Read Ebook: All about miniature plants and gardens indoors and out by Brilmayer Bernice Bourke Kathleen Illustrator Schaefer Fritz Illustrator

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In addition to aesthetic principles, there are practical aspects to designing miniature gardens. Any site should be checked for cultural and environmental conditions that favor healthy plant growth. Is a wall so high it throws too much shade for sun-loving plants? Is an area too exposed in winter for questionably hardy plants? Is the spot so low that water collects and stands in the soil, making it suitable only for bog plants?

Think of the work of maintenance, too. Use ground covers instead of lawn in areas so small you can't move a mower around. Avoid fast-growing plants that need constant trimming and pruning. Don't use plants that require a lot of protective spraying or dusting unless you have time to keep up with the job. A healthy dwarf barberry is more attractive than a neglected, sickly rose.

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 tiresome areas such as long, narrow strips between the house and boundary line of the lot, or along a service walk. Use them at the edge or in corners of small lawn areas--never scattered through it--or at the base of low foundation plantings. Use them as visual space dividers between driveway and front yard or entrance to the house.

Miniature beds are also effective at one side of a breezeway, at the edge of a terrace or patio, or beside the back door. If they are raised slightly, perhaps the height of just one brick, the small plants are nearer to eye-level and their full beauty is more clearly revealed. I've also seen a tiny cutting garden, by the back fence, that was as colorful and pretty as any border.

Whenever there are walks, there are spots for miniature beds--in the diamond-shaped points where two walks join; as little islands along the curves; in the angles where corners turn. Or use small formal beds for dooryard plantings.

The intimate dooryard garden, by the way, is enjoying a revival. Instead of advice to keep flowering plants away from the front of the house, we're encouraged to plant little gardens that can be seen from the picture window and also will make the house more attractive to passers-by. These don't replace foundation plantings and front-yard landscaping, but supplement them in a small way. And the small gardens help relieve the monotonous sameness of many modern house fronts.

All kinds of corners are obvious sites for ornamental treatment with tiny gardens--architectural corners between front entrance and house wall, between one wing of the house and another; the back corner of a lot where, perhaps, a small tree is a focal point or background or where, if you're fortunate, a small stream winds its way across your property.

On almost any grounds there are natural nooks that seem to be made for miniature gardens up and down the sides of informal steps, at the top or base of low walls, in a patch of soil at the foot of a high-branched tree.

Landscape or architectural focal points can often be enhanced by little gardens--gates, bay windows, sundials, the mailbox, a birdbath, or a well. Little pocket-handkerchief gardens are built right into patios and terraces. Little creepers planted in crevices between paving stones make a miniature garden of their own.

MINIATURE ROCK AND WALL GARDENS

I was pondering the monstrosity, when I noticed an intriguing detail. A partly submerged rock poking its head out of one side of the mound had the same color and patina as a snub-nosed piece sticking out the other side; and the lines of stratification were on the same slant. Could these be opposite ends of one continuous rock formation?

Five wheelbarrow-loads of rocky debris later, we had uncovered a beautiful boulder, perfectly placed so that its lines led gracefully into twin trunks of a wind-blown birch. It was a boulder with ancient age and character, artistically chiseled by the elements. And it said "rock garden" as plainly as any landscape plan.

If they are to look like anything better than a pile of stones, miniature rock and wall gardens are not composed of miniature rocks. They simply contain fewer, perhaps somewhat smaller, rocks than average gardens; and they occupy far less space. These small plant-and-rock compositions brighten nooks and corners where other plantings would seem out of place.

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, completely at home and in harmony with its surroundings, and having a sound reason for its existence. Except for a few functional affairs such as walls that retain terraces and steps that climb banks, their purpose is mainly ornamental. Neither rocks nor plants are featured at the expense of the other. Both work together to create the picture--the plants to add brightness, vitality, and life; the rocks to help provide favorable growing conditions and a naturally suitable background for their display.

Designs for these gardens can be, as for others in the landscape, formal or informal. The fixed geometry of walks, walls, and raised beds in formal pattern are seen less frequently. But this is a type of rock garden that might be placed advantageously in even the flattest, barest suburban lot where naturalistic plantings and rocks look out of place. If you long for a rock garden, try something like this in either classic or contemporary style.

Informal rock gardens must, above all else, look convincingly natural, as if the glaciers might have placed them. This is equally important to a cluster of bulbs at the base of a single, half-sunken boulder; the arrangement of rocks and plants on a small slope; or the series of rocks that line a winding path. Builders of ambitious rock gardens are often advised to study the nearby countryside and use it as a guide.

This type of terrain makes a natural setting for rock and wall gardens of all sizes, shapes, and contours. Generally, the design is informal and naturalistic. I don't know whether it's really easier to work out such designs in miniature, or whether I merely think it's easier because that's the kind of land I have to work with. So far, we've never disagreed with Nature about the placement of a rock outcropping, for example. The few we've uncovered and cleaned up have almost told us what and how to plant.

A small existing slope or bank is a perfect site for a composition of rocks and rockery plants, or, if you prefer, a retaining wall between the two levels with plants grouped at the bottom or top, or planted horizontally in the cracks. Or consider a series of ledges that create small, irregular terraces.

A slope or grade may be the perfect place for informal stone steps, with, of course, a path leading up to them and away. Colonies of small plants look well on either side, with, perhaps, very miniature evergreens at both sides at the top. Cracks in the steps and a walk can be planted with small carpeters.

If you possess a small stream, gulch, or ravine, by all means consider a little rock garden along either side. If you're fond of a gnarled old stump, see what a few rocks and plants might do at its foot. Where your driveway curves, try a small rock garden. Before you fill in and flatten out a small depression, or level off a small knoll, find out how it would look as a small "island" rock garden.

Corners like those formed by an old-fashioned "stoop" of a country cottage sometimes make effective frames for miniature rock gardens. But in general, informal designs usually fit best out in the grounds, away from angular architectural lines.

Here there are fewer existing, desirable locations for rock and wall gardens. But for the sake of enjoying the dainty plants, and of marking your garden with originality, you may want to create a site. It is possible to dig out a "natural" depression or build up a slope, if it's skillfully designed--and if you can get rocks that don't look foreign and far away from home. Or dig down a foot or two to make a formal or semiformal sunken garden, the beds raised and held in place by a dry wall with crevices to plant in, and flagstone walks.

Corners sometimes offer possibilities--a far corner, where there is a background of trees, fence, or wall; or a front corner where the lawn slopes slightly down to the sidewalk. Or there may be a place near the patio for a tiny pool in a rocky setting.

A birdbath, sundial, or shrine that's a focal point in a small garden can sometimes be embellished with a small rock garden at the base. So can the edge or corner of a raised patio. Terrace pavements with cushions of thyme rooted in the crevices are enriched with color, fragrance, and texture. The lines of stark steps are softened and the appearance mellowed by crowded clumps of fat sempervivums. Wherever you can find reason for a rock wall, or even a row of rocks laid horizontally and only a few inches high, you can plant it with rockery plants at top, bottom, or in between. In the artificial settings of many suburban lots, semiformal walls separating two levels of lawn or supporting the edge of the family living area are very suitable substitutes for rock gardens.

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 plants are available, and more hundreds of alpines from rugged mountain heights. Only the easier alpines are included here, the most adaptable to more luxuriant climates and soil, the least likely to pine for their rigorous, high-altitude homes. Tricky types from above the timber line are left to the dedicated collector.

Nurseries and catalogues of rock-garden specialists are so full of distinctive and delightful miniature plants that my first reaction was blissful delirium. And after I acquired as many enticing items as I could, my second thought was: These gems are too little known and grown. So I began to sort out some that might flourish in our small perennial borders. With favorable conditions of drainage and air circulation, a number of rockery plants have already made themselves at home in other, rockless gardens.

Most miniature bulbs are effective in rock gardens, and some miniature perennials--not ubiquitous types, and not those that spread voraciously by runners. Miniature shrubs and trees are indispensable in rock gardens of all sizes--to give variety, contrast, and substance; to act as accents; to create boundaries or backgrounds. Use them with restraint. Place spreading, wind-swept types at the top, bushy shapes down lower, upright exclamation points at the very bottom. Make sure they are in scale with the rocks, the plants, and the garden as a whole.

Select all kinds of rock and wall plants for their effectiveness of form, texture, and color in the complete design. And this repetition is important and unavoidable. Select varieties that naturally like, or will adapt to, the cultural conditions like sun and soil type you have or can provide.

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, face a sloping rock garden toward the north or northeast, so it will get enough summer sun but not so much that it dries and cooks. Shrubs and trees in the background should not create dense shade in the garden, nor drip moisture on the plants and steal nourishment from their roots. Drainage is extremely important in selecting a site. If the subsoil is packed and clay-like, you can either replace it, make it more porous, or select another spot.

What kind of rocks to use and where to get them depends on the part of the country you live in. Anything that's indigenous to an area is first choice, always. Limestone, sandstone, fieldstone, porous tufa--native rocks "belong" as no artificial or imported rock ever can. If your land is not blessed by plenty of rocks, you can sometimes collect them near rivers, mountains, or abandoned quarries, or where a new road is being blasted through. Whether you have them, collect them, or buy them, all the rocks in one garden should be of the same general type. Varicolored geological specimens are seldom attractive.

Consider each rock's characteristic color, texture, size, and shape before you decide where to place it, or whether to place it at all. Even in the tiniest rock gardens, tiny rocks look ridiculously salt-and-peppery. Start with rocks of substantial size, in keeping with the size and contour of the garden; use smaller ones where they fill in effectively.

Naturally worn and weathered rocks look more natural than freshly chiseled surfaces; irregular, angular forms are better than uniformity. Rocks with stratified layers suggest ledges and cliffs. Glacial boulders or "hardheads" are not good in formal patterns. Use them naturalistically, in varying sizes, arranging them with studied carelessness as if they'd been scattered haphazardly and then left.

Avoid overcrowding with so many rocks that the plants are overshadowed by the debris. Place rocks as they might lie naturally, partly buried in the soil, the tops smoothed over by the elements, and so solid that they don't wobble when you step on them.

Perfect drainage, so that water cannot stand around the roots and crowns, has been called "the most important need for all alpine plants." The selected location and composition of subsoil and topsoil can either contribute to good drainage or deter it. In small gardens it's not too formidable a job to install a system of drainage tiles, if necessary, or to add gravelly sand to subsoil to make it more porous. Easy insurance in any rock garden is to start with several inches of rather coarse gravel or rubble as a bottom drainage layer.

Any topsoil that is removed during construction should be saved carefully. If you can pile it in the center of a tarpaulin or piece of strong burlap, it can't be scattered and lost; and you can also mix it with any additives with pleasurable ease. Simply pile on the peat, leaf mold, sand, or other ingredients; then, holding opposite corners , pull it back over the soil pile and fold it over the other end. Repeat this, from opposite ends, until the materials are thoroughly mixed.

The first rocks are usually set at the lowest part of the garden, partly sunk in soil or otherwise made extra-sturdy and secure. Build up from that point, arranging rocks with their broadest surfaces at the bottom, all lines of stratification horizontal or on the same slant. Each rock should slant slightly inward and downward, to catch moisture and encourage it to run into the soil in the garden.

Provide plenty of soil for spreading roots, and a minimum depth of eighteen inches or more. Plants in shallow pockets may be stunted and will certainly dry out too fast during droughts. Whether or not you plant as you go depends partly on your agility. Don't crush the first plants under your feet or knees as you set rocks and plants above them. It's often faster and easier to spread out roots and make soil firm around them before the next rock is set in place.

Set plants as deep as they were planted before; no deeper and not too shallow . Tuck them firmly in cool, moist, rock-shaded soil. Keep the soil constantly moist until firm new growth shows that the roots are established and growing.

Rock-garden plants are seldom suitable for planting in neat rows or geometric patterns. Tiny, slow-growing types are arranged in groups of three or more; one or two spreaders per planting spot will do. Don't crowd these plants. Give them room to develop and for air to circulate around them, and to display their charms at their best. Provide private quarters for the smallest gems, away from hearty growers that might overpower them. Keep color combinations and contrasting textures in mind. Set trailers where they can droop over stones. Place those that like moisture low in the garden; their roots keep cool in the shade of rocks.

As a finishing touch, after the rock garden is built, planted, and thoroughly watered, cover all soil surfaces with a mulch of fine gravel or stone chips. Work it up to each crown, under prostrate stems. Aesthetically, this gives a neat, well-groomed look and ties plants, rocks, and setting into one coherent picture. Functionally, the chips absorb heat and keep soil cool and moist, lift small, low leaves out of mud and water, discourage slugs, protect crowns against rot, and firmly discourage the intrusion of weeds.

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 usually preferred. Irregularly shaped fieldstone or other rocks of native origin are used in more natural, informal designs. Any lines of stratification are, of course, laid horizontal and parallel to each other. Another good rule to go by is: The smaller the wall, the smaller the rocks.

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