planter?
Finally what type of dish garden would you like? Would you like a mini herb garden? Would you like a garden of succulents? Would you enjoy a mixture of plants? And what sort of garden accessories would complement the plants?
Gathering Materials
Once you have answered the above questions you are ready to begin gathering the necessary materials to create your mini garden dish. Take a list of your answers with you to purchase the container, soil, plants and accessories. Make sure you have the dimensions of the container you can accommodate. Know the maximum height you would like the plants to reach. And have the amount of light and intensity of the light the garden will receive.
Shop for the container first since the size and shape of the container will help determine how many plants you can fit into it. Consider the type of garden as you select your container such as a terra cotta dish for succulents, a window box shape for creating a path in the garden, or a decorative container which matches your décor. After you have your container and plants you can begin to shop for buildings or accessories to complete your mini garden.
Select the proper plants for your light conditions and the type of garden you wish. Make sure that all of the plants in a single container require the same soil, light and moisture. If you are creating an herb garden be aware of the properties of the herb; will they grow tall or spread out? Most herbs can and will be snipped back so they are fairly versatile. Other plants may be more specific in terms of their growth patterns.
Choose soil appropriate for the type of plants that you chose.
You may want to shop for the accessories at a garden or craft shop. If you choose to make a mini dish garden similar to one pictured with this articles you may need to shop at a craft shop. I will post another article describing how to create the buildings pictured.
To make sure that everything is going to fit into the container you have chosen it is wise to temporarily set the items into the container as you select them. First set in the plants, next set the accessories into the container. Do you still have room to add some decorative stone or other items?
Assembly
Prepare the container for proper drainage and add a layer of soil in which to place the plants. Arrange the plants for a satisfying display. Add more soil to complete the planting.
Add the accessories such as buildings and check for the overall presentation. Once you are satisfied add small gravel, moss or other materials to complete the planting.
Add other decorative items if you would like.
Water the mini dish garden and place it in the space you chose.
Care
Keep the tags that came with the plants. Maintain the soil following the advice on the tags. Trim back the plants as they grow to maintain the proper size of the plants. Remove and dead or wilted leaves. Remove any withered or dead plant matter.
You may be able to place you mini dish garden outside in the summer and then to move it into your house in the fall for overwintering.
You are sure to receive many complements, comments and questions about your mini garden. You should be able to enjoy sharing your mini garden and answering the questions should be enjoyable too. In the winter your mini dish garden will add a welcome bit of summer to your home. Enjoy your mini dish garden. And if for some reason your little garden doesn’t do as well as you would like simply remove the plants and try again the next year. Perhaps your choice of plants was not the wisest for the conditions. Or perhaps your would just like to try a different type of mini garden the next year. It is your little garden and you should enjoy caring for it. You can find lots of information on the internet or in magazines or books to help you. The staff at your local garden center would always be willing to look at your little garden and make suggestions to help also. That is another benefit of a miniature dish garden they may be transported easily.
