Mini Garden
If gardening is temporarily not possible then make a mini garden.
Entering the dry season
This time of the year the island were I live is very dry. If you are connected to the water supply you will only have water for a few hours a day and if you have a cistern of your own that gets empty and you order the water truck, you'll only get half a load at a time. Economical with water is second nature, so the garden goes into a saving position. Some plants do not get any water at all and others just enough not to die. After the last fierce rain, we always let the grass and weeds grow because when it dies it protects the earth from drying too fast. A few months to half a year our garden is a disaster. And if you got yourself a 4 legged little gardener who has a different view of a nice garden the disaster is complete. Time for something different, time for a mini garden that hardly needs any water and is standing to high for the 4 legged monster.
Entering the dry season
This time of the year the island were I live is very dry. If you are connected to the water supply you will only have water for a few hours a day and if you have a cistern of your own that gets empty and you order the water truck, you'll only get half a load at a time. Economical with water is second nature, so the garden goes into a saving position. Some plants do not get any water at all and others just enough not to die. After the last fierce rain, we always let the grass and weeds grow because when it dies it protects the earth from drying too fast. A few months to half a year our garden is a disaster. And if you got yourself a 4 legged little gardener who has a different view of a nice garden the disaster is complete. Time for something different, time for a mini garden that hardly needs any water and is standing to high for the 4 legged monster.
Brainstorming and What I Used
A few weeks ago I made some bowls out of the beginning (paddle) of the Christmas palm leave. One of them I left just as it was, it is a big paddle and very suitable for the base. I saved the the tribes of the Christmas palm to which the fruits grow. When dried they look like a tree. I also found some tillandsia (airplants) which I can use and in my head a mini garden started to grow.
What I used (only a few things are pictured)
One leave, the big paddle part, of a Christmas palm
3 tribes of the Christmas palm
A lot of tillandsia
By far not enough so I also gather
Some tiny succulents
Two tiny cacti
Some weed
Twine
Bottle corks
Bottle caps
Rocks
Driftwood or branch
Soil
Dry leaves, the one from Dracaena works well.
A glue gun and glue sticks. Be carefull,hot glue is extremly hot!
Scissors
Teaspoon
Brush
What I used (only a few things are pictured)
One leave, the big paddle part, of a Christmas palm
3 tribes of the Christmas palm
A lot of tillandsia
By far not enough so I also gather
Some tiny succulents
Two tiny cacti
Some weed
Twine
Bottle corks
Bottle caps
Rocks
Driftwood or branch
Soil
Dry leaves, the one from Dracaena works well.
A glue gun and glue sticks. Be carefull,hot glue is extremly hot!
Scissors
Teaspoon
Brush
The Tree
Glue two tribes together ( remodel it a bit if necessary) and let dry, or use a glue gun. I didn't have a glue gun when I started so I used contact cement from elmers. When dry fill the holes with pieces wood of the third tribe. You now have a bare tree.
The Base
Level the base with the help of the bottle corks. As soon you have find out the right and stable position glue the corks in place. Use some glue when winding the twine around the corks to keep the twine in place.
Build Up the Base
Take the tree and the driftwood or branch and arrange this on the basis until you have a nice composition that you like. The tree is the most important piece and the eye-catcher. Also look which side is the most beautiful side of the tree. Once you've determined the place, glue the tree and wood with a glue gun. From here the mini garden starts to grow. Cover some single caps with twine, just put som glue on the bottle cap and cover with twine, be sure you put some twine on top to hide the bottle cap. The caps become very small plant bowls and as soon as you fill the caps with soil you can’t see the bottle caps any longer. Also glue some caps together, follow the curve of the base. Cover these caps with dry leaves and some twine on top. Glue some stones and caps in places where they look beautiful. The use of caps can also be replaced by very small jars. To protect the base from fungal and rot, I chose not to put the soil directly on the base.
Planting Time
Planting time
I started with the tillandsia. Put a little glue drop on the tree wait a few seconds so that the glues cool down a little bit but is still sticky. Place the tillandsia in the glue and place the next drop of glue and repeat the first step. Go around the whole tree but place just one tillandsia at the time otherwise the glue won't stay sticky enough. Spread the tillandsia over the tree to get a nice look.
Fill the bottle caps with soil and plant the secculents, cacti or what you like, I even plant some weed.
When all the plants are planted brush the spilt soil away with a brush, water the plant pots with a syringe and spray the tillandsia with water. If you have only tillandsia, succulents and cacti it will be enough to water them once a week.
I started with the tillandsia. Put a little glue drop on the tree wait a few seconds so that the glues cool down a little bit but is still sticky. Place the tillandsia in the glue and place the next drop of glue and repeat the first step. Go around the whole tree but place just one tillandsia at the time otherwise the glue won't stay sticky enough. Spread the tillandsia over the tree to get a nice look.
Fill the bottle caps with soil and plant the secculents, cacti or what you like, I even plant some weed.
When all the plants are planted brush the spilt soil away with a brush, water the plant pots with a syringe and spray the tillandsia with water. If you have only tillandsia, succulents and cacti it will be enough to water them once a week.
Enjoy Your Mini Garden
Find a nice spot for your mini garden and enjoy the beautiful things of life. If you have a little 4 legged gardener just as we have, well let him or her do the garden. Your gardener will get older and lost his/her interest. As soon as your little 4 legged gardener gets retired you can start gardening again. We are lucky: as soon as our gardener will be older the rainy season starts again and within a few days all the damage is gone.