All About Miniature Plants And Gardens Indoors And Out - free ebook by Bernice Brilmayer

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All About Miniature Plants And Gardens Indoors And Out

Bernice Brilmayer

83 chapters

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83 chapters

ALL ABOUT MINIATURE PLANTS AND GARDENS INDOORS AND OUT

ALL ABOUT MINIATURE PLANTS AND GARDENS INDOORS AND OUT

Sketches and Landscape Designs by Fritz Schaefer Additional Art Work by Kathleen Bourke DOUBLEDAY &amp; COMPANY, INC., GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK 1963 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 63-18225 Copyright © 1963 by Doubleday &amp; Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America First Edition...

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PLANTS INCLUDED

PLANTS INCLUDED

As the author, I have used two criteria for including or omitting plants at the time of writing. I am concerned with those that are readily available from florists, nurseries, and the suppliers listed in the Appendix; and those that in my opinion are suitable for miniature gardens. Except for the specific art of bonsai, I have not included plants that are unnaturally dwarfed by pruning or other means. I have omitted plants that look like miniatures when they are young, grow slowly, but eventuall

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PLANT NAMES

PLANT NAMES

This book has been written by an amateur gardener for other amateurs; and I have made it as readable and enjoyable as I could. But in the interests of clarity and accuracy, Latin botanical names are used in preference to the vernacular. This is the only way to be sure plants are correctly identified. Popular names are confusing. Kenilworth ivy, grape ivy, and English ivy certainly sound as if they were related in some way; but when you use botanical names ( Cymbalaria muralis , Cissus striata ,

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BOTANICAL TERMS

BOTANICAL TERMS

In order to make a gardening book completely accurate and understandable, it is almost mandatory to use some so-called “scientific” terms which should really be as much a part of a gardener’s vocabulary as “annual” or “evergreen.” The following words are used in their technical sense: Genus (plural, genera )—A group of plants related to each other by botanical characteristics. The name of the genus is like a human family’s surname, Smith, but it is written first instead of last. Oncidium is a ge

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wonder if anyone ever wrote a book without being indebted to many persons for some sort of help or inspiration. Certainly, I couldn’t do it. Subtract the encouragement and time-consuming assistance of my family, friends, and horticultural acquaintances, and this would be less a book. I am deeply grateful to: Fritz Schaefer for landscape designs and drawings of rare delicacy, and for letting me benefit by his wide horticultural training and talents; to Kari Berggrav for her enthusiastic contrib

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WINDOW GARDENS

WINDOW GARDENS

The window is the place most naturally suited for a living garden. It is nearest to the fresh out of doors and brings the plants closer to the environment where they are at home. By creating a transition, the plants in turn seem to bring the outdoors inside. A window is often, also, the only place where indoor plants can get the daylight and sunlight they need to keep in good condition. But a real window garden is not a motley assortment of plants in pots, haphazardly arranged (or not arranged a

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WINDOW GREENHOUSE

WINDOW GREENHOUSE

Available light, or sunlight, is the first consideration in selecting plants for a window area, or in selecting the window for the plants you have or want. Light can be brighter (it even comes from overhead) inside a greenhouse that extends out from the window. You can buy these in all combinations of measurements, ready-made and assembled, or ready to be assembled. Or you can make them, or have them made, from the materials sold in most hardware stores for those who build their own screens and

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CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION

CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION

Again, I must write in general terms. I have neither the knowledge nor the experience to explain the intricacies of wiring, ballasts, circuits, and the like. This technical information is available from your electrical supplier and from equipment manufacturers, and often is on the cartons in which the parts are packed. Our installation was so outrageously large we had to hunt up a friendly contractor for help. He was a sympathetic man who loved plants and was fascinated by the idea of growing th

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OPERATION

OPERATION

In planning a light installation try to squeeze out a few extra dollars for an automatic timer. It will help to guarantee success for the operation. You’ll have a certain peace of mind if you tend to be absent-minded. No more will you fret through a P.T.A. meeting, a movie, or a concert wondering if you turned off the lights on your plants. The timer will have done it for you. If you happen to have an enclosed case—one tight enough to conserve the humidity—you can very easily go away on a short

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INTENSITY

INTENSITY

Here again we find the needs of plants vary and fluorescent-light setups vary accordingly. If possible, measure the light in your growing area. The readings of a photographic light meter—the same instrument you employ in your photography—can be translated into foot-candles. Or you can get a meter that registers foot-candles. For advice, consult your camera dealer, or check with your local power-and-light company. Here in Redding we find the Connecticut Power and Light Company vitally interested

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TYPES OF TUBES

TYPES OF TUBES

Until the introduction of the Gro-Lux lamps, we had to choose types designed primarily for illumination. And there were as many choices and combinations as there were tube types. In a private and somewhat limited survey, I’ve found that when only one type of tube was used, cool white was to be preferred. In combinations of equal or two-to-one proportions, some growers use daylight and natural tubes; others prefer daylight and de-luxe warm white. And there are those who go for cool white and de-l

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CARE OF PLANTS

CARE OF PLANTS

Temperature, humidity, soil, fertilizing, potting—almost without exception, plants growing under artificial light need the same care as window-garden plants. But since the light is an artificial substitute for natural sun and light, watch for signs that the plants are not entirely satisfied with it. When they stretch out, get long and lanky, or the foliage has a weak, wan color, set the plant up closer to the tubes, or over toward the center where the light is strongest. You might do well to mak

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DECORATIVE CONTAINERS, DISH GARDENS, AND MODEL LANDSCAPES

DECORATIVE CONTAINERS, DISH GARDENS, AND MODEL LANDSCAPES

House plants are usually considered more or less lasting indoor decorations. But they can also be used the same as cut flowers for temporary and changeable displays, and then, like cut flowers, can be discarded when they begin to fade. They cost less and last much longer than bouquets, but because they’re temporary decorations, they cause less worry and require less care than the permanent inhabitants of window sills or artificially lighted gardens. That sounds rather heartless, I know. But it’s

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PLANT-AND-CONTAINER COMPOSITIONS

PLANT-AND-CONTAINER COMPOSITIONS

In the past few years my preoccupation with miniature plants has led to some pleasurable rummaging and shopping for containers in which to place them to make compositions for a bedside or telephone table, for the narrow window sill above the kitchen sink, and for the small bric-a-brac shelf in the foyer. As any flower-arrangement artist knows, small-scale compositions are often more intricate and more difficult than full-scale affairs—every detail is subject to separate scrutiny. However, patien

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DISH GARDENS

DISH GARDENS

A dish garden is the combination of a group of living plants and the container holding them. It should be designed and planted with artistry and originality, but without artificiality. Each dish garden should look distinctive—certainly without any resemblance to the ones which florists seem to make by formula. It should be neither crowded with too many plants, nor cluttered with accessories or small ornaments. It should be eye-catching but not brazen, harmonious but not dull, unusual in some man

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MODEL LANDSCAPES

MODEL LANDSCAPES

Although these indoor gardens also follow the rules of good design, the result is a different effect. Montague Free once called them “an idealization in miniature of an outdoor scene.” They are not arranged to give an artistic impression, but to re-create some part of the out-of-doors on a small scale. Their charm lies in their diminutiveness, intricate detail and, often, in their whimsy. The elements are: container; tiny plants (for the purist, all must be living) to represent trees, shrubs, gr

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PLANTING AND CARE

PLANTING AND CARE

Most containers for dish gardens and model landscapes are watertight. That is wonderful for any furniture on which they might be placed, but not so good for the plants. There is that eternal danger of overwatering. Roots rot when they stand in mud or water. In tight-bottomed containers it is wise to start with a thick drainage layer—pieces of broken flower pots, pebbles, brick, coarse sand, or even small pieces of charcoal. That gives the excess water a place to go. Cover this bottom layer with

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TERRARIUMS

TERRARIUMS

Most terrariums are small-scale replicas of woodland scenes with native plants, pools, streams, and rocky cliffs. These are charming and refreshing; and if there is good light, small outdoor plants will live through the winter into spring. But there are other possibilities—tiny tropical plants that love steamy warmth; miniature begonias, aroids, and marantas that are compatible under glass—in fact, that compatibility includes two-inch orchids and other dazzling epiphytes that need extra protecti

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CONTAINERS

CONTAINERS

Ready-made, practical, and not undecorative are the fish bowls and tanks of all sizes. The flat-sided and octagonal bowls are inexpensive, though not always of good glass. Very large, round bowls and brandy snifters of all sizes are slightly more costly, but of much better quality. Rectangular fish tanks are in good proportion for miniature landscapes, easy to plant, and roomy. Or perhaps you have an heirloom bell jar; a glass candy dish or bowl; an apothecary jar; a bottle laid on its side (rat

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AQUATIC GARDENS

AQUATIC GARDENS

Any watertight, glass-sided container can also be used for a fascinating water garden with fish and plants and many types of colorful decorations. To me, the most pleasing are those re-creations of natural underwater scenes with coral reefs, rocks, and the fantastic aquatic plants sold at aquarium supply stores. Quite honestly I’m bothered by the suited underwater diver who brandishes a spear and spouts bubbles at intervals. I’m bothered by the obviously artificial remnants of a wrecked ship, or

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PLANTS AND ACCESSORIES

PLANTS AND ACCESSORIES

Rocks, twigs, bits of decaying wood, and other naturally indigenous materials are suitable for gardens in glass. Tufa rock is always good, whether the plants sink their roots into it or not. If you happen to live near an old ironworks, you’ll find fascinating pieces of slag in many sizes and colors. But many of the figurines offered for sale in stores—bridges, benches, and the like—are questionable, even doubtful, in a setting with native plants. If they are to fit at all, they must be artistic,

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PLANTING AND CARE

PLANTING AND CARE

Whether your glassed-in garden is an artistic arrangement of plants or an actual garden, give your design a tryout by placing the plants on a temporary basis. Put them in place and appraise the arrangement. Don’t rush. You’ll save time by not having to do it over later. In the case of containers rounded on the bottom, line them with thin sheets of moss. Turn the green side out. Next add an adequate layer of pebbles or sand, for drainage. A sprinkling of broken charcoal is particularly desirable.

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PLANTING AND CARE

PLANTING AND CARE

Large or small, a greenhouse garden, like any other, should be designed carefully and never planted until you have the plan firmly in mind. Each plant should be given room in relation to all the others, and not merely at planting time but with maturity time in mind. Allow plenty of space for spreaders to spread and creepers to creep; and make sure every climber has its support. And, of course, plants in close proximity should have compatible cultural preferences in soil, moisture, light, and the

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GREENHOUSE PROPAGATING

GREENHOUSE PROPAGATING

Actually, I have two propagating cases in our large greenhouse. One is completely enclosed in plastic to keep the humid air even more humid. It has three or four inches of perlite on top of an electric coil to give it gentle bottom heat. The cuttings are inserted in rows so they are easier to manage and remove when their time comes. Here I root all cuttings from delicate plants and those with large leaves that need high humidity to keep from wilting and drying while roots are forming. My little

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CARE OF HOUSE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS

CARE OF HOUSE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS

Light and Sunlight Plants need daylight to make energy; they can’t grow without it, or its equivalent in artificial light. They need some sunlight to set buds, and can’t flower without it or a substitute. Intensity and duration of light should vary according to each plant’s preferences. No plant of ours is left to waste its life away on the fireplace mantel, where the light is too dim to read the printing on a book of matches. Granted, we might set it there for a day or so as a decoration, but w

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PROPAGATING HOUSE PLANTS

PROPAGATING HOUSE PLANTS

It’s hard to tell which provides the warmest pleasure, to give a friend or visitor a rooted, potted cutting of some plant she has admired, or to come home with a gift cutting of a new plant you have admired and coveted. There is a thrill also in adding a new plant to your collection by growing seed from a seed house. And I always have another thrill when the church or the school asks me to contribute plants for the annual bazaars. Fortunately, I usually am able to anticipate these requests far e

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PESTS AND TREATMENT

PESTS AND TREATMENT

Since I fashioned my first crude propagating box—a square cake-tin with a rickety frame covered with kitchen plastic—I’ve always had some sort of similar device in operation. They have been of many sizes and shapes, and have included an aquarium vacated by the children’s goldfish, and a fruit crate from the grocery with cut-to-measure glass sides and top (I use masking tape to hold the corners). The one thing common to all of these boxes is the three-inch layer of some moist propagating medium,

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DESCRIPTION OF HOUSE PLANTS

DESCRIPTION OF HOUSE PLANTS

Some pages back I told you that the question asked of me most frequently is “How often should I water plants?” A close runner-up is the question, “Where can I get out-of-the-ordinary plants?” Believe it or not, that question is easier to answer. Local florists and greenhouse people often have plants tucked away—something exotic and special. Most of the people in the industry cherish these plants and are hesitant to part with them to run-of-the-mine customers. But if the person is a genuine plant

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SEMPERFLORENS BEGONIAS

SEMPERFLORENS BEGONIAS

Fondly known as “wax begonias,” and often called “America’s favorite house plant.” These are bustling, buxom, freely branching plants with watery stems and crisp, nearly round leaves gleaming with a high polish. They cover themselves with continual bursts of white, pink, or red flowers. The furiously flowering singles are the oldest, best-known, and toughest, often used for edging semishady garden beds. The semidoubles (crested or thimble type) have a raspberry-shaped center extending out from a

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MISCELLANEOUS FIBROUS-ROOTED BEGONIAS

MISCELLANEOUS FIBROUS-ROOTED BEGONIAS

Some miniatures are of the angel-wing, cane-stemmed type; some are from the hirsute, hairy-leaved group; some can’t be categorized. albo-picta —Small angel wing with low, arched branches; silver-spotted, sharp-pointed slender leaves; clusters of off-white flowers. bartonea (‘Winter Jewel’)—This one’s a flirt, flaunting its leaves and tiny pink-tinged flowers one wintry day, collapsing completely the next. It can’t bear dry air or chills but will grow up again cheerfully from the roots. The folia

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RHIZOMATOUS BEGONIAS

RHIZOMATOUS BEGONIAS

Here’s where the hybridists are creating the most intriguing new varieties, because they have more miniature parent species to work with. The leaf and flower stems grow straight up or out from the rhizome, a swollen, scarred rootstock that creeps over the top of the soil, usually sending down roots as it goes. Sprays of trembling flowers stand well above the foliage in late winter or early spring. aridicaulis —Mounds of tiny, sharp-pointed, lettuce-green leaves seldom over three or four inches h

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MINIATURE REX BEGONIAS

MINIATURE REX BEGONIAS

These begonias are also rhizomatous, but the brilliant patterns of their leaves put them in a class by themselves. Few other foliage plants have such startling combinations of peacock colors. ‘Baby Rainbow’—Crinkly, jewel-like leaves with bands of royal purple, emerald green, silver, raspberry, amethyst. Grows and shows off best in glass. ‘Dew Drop’—Thin, ivy-shaped leaves completely overlaid with shimmering, lavender-pink mother-of-pearl. ‘It’—Branching, upright rex type with silver-splotched g

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CACTI AND SIMILAR SUCCULENTS

CACTI AND SIMILAR SUCCULENTS

Generally, I prefer to grow a spicy variety of plants. But I am certainly in sympathy with the hobbyists who find enough stimulation in this one group to keep them collecting for a lifetime. Such a weird assortment of shapes, from barrels to humping inchworms. Such unusual patterns and colors of either leaves or stems that have taken on the shapes and functions of leaves. And such flowers! Some like daisies or water lilies, in incredible neon-bright colors, sometimes three times the size of the

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SUCCULENTS

SUCCULENTS

Caladium Araceae Elephant Ears Bicolor Varieties . Gorgeous arrow-leaved foliage plants for small gardens in the South or sheltered areas where summer temperatures are not likely to drop below 60 degrees for long. The patterns, colors, and contours of the leaves get fancier every year. Many are hybridized for larger and larger size, but specialists also offer a good selection of dwarfs that will stay under eight inches. Among them: Caladium humboldti —one of the most striking members of the fami

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TYPES OF MINIATURE ROSES

TYPES OF MINIATURE ROSES

The tight buds may be as big as the eraser on a pencil, or as tiny as a grain of unpolished rice, and the flowers may be single, semidouble, or double. The doubles may be formed like a hybrid tea or be full-petaled and fluffy, in clusters like a rambler rose. Some varieties stay very dwarf and bushy, from four to six inches tall; others are more robust, with larger flowers, and may grow to ten inches. Climbing miniature roses are usually sports of bush varieties, with supple canes four or five f

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INDOOR PLANTING AND CARE

INDOOR PLANTING AND CARE

Since miniature roses seldom spend the summer indoors, they are usually purchased in fall or winter from the local florist or greenhouse, or by mail from house-plant or miniature-rose specialists. Pot-grown plants are most likely to succeed indoors because their roots are not disturbed unduly. Except in Hawaii and Arizona, mail-order plants arrive with the soil ball complete about the roots, the stems cut back to about two inches. They start growth almost immediately, and flower within six to ei

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OUTDOOR PLANTING AND CARE

OUTDOOR PLANTING AND CARE

In all except mild or warmer climates, bare-root plants bought by mail from nurseries or garden-rose specialists should be planted in early spring, when vigorous root action and growth are beginning. Potted plants or any that come complete with a soil ball around the roots can be planted almost any time the garden soil is not frozen. But in sections where winters are severe, I think spring planting is always safest. In fact, in Connecticut I like to give new plants a longer growing season their

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PROPAGATING MINIATURE ROSES

PROPAGATING MINIATURE ROSES

I’ve grown many miniature roses from seed, and had a lot of fun doing it. They usually germinate in about three weeks (best temperature about 60 degrees), quickly send out tiniest true rose leaves, and are ready for transplanting into small pots in another two or three weeks. I usually pinch the tip growth at least once, when the plant is about five inches tall. The flowers can appear within three months after sowing. Of course, seedling plants are not named varieties. Most of them, in fact, hav

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NAMED VARIETIES OF MINIATURE ROSES

NAMED VARIETIES OF MINIATURE ROSES

Although new varieties of this popular plant are constantly being introduced, and most likely will have a wide appeal eventually, it may be some time before they appear in plant and seed catalogues. In compiling this modest list I have thought chiefly of what is available at the moment, miniature roses I have either grown, seen in friends’ gardens, or admired vicariously on the printed pages of magazines, books, and booklets. If you are interested, I am sure these bushes are readily available. I

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CONTAINERS

CONTAINERS

Picturesque old sinks are obviously not available to us, and any horse troughs I’ve seen have been much too monstrous. Miss Ashberry casts her own containers of concrete (its porosity is excellent for plants), and we can do the same. Sometimes I think the sinks and troughs look a little heavy in relation to the plantings. Certainly they are heavy, and almost impossible to move, when filled with soil. But I’ve found a goodly number of acceptable substitutes. First, of course, I shopped my favorit

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PLANTS FOR SINK GARDENS

PLANTS FOR SINK GARDENS

Unlike bonsai, these plants are not to be dwarfed, they are dwarf by nature. Miniature perennials, such as Calceolaria biflora , never top two inches, nor do some of the tiny narcissus species. Some trees have never been known to grow taller than six inches. And if you can’t find trees that are small at maturity, you can find many that grow so slowly they’ll stay in proper scale (even without pruning) for five years or more. There are miniature garden plants of all habits and shapes—stiffly erec

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ACCESSORIES

ACCESSORIES

The worst thing you can do with one of these little outdoor gardens is to clutter it up with little artificial props such as benches, bridges, and old oaken buckets. At all costs, avoid the cute and the trite. Practice moderation and the utmost restraint. One prop—a hand-carved well-head, an alabaster birdbath, a lichen-covered rock—is usually plenty for any one garden. If it is handsome in its own right, the whole garden may be designed to set it off. If it’s a supporting element, play it down

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THEMES AND DESIGNS

THEMES AND DESIGNS

Many of the principles and suggestions for dish gardens and model landscapes in Chapter 3 are equally applicable to sink gardens. The design needs, first, a basic idea or theme. Will the garden be formal, or informal and woodsy, or simply an artistic arrangement of living plants with or without a piece of tree stump or rock? Should it be built around an important accessory, or will one plant or a group of plants be the center of interest? Does the style of the container suggest the style of the

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PLANTING AND CARE

PLANTING AND CARE

Unless you can control watering (which means keeping the garden out of the rain), make sure that the container has plenty of small holes in the bottom for drainage. And for extra insurance that drainage will be perfect, start out with a layer of pebbles or sand. A covering of burlap or sheet moss will keep soil from sifting down into it. Soil should be light and porous, capable of holding some moisture but not too much. The standard recipe of one-third garden loam, one-third humus, and one-third

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INDOOR BONSAI, HARDY OR SEMIHARDY

INDOOR BONSAI, HARDY OR SEMIHARDY

The real Japanese bonsai is an outdoor inhabitant, usually one of a collection that is brought indoors for display purposes and for only a few days at a time. But by using tender plants that want more warmth, growers are beginning to create bonsai that can be used decoratively indoors the year round. In a shadow box, on a coffee table or special stand, even as a table centerpiece they should always be alone and with no accessories to detract from their unique style. Last winter I thoroughly enjo

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OUTDOOR PLANTS FOR DWARFING, BONSAI-STYLE

OUTDOOR PLANTS FOR DWARFING, BONSAI-STYLE

With proper care, any woody plant—any tree, shrub, or vine with persisting trunk or stems—can be grown indefinitely in a pot. With some skill in pruning branches and roots, it can be permanently dwarfed. And with imagination and artistry, it can be trained to re-create in miniature one of the majestic pictures of nature. However, some plants are more amenable to rigorous dwarfing than others; some adapt more willingly to growing in containers; and some are by nature more suitable in habit and ap

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BONSAI CONTAINERS

BONSAI CONTAINERS

In no other art form is it more obvious that a subordinate element such as a container can make or mar the perfection of a picture. For instance, with a painting the frame can have small faults without lessening the impression of a masterpiece. But bonsai is so stark that a slight imperfection can become a glaring error. So, although the container is merely a supporting feature, it becomes only a little less important than the center of interest, the plant. It must harmonize with the plant, refl

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PLANTING AND CARE

PLANTING AND CARE

Rather specific cultural practices have evolved for dwarfing hardy garden plants, trees, and shrubs, and growing them in small containers. Tender house and greenhouse plants, dwarfed and grown as indoor bonsai, are also potted, pruned, trained, and watered as outlined in this chapter. Otherwise, they are grown like the window-garden plants in Chapter 1. Root-pruning This is often the first thing you do for a plant that is to be grown bonsai-style. It is a procedure that is repeated regularly if

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DESIGNING MINIATURE GARDENS

DESIGNING MINIATURE GARDENS

The first and basic requisite is an idea the garden is to express, a theme for the picture it is to create. The objective may be to embellish some neglected nook, disguise an unattractive corner, feature an unusual plant or art object, soften the lines of a small pool and blend it with its surroundings. Once the goal is set, it is pursued without deviation. For example, a featured plant is kept dominant—not necessarily in size, but always in visual importance—and everything else is subordinate.

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MINIATURE BEDS, BORDERS, AND ISLANDS

MINIATURE BEDS, BORDERS, AND ISLANDS

There are a number of ways to use small-scale versions of the familiar mixed-flower border. Annuals and perennials can be selected for continuity or succession of bloom, and arranged so that colors harmonize, textures contrast, and carefully placed taller spikes or spires provide accent and relieve monotony. In the background there may be dwarf evergreens or flowering shrubs, a low fence or wall, the side of a tool house or other small building. Use miniature flower borders to add interest to ti

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ROCK-AND WALL-GARDEN DESIGN

ROCK-AND WALL-GARDEN DESIGN

“Cemetery,” “penitentiary rock pile,” “collection of geological specimens”—these and other unflattering phrases have been used to describe what a rock garden should not be. This eliminates the artificial rock-studded circle in the center of a lawn, rocky slopes with nothing to back them up, isolated paths and steps that have nowhere to go, stone-stuffed piles of loam with no conceivable excuse for being where they are. What a rock garden should be, is an integral part of the landscape, completel

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MINIATURE ROCK AND WALL PLANTS

MINIATURE ROCK AND WALL PLANTS

One of the main virtues of rock and wall gardens is their individuality—they don’t look like other gardens, or even like each other. But commonplace plants such as bedding petunias can cancel this distinctiveness in a minute. If you use annuals at all, get less ordinary varieties and use them sparingly, for temporary color in a bare spot or over the dying foliage of spring-flowering bulbs. The plants that look best with rocks are those that grow naturally among them. Hundreds of rock-loving plan

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MINIATURE ROCK GARDENS

MINIATURE ROCK GARDENS

For setting a few rocks into the side of a handkerchief-sized section of slope, or building many more into a garden in a good-sized corner, there are a few guiding principles that will help make sure you are happy with the result. Most important, have your design as complete as possible before you start to build. A sketch drawn to scale is a valuable visualizing aid. Then, make your construction solid and substantial, and favorable to plant growth and health. If you have a choice of exposure, fa

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MINIATURE WALL GARDENS

MINIATURE WALL GARDENS

Any small section of low wall—brick, cement, stone, or concrete—can be the background for a miniature garden. But it is in a dry wall, built of stones without cement, that many small rockery plants best display their jewel-like perfection. Planted horizontally, with their roots in pockets between the rocks, they make a vertical rock garden of glowing colors and fascinating foliage textures. For small, low walls, and those in somewhat formal settings, thin-layered rock such as slate or shale is u

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PATHS AND PAVING

PATHS AND PAVING

Many little rock plants will make soft cushions and carpets, with their roots in crevices between pieces of paving, and also in stone steps. They’re very low-growing and very hardy, and usually spring back resiliently when stepped on. It’s important that acid-loving varieties not be planted near cement, which sometimes neutralizes or alkalinizes the soil. And, of course, the situation should provide the amount of sunshine and moisture the plants need. The simplest kind of informal path or paving

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PLANTING AND CARE

PLANTING AND CARE

Planting times vary according to climate and season of dormancy. In warm areas it’s almost always late fall. Where winters are rugged, it can be during brief semidormancy in early September, but it’s safest in early spring when severe frosts are no longer likely and favorable weather blesses plants at the height of their annual growing power. In temperate sections spring-flowering varieties can be planted from mid-August through October, others in spring. Lemon thyme and ivy showing results of b

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PROPAGATING ROCK-GARDEN PLANTS

PROPAGATING ROCK-GARDEN PLANTS

These are, of course, perennials and with slight variations can be propagated like other perennials. (See pages 255–59 .) Seeds Some need a pre-germination cold and some don’t; some germinate best at cool temperatures, some at warm; some need light, others need dark. Check seed packet, catalogue, or reliable reference book for specific information for each type of seed. We start seeds of delicate varieties in the greenhouse, where we can hover over them, in late winter; others may be sown in the

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CONSTRUCTING MINIATURE POOLS

CONSTRUCTING MINIATURE POOLS

There are as many materials and methods for building pools as there are sizes and shapes. The depth depends on the requirements of the aquatic plants to be grown, and so does the location in sun or shade. Pygmy water lilies, for example, need all available sun, and at least ten inches of water—four inches for the container that holds soil and roots, eight inches above the crowns or growing points. Other miniature water plants are satisfied with much less. One vitally important construction detai

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CARE OF POOLS

CARE OF POOLS

Miniature pools are easy to scrub in the spring and to keep clean through the summer season. Floating dead leaves or other organic debris that can give off poisonous gas are skimmed off with your hands. Discolored or dying leaves of lilies and other plants can be cut away cleanly. Plants can be thinned out by removing superfluous leaves or pulling out portions of weedy varieties. The pool is kept nearly filled with fresh water—but without adding so much at one time that the water is dangerously

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FISH AND SCAVENGERS

FISH AND SCAVENGERS

Goldfish earn their upkeep—a pinch or two of food a week—by gobbling up mosquito larvae the minute they start wriggling. In pools where the mud at the bottom does not freeze, they’ll winter safely out of doors. Several kinds of snails, tadpoles, and other scavengers offered by specialists consume impurities in the water, including algae. Frogs are just for fun. They’ll often make themselves at home in a pool without any invitation. A grandpappy bullfrog lived in our tiny sinkpool all last summer

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MINIATURE AQUATIC AND POOLSIDE PLANTS

MINIATURE AQUATIC AND POOLSIDE PLANTS

Obviously, the location of a pool (in sun or shade, warm climate or cool), its size (some plants would smother a miniature pool in a few weeks), and its design should be considered in selecting plants to grow in or with it. In fact, very tiny pools carefully placed to catch an artistic reflection may be better without any plant embellishment. A frequent error is overplanting, with the water surface covered by a confusion of foliage and flowers, the perimeter a jungle. In small pools one pygmy li

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NATURALISTIC DESIGN

NATURALISTIC DESIGN

Here, of course, there is no place for classic or contemporary formal design. The single purpose is to create, or re-create, a small section of the woods with the shade, humus, and other environmental conditions woodsy plants can’t live without. The essence of the tiniest planting—even a colony of trillium at the foot of a spreading evergreen—is its naturalness. It doesn’t look planted, it belongs; it’s been there all the time. And it looks natural, of course, because it’s been planned that way.

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CLEARING THE SITE

CLEARING THE SITE

Even when we planned that metropolitan oasis, there were a few existing features we carefully kept—a valiant, five-leaved woodbine to train over the rail fence that kept out the trampling feet of the neighborhood small fry; a scrubby shrub I never managed to identify, which had voluntarily masked an ugly cellar window; a few precious patches of moss. A wild garden in New York City In Connecticut, of course, the area was almost completely overgrown, mostly by poison ivy. After that was cleared aw

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SOIL

SOIL

The next is the most laborious but most vitally important part of the procedure—supplying suitable soil. Woods plants grow naturally in soil so rich in humus that it will hold many times its weight in water. Season after season the trees drop leaves, needles, twigs, and branches that decay and maintain the high level of humus, which contains micro-organisms that help sustain the plants. In our area and in most other woodsy sections, forest soil is very acid. But the loam in a cleared area adjoin

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PLANTING

PLANTING

Although plants are chosen for any garden according to light, soil, moisture, and other cultural requirements, woodland plants permit less leeway than most others. This is a matter of ecology, defined as “the total impact of the environment and the plant’s accommodation to it.” Some delicate plants are, of course, less adaptable than other more rugged species. Check catalogues, reference books, and other sources to learn all you can about each plant before you plant it. A quick word about shade.

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PROPAGATING WOODLAND PLANTS

PROPAGATING WOODLAND PLANTS

These are, of course, hardy perennials. Except for seeds, propagating methods are much the same as for cultivated types. It is important only that, if possible, you find out what is the most effective (often, the only) way each plant can be reproduced. If you can’t track down this information, try several ways at once. In general, those with masses of fibrous roots can be divided immediately after flowering. For upright and branching types, you can usually root stem cuttings in a frame or propag

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PLANTS FOR WOODLAND GARDENS

PLANTS FOR WOODLAND GARDENS

Aquilegia canadensis Ranunculaceae Columbine Although the native Eastern columbine can grow two feet tall, it seems to stay closer to six inches in my woodland garden and on the banks that line our Pine Tree Road. The clover-like leaves, and characteristic columbine flowers with yellow sepals and knobbed red spurs, are scaled down proportionately. CARE. Poor, dry soil, acid (strong to neutral). Fertilizer promotes growth that is too rank. Full sun to three-quarter shade. PROPAGATION. Seed. SPECI

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HARDINESS

HARDINESS

The main factor that determines whether a plant will live through the winter in your garden (and it is a factor you can’t control) is minimum winter temperature. This is the basis for the newest (1960) Plant Hardiness Zone Map issued by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Other uncontrollable factors include: How long the low temperature will last; how early and suddenly a freak freeze occurs; whether or not winter provides a beneficial blanket of continuous snow; whether there are punishing ga

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PLANTING AND CARE

PLANTING AND CARE

No matter how careful we are, fall planting is seldom successful for us in Connecticut. But in spring planting it seems as if we can’t miss. Once we were given a dozen ornamental shrubs—named varieties of virburnum, lilac, and two of the supposedly tricky caryopteris—whose bare roots had been out of the ground for several weeks. The caryopteris and one invincible lilac even flowered that year! In early spring, just before they awaken from dormancy (or a little later when new growth and buds are

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PROPAGATING MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS

PROPAGATING MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS

This is one of my favorite addictions. I can’t resist planting any seeds that come my way, can’t bear to discard an evergreen or a broken branch of cotoneaster, can’t resist the impulse to root cuttings. As a result, our rather small nursery bed is closely populated with small, young shrubs and trees of all kinds. I doubt that we’ll ever find space to plant them once they’re grown; and I imagine I could be rather popular could I ever bring myself to give them away. Propagating trees and shrubs i

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MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS

MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS

Abelia Caprifoliaceae Ornamental shrub, persistent or deciduous, often half evergreen, spreading. Leaves simple, opposite, nearly stalkless. Flowers white or pink tubular, persistent purplish sepals. Native of Asia Minor and Mexico. CARE. Semisun, or some protection. Well-drained soil with leaf mold. Amenable to pruning. Cool greenhouse. Hardy in zones 4 and 5. PROPAGATION. Greenwood cuttings in summer, ripe wood cuttings in autumn, layering in spring, rarely from seed. SPECIAL USES. Foundation

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PLANTING AND CARE

PLANTING AND CARE

Unless it’s utterly impossible, we do all our planting in the spring, so there is plenty of time for plants to develop vigorous root systems before a mean Connecticut winter comes along. This is particularly important to shallow-rooted perennials, and to any that are planted in windy, exposed sites. But for us, it also includes spring-flowering varieties. In spring we’ve planted dormant roots with or without mere nubbins of new growth, and plants that were fully leaved out and bursting with buds

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PROPAGATING MINIATURE PERENNIALS

PROPAGATING MINIATURE PERENNIALS

One item in our Connecticut landscape that’s completely out of scale with its surroundings is the monstrous cold frame near the back boundary line. The cement-block wall goes down below the frost line, and up high enough to make room for winter storage of fairly good-sized plants. The discarded storm windows are hinged across the back and completely removable in summer, when they are replaced by light wooden frames of the same size with laths nailed a lath-width apart. The construction slants to

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ROCK GARDEN PERENNIALS

ROCK GARDEN PERENNIALS

Achillea Compositae Yarrow, Hilfoil Resembling the field yarrow, but dainty, mottled, and tufted. The leaves, some finely cut and ferny, wear thick wool coats. The saucy flowers are in heads, some flat-topped and not unlike daisies. ageratifolia aizoon (Anthemis aizoon) —Six-inch mat of silver-haired, uncut leaves topped with bright white flowers in May and June. clavennae —Tufts of hoary, fine-cut leaves less than a foot high, tight round white flower heads three-fourths of an inch across in Ma

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VARIETIES OF HAREBELL, BELL FLOWERS

VARIETIES OF HAREBELL, BELL FLOWERS

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Plumbaginaceae Leadwort Shrubby little perennial “bushes” about eight inches high and spreading into clumps twice as wide, with hairy-edged leaves which are green with bronze overtones. It turns to a brickish color in autumn. In August the plants cover themselves with blue phlox-like flowers and continue to bloom until heavy frost. CARE. Most any soil with drainage. Will grow in sand. Full sun best but semishade is acceptable. Don’t plant in moist location. In winter

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GROWING ANNUALS FROM SEED

GROWING ANNUALS FROM SEED

When and where you sow seeds of annuals depends on whether the particular varieties grow best in coolness or warmth, and how long the growing season has to be for maturity and flowering. This is the basis of catalogue listings that classify annuals as hardy, half-hardy, or tender. Hardy annuals germinate best when air and soil are cool and make their best growth before hot weather sets in. Seeds are sometimes sown out of doors in autumn to germinate in early spring, or they may be sown in the ga

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SUMMER CARE

SUMMER CARE

Annuals take the same kind of care you give perennials, except that most of them require less of it. Few need, or even thrive in, especially fertile soil. Fertilize lightly, if at all. Many annuals get along with less moisture and mulching than perennials. And of course, none need be prepared for winter. During their one big season, simply pinch or prune those that grow straggly, and remove fading flowers before they set seeds. That usually prolongs the blooming season. After frost strikes, burn

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GROWING MINIATURE BULBS OUTDOORS

GROWING MINIATURE BULBS OUTDOORS

Tender, summer-flowering bulbs are planted in late spring, when soil is warm and danger of severe frost has passed. Hardy bulbs are usually planted in late summer and early fall, when foilage has ripened and died back and the plants are in deepest dormancy. This includes fall-flowering types like the colchicums. The earlier bulbs can be planted, the stronger the root systems they can develop before winter, and the stronger their flowering during the first season. Make sure the selected site has

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PROPAGATING MINIATURE BULBS INDOORS

PROPAGATING MINIATURE BULBS INDOORS

Whether they’re to be exhibited in competition at a flower show, or displayed for close-up enjoyment in the living room, uniform perfection is the objective. First, then, buy the finest-quality bulbs available—the most plump, firm, healthy bulbs you can find. If the catalogue listing includes “recommended for forcing” or “specially treated for forcing,” so much the better. Time for potting, and length of time required for rooting, vary with the varieties. We’re usually potting up bulbs for forci

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MINIATURE BULB PLANTS

MINIATURE BULB PLANTS

Chionodoxa Liliaceae Glory-of-the-Snow Early April flowers that disregard unfavorable weather. Leaves are narrow and grassy and disappear after the flowering period. Flowers are open-faced with short tubes. gigantea —Largest flowers, pastel lavender-blue. Strong stems that don’t fall over in bad weather. luciliae —Five or more flowers per five-inch stem, bright sky-blue with white centers. The variety alba is white; rosea, pink. sardensis —Like luciliae, but deeper blue without the white eye. CA

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EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

There is a touch of sadness to any book that is published posthumously. It means that an author who has devoted years to acquiring a skill with words and their ways, one who has something to say, will write no more. This book, All About Miniature Plants and Gardens, Indoors and Out , is the work of Bernice Gaines Brilmayer. It was written in the last months of her life and was practically completed except for the mechanics of preparing it for publication. Although she didn’t realize the seriousn

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, PLANT HARDINESS ZONE MAP . Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1960. Ashberry, Anne, MINIATURE GARDENS . New York: Van Nostrand, 1952. Ashberry, Anne, MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS . London: Nicholas Kaye, Ltd., 1958. Bailey, L. H., and Ethel Zoe, HORTUS SECOND . New York: Macmillan, 1941. Beale, James H., THE EVERGREENS . New York: Doubleday, 1960. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, handbooks on many subjects— DWARF TREES AND SHRUBS ,

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WHERE TO BUY MINIATURE PLANTS AND SUPPLIES

WHERE TO BUY MINIATURE PLANTS AND SUPPLIES

Nothing is as frustrating to a gardener as to hear or read glowing descriptions of plants that appeal to him and then be unable to find them in catalogues or elsewhere. For the unusual and out-of-the-ordinary plants the answer is quite often a mail-order supplier. For some general types such as water lilies and woodland or rockery plants, the most fruitful source is the specialist, who quite naturally has the widest selection and the greatest knowledge of the plants he grows the most. We have in

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