After Barb sent me those adorable little mini-hostas, I decided there was no way they were just going to get lost in the main garden. After doing a bunch of net research to make sure it was healthy for the little guys, and discovering it was actually quite common, I decided to plant them in a container so I could keep track of them. But then I figured if I was going to do that, then why not take it one step further and make a special, whimsical place for them and whatever other little guys I decide to add? I know. I'm crazy. 8) But I sure had fun, and I think the result turned out pretty well. And a semi-aerial view And again, a big thank you to Barb for the plants, and for being the catalyst for this very fun project.
Very nice miniature garden and the Fern hanging over it adds to it,..Ronni you are now going to be hooked on adding miniature plants to your garden of whimsy.
Barb, it's just a pot I found at Home Depot, just a rectangular one because I figured that would work better for what I had in mind. Phillip, you couldn't be more spot on! I'm already searching for more plants to add, plus cute little things to compliment them with! I can see that one pot is definitely not going to be enough!
Hi Ronni,..seeing your mind is on miniatures and the like and as i just come in from the garden,..one suggestion came to mind,.."Sempervivum testorum",..'Hens and Chicks'. ( photo / image / picture from Philip Nulty's Garden )
Oh wow, Phillip! Great minds....... Just yesterday I was checking out the Hens and Chicks collection at my local store, hoping to find something that would work. I would gladly have purchased a couple but I couldn't find any in the very small selection they had there that looked like they'd do well in the winter. I don't know anything about them, really, so there may be none that could actually be considered a perennial. I did find one that said it was hardy to 20 degrees F, but we do occasionally (very occasionally!) get colder than that here, and I wouldn't want to kill anything.
Hi Ronni,..being succulents they contain a fair amount of moisture and so the frost does bother them,..however they can be quite hardy and produce chicks from the roots,..our temperature went down to -19C in 2010 and i lost quite a few but lo and behold new ones appeared in spring,..i now take indoors a few of each before winter just in case,..they really grow taller when indoors,..below is my growing area,..its just a drawer,.. in fact i intended it to be an outdoor wall hanging but never got stuck into it. ( photo / image / picture from Philip Nulty's Garden )
Philip, the first thing I had to do was to convert your -19C to a farenheit measurement so I knew what you were even talking about! That's around -2 degrees farenheit. Though it occasionally gets below freezing here, and one memorable winter a few years back it actually got to -13 degrees, typically we just don't get that cold. When it does get below freezing, (and that doesn't happen every single winter) having temps hovering around the 20's is typical. All that's just to say that maybe I need to rethink the addition of some hens and chicks to my little mini-garden. Oh! Better yet! I'll just make another one!!! Thank you SO much Philip for giving me an excuse to do just that!
