My Miniature Garden


Sometimes gardens happen by accident, just as it did with my old birdbath. The result is a miniature garden which reminds me of those dishes seen in the children's section at local garden shows.


Here you can see my miniature garden in its context. For many years it was a successful birdbath, which I bought for a song at a local auction. Then one winter it got badly cracked and a subsequent repair with some polyfilla worked for a couple of years. Then another severe frost meant the bowl cracked again and snapped into two pieces. It's now held together by some wire just below the rim.

For a while I used it as an extra pot for seasonal bedding; violas or pansies in the main, then one summer I tried some mimulus for a change. They've self-sown themselves every year since, adding the splashes of red and orange you can see in the top picture.


Further neglect and poor drainage meant a moss garden was born. Just the effect I strived for elsewhere in the garden, but failed to achieve when done with a purpose in mind.

As well as the mimulus it's interesting to see what else has self-sown itself into the moss. An aquilegia provides an almost tree-like canopy and there's also a small strawberry plant. I wonder what else will appear in the future?


The cushioned moss also makes a superb medium in which to place my rain gauge. Its open aspect and position just a few short steps from our kitchen doors makes it a perfect spot for my weather observations.

I shall continue to enjoy my smallest and most accidental part of VP Gardens, especially to see how it changes without any interference from me.

What's happened in your garden by accident?

Comments

  1. Mark and Gaz19 September 2014 at 09:32

    It looks great with moss growing on it. Designed by nature for you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP20 September 2014 at 09:57

      Thanks guys - it also reminds me of the Tiny Taxonomy exhibit for the Chelsea Fringe. It's great to have a little taste of that close to home :)

      Delete
  2. CJ19 September 2014 at 09:43

    I love it, that moss is beautiful. A rain guage is a great idea, I shall look out for one. I've been wondering for a while what to cover a fence with, as there's no soil to speak of at the foot of it, just a couple of inches of rubble. This year next door's grape vine has trailed down it nicely, disguising all of the plain wooden slats. It's made a lovely difference.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP20 September 2014 at 09:59

      We've 'borrowed' next door's vine for our fence too CJ ;) I had a 'boring fence project' a while back and planted a Clematis montana at the soil end of our very long fence. It's served us well for the past few years, but decided to give up the ghost this year. Look out for 'boring fence project part 2' next year...

      Delete
  3. VP20 September 2014 at 10:00

    Just got home from holiday to find Thursday night's storm gave us 2 inches of rain. That's made up for the lack of rain in the first half of the month!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Catharine Howard's Garden Blog21 September 2014 at 15:56

    hmmm - comments going awol. You are lucky to have rain - none here in the East.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP21 September 2014 at 16:02

      Thanks for your persistence Catherine and welcome to Veg Plotting. We had 2 inches of rain in the end - there was a massive flood of the railway line at Corsham as a result. Plants are looking much better for it though...

      Delete
  5. Anonymous1 October 2014 at 11:33

    That's a lovely border. What a lovely find at an auction. Must cast an eye over my local one. Nature took a hand in my beds with the self-seeded autumn anemones that I mentioned on the last Bloggers' Bloom Day - makes you wonder why you bother sometimes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP4 October 2014 at 12:06

      Helen - sometimes just looking at a roadside verge makes me wonder why I bother! They can be sheer perfection - I need to study them more and have a think about why they work so well and if anything from that can be used in my garden.

      Delete

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