Re-Do a Mini Garden Using Fake Plants

Marlene
by Marlene
5 Materials
$10
30 Minutes
Easy
I love miniature gardens, so I was delighted when my daughter gifted me with one for my birthday a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, I'm not great at keeping plants alive, especially, the small, delicate ones so, sadly, the plants all died within a year.

Recently, I thought I'd try rebuilding my mini garden paradise using fake plants.
Here's what the original mini garden looked like. Love the giant teacup!
Here's a closeup. My daughter has a talented friend who crafts things out of clay. If you look closely, you'll see a miniature Jack Russell in the garden, a replica of the little dog I had at the time. Sadly, she went to doggy heaven last summer. icon
When the plants died, I saved all the accessories, including the tiny stones, the fence, the mushrooms and the garden bench. The tiny birdhouse was a later addition my daughter gave me after I had admired one like it.


I used the green bush to stand in as a tree in the new garden. It originally had red berries on it, which I pulled off and discarded. You will also need a small bag of potting soil. Even though I'm not going to use real plants, I still needed a solid base on which to build. You will also need a small leafy garden ball like the ones you can find in dollar stores and some sheet moss. (Not pictured)
Obviously, the first step is to fill the over-sized teacup with soil. Fill the cup almost to the rim, packing it down firmly as you go.
Next, I "planted" my faux tree, using the position of the original as a guide, placed the garden bench next to it and fashioned a stone path with some of the tiny stones.
Next, I added the little fence behind the "tree."
Here's where the leaf ball comes in. You can easily pull pieces off of it. I pulled off about seven sections from the bottom of the ball.


I'm saving the rest of the leaf ball for another mini garden project. It makes a nice looking "bush" don't you think?
I think these pieces off of the leaf ball make good-looking faux shrubs for planting around the back of the pot. I just pushed the pieces down into the soil.
Here's what the completed hedge looks like from the back.
Here's what the hedge looks like from the front.
I filled in the bare spots with sheet moss and added the rest of the accessories. It's not quite as nice as the original, but I like how this turned out and now I don't have to worry about killing the plants!
Suggested materials:
  • Over-sized teacup planter   (on hand)
  • Miniature accessories   (on hand)
  • Greenery for trees and shrubs   (dollar store)
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Marlene
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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