Miniature Plants

The following list contains plants that we are currently testing in our gardens. All species and varieties that we think are outstanding are bold printed.

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.
Acer palmatum dissectum 'Viridis'	Cutleaf Japanese Maple	a small tree, however, it will need pruning to stay in scale for a miniature garden
Acer palmatum 'Sengu Kaku'	Coralbark Maple	amazingly beautiful; needs pruning or Bonsai technique to stay small
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
Antennaria neglecta gaspensis		tiny plant with slowly growing mat of ground-hugging grey foliage and pussy-toe flowers in 2" tall stalks, looks good in miniature gardens and troughs; so far it was easy to grow
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 'Firewitch'		a lovely plant, but I think it gets too big for a miniature garden scale
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
Dianthus subacaulis 'Gary Eichhorn'		I just planted this and like it very fragrant flowers of a good rich pink very much. I'll have to observe height.
Draba	Draba	still observing different species
Draba rigida		this tiny little plant does really well in my miniature garden. It has good drainage and is located in a situation where it has a little bit of dappled shade.
Dracocephalum arguense 'Fuji Blue'	Dragonhead	with a height of 12" this plant grows much too big for a miniature garden scene. It seems to be quite vigorous and would be suitable for a rock garden
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. I think it likes constant moisture to be happy
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!
Festuca abbreviata	Dwarf Fescue	the tiniest clumps of grass for the true miniature garden, ca 1-2" tall. after planting quite a bit of this, I found it is not always easy to grow. So far it did better in trough gardens than in the outdoor miniature garden. I will experiment more with different soil mixes that obviously need to be well draining, but perhaps drying out should also be avoided.
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; branches are ground-hugging; develops into a flat, broad plant of 12 inch diameter or more, and a thickness of 1 Inch. Reminds me of a creeping Juniper in it's habit, but much smaller.
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, and the G. cinereum varieties do not live very long in my garden
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
Globularia trichosantha	Globe Daisy	beautiful globe-shaped blue flowers of fine, fluffy texture; foliage is a bit large, although it is lying flat on the ground and therefore does not appear to be too problematic for a miniature landscape scene
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'	'Cat's Eye' young foliage	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
Hutchinsia alpina		I just planted this tiny perennial ans so far it looks very good: extremely fine, feathery foliage is in good scale for a miniature scene. White flowers are similar to Candytuft, just a bit lighter in appearance.
Iberis saxatilis	Dwarf Candytuft, 3"tall	my established plants are loaded with the purest white flowers in May. They form a perfect mat of good foliage, and as long a s drainage is good, overwintering is no difficulty to them
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', 2-3"tall	a super-tiny cushion-phlox and loaded with tiny flowers, everything in good scale and a great plant for miniature gardens; it survived all winters without problems and grew into a beautiful broad miniature mound.
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; the texture is a little too bold for a real miniature setting, but it is such a good plant, it's worth trying to find a place for it.
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, my plants overwintered without problems
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
Silene uniflora 'Compacta'	Catchfly	forms a small mat of grey-green foliage, sufficiently vigorous, beautiful flowers, and overwintered well. I recommend this charming plant for any  miniature garden.
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; an excellent 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