Make miniature gardens | How About Orange

January 06, 2010

Make miniature gardens

Flipping through the latest issue of Midwest Living yesterday, I found an article about fairy gardens. Apparently they're the hottest new variation on terrariums. While I'm not really into imaginary fairies, there is something appealing about miniature versions of pretty much anything.

Anybody remember The Littles on TV? It was a cartoon on Saturday mornings when I was, well, little, and I loved it and desperately wished some tiny people would come live in our house. So making a mini garden might be just the thing to do with a small girl you know.

Use herbs planted in a container to mimic little hedges, bushes, and trees; then add a gravel path or pond. (Find more info here.) If you want to accessorize, get benches and other goodies at The Garden Barn's Etsy shop. Or make your own chairs from champagne bottle packaging by following today's DIY instructions at Design*Sponge.

(Images from The Garden Barn and Design*Sponge)

39 comments:

Helby said...

That's adorable. What a great idea! If only I had room for more plants.

Anonymous said...

Oh...so cute. And you seen the hobbit/fairy doors here?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HiddenWorlds

When I discovered the doors a few weeks ago I decided this was a project we'd have to put on our list. Seeing all these other wee accessories is making me even more eager.

Gwen said...

I just may have to try one of my own. They are so cute and I love having fresh herbs at the ready to cook with.

Anonymous said...

how lovely!
wonderful idea if there is not garden space or too many plant pots!

Grandma G said...

That is so cute!

I'm really, really glad those Littles didn't come to live in our house back then.

Laura Bray said...

I loved The Littles. And I adored reading The Borrowers books too. Remember them? If you are Borrowers fan, check-out this fun zine: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37754306

nicole said...

The Littles were a book series before tv, i think...I loved them and thought they lived in our attic.

Swiss Ms. said...

I was going to comment in The Borrowers, too. I love them. And not a little.

Unknown said...

that is the cutest darn thing I have ever seen!

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

Oh now you've gone and done it. IMAGINARY FAIRIES???? Wooooooo, I'd mind my P's and particularly my Q's were I you. There is no such thing as an imaginary fairy. They are real. Make a fairy garden, tend it with a good heart and you'll see. There's still a little girl inside who knows that to be the truth. Look there and believe.
The garden is wonderful.

Unknown said...

Oh faeries do exist lol. Anywhoo, I too miss the littles. I loved watching that when i could.

Talia said...

Ooh! I love that little chair!

Sara Bradshaw said...

Hi there,
You are a 'category winner' in my '25 Best Blogs of 2009'. Congratulations!
See the other category winners and your mention (and link)here: http://www.cricketwife.com/2010/01/25-best-blogs-of-2009-part-1.html.
Have a great 2010.
Cheers,
Sara Bradshaw

Marisa said...

Love The Littles. Love the champagne wire chair. Love the mini garden! I definitely want to surprise my 5yr old daughter with a fairy door somewhere in our house.

Andrea said...

Adorable!!

Blessings, andrea

concretenprimroses said...

Thats a very cute one and I love the little chair made from a champagne cap.
Lots of people at the Garden junk forum on Gardenweb make Fairy gardens if anyone want to see more go there and search for Fairy garden.
Kathy

Amy said...

Those look so cute! And thanks for reminding me about The Littles! I had forgotten about that show!

Annalia said...

ok. I'm so making a mini-garden. I even have a tiny bench that's just dying to be a garden bench.

Loddelina said...

Beautiful idea, thanks for sharing! I just came across your blog and I love it!

Melibu said...

Oh ! I love everything that small !
What a cute idea... thanks !

Lori P said...

Oh my gosh, how cute! It does sort of make me want shrink, crawl in, and enjoy the warmth. :)

Anna Freitag Smith said...

I LOVE this! I do have a thing for miniatures and gardens - perfect combo. I even have left over mini champagne wire chairs my husband made for me after New Year's...guess I'd better get started!

Larissa Holland said...

I loved the Littles and went through a stage as a kid where I longed and yearned in vain for fairies to come and visit me. But I'm still not making a tiny garden. I'm bitter now.

Laura said...

Oh my goodness!! If only I had seen that chair-out-of-champagne-bottle-packaging project *before* tossing out the detritus from our once-a-year bottle of champagne. *sigh* I have a few projects in the works to create some playful spots for children in my garden, and am now inspired to add a little fairy magic... :)

Ellie said...

There is something about little things...

Jessica Jones said...

Uh oh. Forgive me for saying fairies are imaginary. I have turned this blog into a hotbed of controversy.

Now it occurs to me: would a realistic fairy garden also feature a giant pile of baby teeth? Or is a tooth fairy different from the kind that would live in small gardens? Somebody enlighten me.

Sarah Sidle said...

whoa this is straight out of CSI - what are you hersom grissom the mini killer???

Anonymous said...

So adorable! I might try one of these - it could be more manageable than a real garden. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

dede said...

Dangit, Jess! I just dropped $40 here 'cuz your post was so cute!
It's all your fault.
Dede

Jessica Jones said...

Um, Sarah Sidle, you figured it out. I'm actually the cousin of the dollhouse miniature killer. I'm the sidekick of this season's demented laparoscopic killer, so you can expect to see dead fairies whose intestines have been tied into bows soon, lying in tiny gardens.

Dede, that $40 will be a good investment if you actually get to see a real fairy. Or just end up with a cute garden.

The Cherry Family said...

That is super cute! It could be functional too if you use your favorite herbs for the plants.

ROLLERWRITER said...

This just makes me happy! Can not wait to do this.

feathermar said...

This is pretty awesome. I also love terrariums to house teeny tiny things.

Tulipa said...

Hayao Miyazaki, whose Studio Ghibli created Totoro, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and many other films, has said his next animated feature is going to be based on The Borrowers, a Carnegie Medal-winning childrens book about a family like The Littles. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karigurashi_no_Arrietty

Jessica Jones said...

Wow, I didn't know that! I love Spirited Away. This one should be fun! Thanks for the news.

L.L. said...

Design Within Reach has for a number of years hosted a champagne chair contest, where anyone is welcome to enter a miniature chair using the foil, cage, and cork of only two champagne bottles. Over the years the designs have become extremely sophisticated. Check them out if you haven't already. Fairies can be modern too. =)

Unknown said...

I'm not a big fan of fairies, but got some
adorable fairy plant pots as a gift. I made a Toad Garden instead, complete with toad homes!

Unknown said...

I love making these for my bargoers at brunch! They LOOVE THEM! xoxo, Madamchino!

Miss decorate said...

This is soooo cute! I'll definitely try to make one myself