Miniature Gardens
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We are in the process of establishing a miniature landscape in our nursery. It consists of a mountain scene with some impressive peaks, a house on the ledge, lake and waterfalls, and a railroad. The railroad track is still causing us some serious trouble. We had to pack some of it into a tunnel, which is too long to easily maintain it, and some of the track will have to go over bridges, supporting it on the mountain side and spanning over a dangerous waterfall. After solving these tasks of civil engineering, and after having a permanent power supply installed, we will proudly present our landscape to all customers, especially the children among us.
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Photo: Gary Mitchell |
The earlier planted part of the
miniature garden is visible on the right, with details below. In the
distance the arbor with Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans) and Clematis are
not part of the miniature garden. The photo on the left depicts a more recently planted area. Once the plants have grown in and gained in volume, a lot of the rocks will be softened by vegetation. Since it is a trial garden, there are lots of different varieties. In a later stage of garden development, I will eliminate those plants that are not satisfying, or that don't fit the style. The best ones will then be grouped and rearranged to form nice little landscape scenes.
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Photo: Gary Mitchell |
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Photo: Gary Mitchell |
Left: The stone house adds
definition and dimension to the landscape. It's base is cut to fit
the stone it sits on.
Plants include Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Graciosa' (large on left), Pinus
mugo 'Mops' (between rocks) and Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Minima'
(foreground left). Simple greens seem to work well to create a natural
appearence. Right: dwarf Hosta "Winsome" (larger Clumps) and "Pandora's Box" (white center) and the hardy dwarf sweetflag Acorus gramineus 'Ogon', with Irish Moss (Sagina subulata) and a dwarf creeping thyme (Thymus x coccineus 'Minus') as groundcovers. The waterfall is going to be running soon and we will then add photos of that. |
Photo: Gary Mitchell |
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Photo: Gary Mitchell |
Trough gardens Container plantings are a way of creating little works of art with plants, stone, old roots and anything else one would want to incorporate. I make containers of tufa, a 'cement-sand-peat moss' mix that is durable and natural looking. I will offer workshops for tufa-trough building in the nursery. I also teach classes organized by Kittery Adult Education every fall. |
Photo: Gary Mitchell |
The following list contains plants that we are currently testing in our gardens. All species and varieties that we think are outstanding are underlined.
Reminder: Most miniature and all alpine plants require very special soil conditions that have to be provided to them to enable them to survive the winter, or a wet summer. Basically, they have to have very gritty, gravelly, well draining soil. We seemed to have good success so far with a mix that consisted of ca. 50% crushed stone (3/8") to insure drainage. The rest consisted of peat moss, compost, vermiculite, coarse sand and loam in various amounts.
Not all of the listed plants would fit into the same scale of miniature landscaping. Some, like the Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') grow easily into 8 foot large trees (although very slowly), while others might only grow to about 24 inches tall (Picea glauca 'Echiniformis'). Other plants that do not grow very high might spread very far (Junipers, Bearberry, etc.). Many shrubs and trees can be kept in size by pruning or what could be called 'bonsaiing'. I have never tried root-pruning outdoor plants as it is done with Bonsai. Anyone with experience in that respect please share your knowledge!
| Scientific Name | Generic Name (many don't have one) | remarks |
| Abies balsamea 'Nana' | Dwarf Balsam Fir | very hardy, but seems somewhat soil sensitive; I frequently find some browning of needles on my plant which is planted in a tufa trough. Perhaps there is lime bleaching out, or it might dry out too fast. |
| Acer ginnala 'Emerald Elf' | Dwarf Amur Maple | tough small shrub, brilliant red fall color, I want to try this for Bonsai and also as a pruned outdoor pseudo-bonsai. |
| Achillea jaborneggii | Alpine Yarrow | need to further observe overwintering; |
| Acorus gramineus "Pusillus Minimus Aureus" | Miniature Variegated Sweet Flag | this is a beautiful, tiny glasslike plant, but did not survive the winter here in Zone 5 to 6. I bed it will be fine in Zone 7, as long as it has good drainage |
| Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' | Dwarf Sweet Flag 'Ogon' | small, beautiful, tuff and easy, and has survived even the worst winters here |
| Alchemilla alpina | Alpine Lady's Mantle | full, fresh foliage; perhaps a little large for a miniature garden |
| Allium senescens 'Glaucum' | Curly Chives | unusual twisted foliage, easy to grow and great for rock gardens, but looks rather funky and not very convincing in a miniature garden |
| Alyssum serphyllifolium | Mountain Alyssum | need to further observe overwintering |
| Andromeda polifolia | Bog Andromeda | I can't keep this alive in a pot, but survives planted, to me this is a difficult plant; I saw it in the wild on a lakeside in NH in gravelly soil with wet root zone |
| Anthemis carpatica 'Snow Carpet' | Snow Carpet Marguerite | for rock garden, divide frequently, flowers too large for miniature garden |
| Aquilegia saximontana | Miniature Columbine | need to further observe overwintering |
| Arabis alpina | Alpine Rock cress | easy, reliable |
| Arabis sturii | Cushion Rock cress | a wonderful, low mat of dense, juicy-green foliage, and small white flowers; saw this the first time at Van Berkum Nurseries (wholesale); easy to grow and likes part shade; perfect for the miniature garden |
| Arctostaphylos uva-ursii | Bearberry | likes hot and dry, easy and ornamental, wide spreading; good small evergreen foliage and big red beries in the late summer; However, I frequently observe browning of foliage by late winter, which recovers a few weeks later; only recommended for a very spacious miniature garden |
| Arctostaphylos uva-ursii 'Wood's Compact' | Compact Bearberry | much shorter and more compact than species, but this has been loaded with some kind of black spot that neighboring plants of the plain species did not get or only very little; I do not recommend it! |
| Arenaria montana | Mountain Sandwort | not yet tested |
| Armeria juniperifolia 'Rosa Stolz' | Dwarf Thrift | need to further observe overwintering |
| Armeria maritima 'Rubrifolia' | purple-leaved Thrift | great dark chocolate-purple foliage color, not yet tested outdoors |
| Asperula gussonii | miniature Cushion-woodruff | tiny mounds, need to further observe overwintering, however, I can already say that it easily burns out in a hot summer. Otherwise a beautiful plant for the very tiny miniature garden |
| Asplenium trichomanes | Maidenhair Spleenwort, a tiny fern | I know these well from Germany, growing in old mortared stone walls, need to check hardiness and drought resistance in New England summer |
| Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila' | Dwarf Astilbe | too big for miniature gardens, I'm not very impressed with this plant, the flowers look dirty before bloom is over; hope to find better dwarf astilbes. I'm trying now Astilbe x crispa "Lilliput", which I was able to get from Sunny Border in 2006. Looks very promising. |
| Buxus 'Goddard Collage' | Boxwood Goddard College | so far this overwintered better than Green Velvet, need to further observe this plant and play with it a little more - shaping it into trees etc. |
| Buxus 'Green Mountain' | Green Mountain Boxwood | unusual for its upright habit, good miniature tree if pruned to shape, also for Bonsai I can imagine |
| Calluna vulgaris 'Foxi Nana' | Miniature Heather | these disappeared in one of the
colder New England winters, will survive in perfect sand & peat soil,
and
with pine boughs for wind protection "White Lawn" is a beautiful creeping variety, but since it always has soil contact it rots very easily. Might work better on a very steep slope. |
| Calluna vulgaris 'White Lawn' | creeping Heather | |
| Campanula cochlearifolia 'Bavaria Blue' | Dwarf Bellflower | a miniature jewel with small nodding bells, seed from Jelitto in Germany |
| Campanula poscharskyana 'Elizabeth Frost' | White Serbian Bellflower | vigorous, easy, for rock gardens, gets quite big |
| Campanula punctata 'Little Punky' | Bellflower | not sure about scale of flowers (seems too big) and vigorousness, have to further observe |
| Carex berggrenii | Dwarf Bronze Sedge | very tiny, dark foliage color seems hard to work with, tends to look dead because of brown color, needs the right setting; I am not sure if this is vigorous enough to call it a plant. Will have to try soil with less drainage! |
| Carex caryophylla 'The Beatles' | Dwarf Sedge 'The Beatles' | very vigorous, easy, but not as tiny, rather for the jungle within the miniature garden |
| Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Kosterii' | Koster Dwarf False Cypress | beautiful texture, easy to grow; for miniature gardens until they outgrow their place, might reach 3 or 4 feet in 20 years, I would guess |
| Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana' | Very Dwarf False Cypress | a very slow growing, tiny little bun; might need more than 20 years to grow a foot tall; definitely for the miniature garden, need to observe longer |
| Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis' | Dwarf False Cypress, Dwarf Hinoki Cypress | this is the most common of the dwarf Hinoki's; it has typical, somewhat twisted bunches of foliage, faster growing than 'Nana' and in size closer to 'Kosteri' |
| Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Minima' | Dwarf Sawara Cypress | low, broad, very small, easy to grow, so far looks very promising for the miniature garden, but need to further observe |
| Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Squarrosa 'Minima' | Dwarf Blue Sawara Cypress | upright and scraggily, nice bluish foliage, but tends to have single long shoots' prune to shape; need to further observe |
| Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Little Jamie' | Dwarf White Cedar | upright, nice to simulate fir or spruce on a small scale; I have seen this offered as Bonsai starters, and I believe it might be great for miniature gardens as well, but have to observe growth rate and tolerance for pruning for a little longer; needs moist soil |
| Cotoneaster adpressus 'Little Gem' | Dwarf Creeping Cotoneaster | tiny foliage, delicate habit, easy to grow in the soil, but I usually have problems keeping these happy in containers; I believe they have a sensitive root system and I can't see how they would make easy Bonsai in respect to root health. |
| Cotoneaster apiculatus 'Tom Thumb' | Dwarf Cranberry Cotoneaster | similar to above, still have to figure out the differences |
| Cotoneaster horizontalis 'Perpusillus' | Dwarf Rockspray Cotoneaster | similar to above, but seems wider spreading |
| Daphne cneorum 'Ruby Glow' | Ruby Glow Rose Daphne | a beautiful plant, but can be difficult to get established; I would think this might be one of the finest dwarf shrubs for the miniature garden, but have to observe a little longer. |
| Dianthus 'Rose Dawn' | Dwarf Pink 'Rose Dawn' | miniature, need further observation |
| Dianthus 'Sternkissen' | Dwarf Pink 'Star Pillow' | a very good miniature, easy to grow, and forms low cushions of dense and healthy foliage that slowly broaden with time, prolific small pink blooms; one of the best in my opinion; variations possible since it is a seed strain; |
| Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'La Bourboule' | Dwarf Pink 'La Bourboule' | miniature, but was not long lived in my garden |
| Dianthus grat. 'Tiny Rubies' | Dwarf Pink 'Tiny Rubies' | need further observation |
| Draba | Draba | still observing different species |
| Dryas octopetala | Mountain Avens | this low spreading plant has beautiful foliage and white flowers that might be a bit large for miniature gardens, but I love them anyway; It is a remnant from the Ice Age and likes it cool, therefore it dies in pots during the summer, but is vigorous and beautiful once planted, spreads quite fast |
| Erica carnea 'Vivellii' | Winter Heather | I n my gardens, Erica is easier to grow than Calluna and definitely slightly hardier, purplish-red flowers; too big for small miniature gardens! count on 2 to 3 ft. spread per plant |
| Erica carnea 'December Red' | Winter Heather | December Red and Springwood White seemed hardier than Vivellii; otherwise see description above |
| Erica carnea 'Springwood White' | Winter Heather | |
| Erinus alpinus 'Picos de Europa' | Erinus | this extremely tiny plant with lavender flowers is not likely to go through the winter alife, but might selfseed, it is beautiful, with super-tiny foliage and little purple flowers, the whole clump about 2 inch tall |
| Erodium variabile 'Roseum' | Dwarf Herons Bill | very beautiful flowers and foliage, blooms forever, but had no luck overwintering it; this plant is so beautiful and floriferous, it's worth planting it anew year after year - and I would not say lightly! |
| Festuca abbreviata | Dwarf Fescue | the tiniest clumps of grass for the true miniature garden, ca 1-2" tall, hardy; definitely the best tiny grass I have come across so far. I could plant a whole miniature lawn with it - however, it is strictly clumping and not spreading. |
| Fothergilla gardenii 'Appalachia' | Compact Bottlebrush Shrub | supposed to be very compact, I have to observe it for a few years |
| Genista sagittalis | Winged broom | low and interesting; so far slow to get established |
| Gentiana septemfida | Gentian | good plant, seems robust, the wonderful flowers seem too big for a miniature landscape, use in rockeries |
| Geranium cantabrigense 'Biokovo' | Biokovo Dwarf Cranesbill | fairly small plants with light pink flowers, vigorous |
| Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' | Ballerina Dwarf Cranesbill | striking flowers, fine foliage, not as vigorous as G. dalmaticum |
| Geranium cinereum 'Guiseppi' | Guiseppi Dwarf Cranesbill | striking, intense magenta flowers |
| Geranium dalmaticum | Dalmatian Cranesbill | small, vigorous and very beautiful, and with a spicy fragrance, one of my favorites and definitely very easy to grow; however, I'm not sure if it is not too big for a miniature landscape - will watch a little longer; |
| Ginkgo biloba | Ginkgo Tree | used for Bonsai, otherwise a huge tree; I will try to find some dwarfs to try out |
| Gypsophila repens 'Rosea' | Creeping Baby's Breath | fine bluish-green foliage, floriferous, and in my garden very long-lived, hanging over a the edge of a rock wall |
| Heuchera pulchella | Dwarf Heuchera | still evaluating |
| Hosta 'Cat's Eye' | variegated miniature Hosta | very promising, very small and refined; has some yellow-green in the foliage which is hard to find in a miniature plant - try combining with Sagina subulata 'Aurea' for the yellow garden! |
| Hosta 'Ki Nakafu Otome' | miniature Hosta | looks to me just like Hosta venusta for now, need to observe another season |
| Hosta 'Radio Waves' | a little taller; rather for the rockery than a miniature garden | |
| Hosta 'Teaspoon' | probably an interesting rock garden plant | |
| Hosta 'Pandora's Box' | miniature Hosta | green leaf with white center, smaller than 'Winsome' and in my opinion a very suitable hosta for miniature gardens and works well in troughs |
| Hosta 'Winsome' | dwarf Hosta | so far it seems to grow bigger than I like it for a miniature garden |
| Hosta venusta | Miniature Hosta | great, tiny, easy, long-lived |
| Iberis saxatilis | Dwarf Candytuft | need to further observe overwintering |
| Iris cristata | Crested Iris | a beautiful native dwarf Iris with nice, clean foliage, but might be too big for miniature landscapes, certainly great in shady rockeries |
| Juniperus communis 'Compressa' | 'Compressa' Juniper | a narrow conical dwarf, very refined |
| Juniperus communis 'Miniature' | 'Miniature' Juniper | very similar to 'Compressa', slightly broader and supposed to be easier to grow |
| Juniperus procumbens 'Nana' | Dwarf Jap. Juniper | for Bonsai, can grow 6 ft. wide if not pruned; if regularly checked, it can make a nice specimen in a miniature landscape |
| Juniperus procumbens 'Greenmound' | Greenmound Jap. Juniper | finer texture and greener color than above |
| Leontopodium alpinum | Edelweiss | not for miniature gardens, have to observe survival in rock garden in our climate |
| Penstemon procerus ssp. tolmiei | Dwarf Penstemon | this plant forms a mat or low mound of dark and juicy green leaves and has striking electric-blue flowers on short stems above the foliage; very interesting! Well established in my miniature garden, and I'm looking forward to longer observation. |
| Phlox subulata 'Betty' | Moss Phlox 'Betty' | a super-tiny cushion-phlox and loaded with tiny flowers, everything in good scale and a great plant for miniature gardens; winter hardiness seems fine so far |
| Picea abies 'Nidiformis' | Birdsnest Spruce | a good dwarf, slightly irregular, for larger rock gardens |
| Picea abies 'Pumila' | Dwarf Norway Spruce | a good light green dwarf conifer for larger rock gardens |
| Picea glauca 'Conica' | Dwarf Alberta Spruce | for larger rock gardens and other uses; also trained as Bonsai and I'm trying these out in the miniature landscape with frequent pruning |
| Picea glauca 'Echiniformis' | 'Echiniformis' Miniature Spruce | a great, easy miniature, fine texture and good, slightly irregular shape, very slow growing and perfect for small landscapes and troughs |
| Picea glauca 'Elf' | 'Elf' Miniature Spruce | smaller and tighter than 'Echiniformis', one of the smallest dwarf conifers, not yet planted in trial garden |
| Picea mariana 'Nana' | Dwarf Black Spruce | a very slow conifer with dull bluish-green, small needles, probably suitable for miniature gardens and larger troughs |
| Picea omorika 'Nana' | Dwarf Serbian Spruce | this one grows quite large, give it space even in a regular garden |
| Pinus nigra | Austrian Pine | I carry these in the nursery to try as Bonsai |
| Pinus ponderosa | Ponderosa Pine | same as above |
| Pinus mugo 'Moppet' | 'Moppet' Miniature Mugo Pine | a very tiny plant, small needles; use in troughs, containers and railroad gardens, carried this in 2006 for the first time and have been very impressed - these are truly tiny trees! Since I have no doubts about their hardiness, I would conclude that these (and others below) are just made for miniature landscapes. Phantastic! |
| Pinus mugo 'Paul's Dwarf' | 'Paul's Dwarf' Miniature Mugo Pine | I purchased 'Paul's Dwarf' in 2006, which looks almost identical to 'Moppet' but my two plants did not seem to have as good a needle retention as 'Moppet' did (I had 20 plants to compare to). 'Moppet' remained fresher looking and fuller under identical conditions. |
| Pinus mugho 'Mops' | 'Mops' Dwarf Mugo Pine | a superb pine with small needles and dense habit, a little larger in all parts than 'Moppet' |
| Pinus mugho 'Valley Cushion' | Dwarf Mugo Pine | a good small pine, but needles slightly larger than 'Mops', at least on our plants |
| Pinus mugho 'Pumilio' | Dwarf Mugo Pine | faster than 'Mops', use in larger rock gardens and landscaping, will reach a couple of feet easily. |
| Polygonatum humile | Dwarf Salomon's Seal | looks pretty good for a miniature Salomon's Seal; it forms open colonies of small, upright stems with rounded leaves in the typical manner as larger Salomon's Seals. I'm not sure about the usefulness of this plant in a miniature landscape. |
| Potentilla tommasiniana 'Snowhite' | Dwarf Potentilla | seems easy to grow and has excellent foliage; the pure white flowers are very refined and beautiful; worth trying in a miniature setting or trough |
| Rhododendron impeditum | Miniature Rhododendron | grows into an irregular shrub about 1 ft. tall and has tiny oval leaves; flowers are intense bluish-purple; with little pruning it will look like a bonsai tree; a perfect plant for the miniature garden, only that I have problems finding it in the wholesale trade; this is one of my al-time favorites. Combine with Pinus 'Moppet' on a hillside! Wunderbar! |
| Rhododendron 'Purple Gem' | Purple Gem Rhododendron | identical with 'Ramapo', I would say; a beautiful small shrub, grwoing about 18" tall and 2 to 3 ft. wide, great plant for rock gardens, a little too big for small miniature gardens, but I could see it work well in a railroad garden, especcially if well shaped; very easy to grow and hardy |
| Rosa 'Red Minimo' | Red Minimo Rose | the only rose I would dare putting in a mini garden, truly tiny and very floriferous; I recommend protection in the winter |
| Sagina subulata | Irish Moss | a very useful, moss-like plant, really a flowering perennial with tiny white blossoms, best grown on gravelly soil and with a coarse layer of crushed stone on the surface, so that foliage dries off quickly after a rain, because it is prone to rot out in hot, humid summers; Nevertheless, no miniature landscape can go without it! |
| Sagina subulata 'Gold' | Golden Irish Moss | as above, golden-greenish foliage |
| Saponaria ocymoides | Soapwort | this got bigger than I expected, use in rock garden |
| Saxifraga cochlearis 'Minor' | was quick to establish and striking to look at, but have to observe hardiness | |
| Saxifraga cotyledon | great foliage, but the flowers a monstrous, on stalks 18" tall - use in rock garden | |
| Saxifraga paniculata 'Cockscomb' | very interesting foliage, have to observe overwintering | |
| Sedum acre | a dangerous plant, it self-seeds prolifically; keep it away from your miniature landscape! | |
| Sedum 'John Creech' | vigorous, good looking, but too big for miniature gardens I would say | |
| Sedum kamtschaticum 'Weihenstephaner Gold' | a very attractive sedum for the rock garden; might also work in miniature landscape of larger scale | |
| Sedum pachyclados | very promising for miniature garden, have to observe size and overwintering | |
| Sempervivum arachnoideum | Cobweb Sempervivum | easy to grow, very hardy |
| Sempervivum arachnoideum 'Standsfieldii' | smaller than above, even better for miniature landscapes | |
| Sempervivum pumilum | super-tiny, beautiful in miniature gardens; fine proportions | |
| Sempervivum tectorum | easy to grow, but might be too big for miniature gardens | |
| Sempervivum 'Oddity' | exotic cinnamon-stick foliage, I have observed some reverting in this - have to see third season to say for sure | |
| Sempervivum Hybrids | many are strikingly beautiful, but often too big for miniature garden use | |
| Sisyrinchum angustifolium 'Luzerne' | Blue-eyed Gras | this can be used in a miniature garden like an iris would in a regular garden, blue flowers; does not seem to be long-lived |
| Thalictrum kiusianum | Dwarf Meadowrue | low, vigorous and floriferous, good small foliage and fine, fluffy flowers on a mounded plant; I also like to use this in woodland gardens - takes some shade! |
| Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Midget' | Dwarf Arborvitae | shaped like a boxwood, very slow growing, should be very suitable for miniature use if pruned to expose stem |
| Thymus praecox 'Coccineus' | Dwarf Creeping Thyme | good very low creeping thyme, lots of pinkish-purple flowers |
| Thymus praecox 'Minus' | Dwarf Creeping Thyme | one of the smallest, and for its foliage the best creeping thyme, very dense carpets that are somewhat stiff and retain a certain thickness, and with very little browning out in the summer, not many flowers, but still my favorite miniature thyme, |
| Thymus pseudolanuginosus | Wooly Thyme | I don't recommend it because it often (always) rots in the foliage, even if planted on a slope! It might need to hang from a wall to stay healthy. |
| Tsuga canadensis 'Hussi' | dwarf upright Hemlock | all dwarf hemlocks are beautiful plants and fairly easy to grow, but not available in the trade (quarantine in ME and NH) |
| Tsuga canadensis 'Jeddeloh' | dwarf weeping Hemlock | |
| Tsuga canadensis 'Prostrata' | creeping hemlock | |
| Vaccinium vitis-idea 'Minus' | Dwarf Cowberry | small, shiny foliage, big red berries; for acidic, moist soil; I saw different strains of this and one was inferior |
| Veronica allionii | Miniature Veronica | tiny, still have to observe |
| Veronica spicata 'Blauteppich' | new to me, much praised, need to observe | |
| Viola cornuta 'Major Primrose' | Dwarf Violet | those dwarf violets are still too course for my miniature garden |
| Viola pedata 'Eco Artist Palette' | Dwarf Violet | new to me, much praised; until now, I was unable to get this plant |
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