Miniature Gardening on a Grand Scale

A tiny garden inspired by bonsai

My name is Lori Herlin , and I endure on a 4.75 - acre heap on the side of a mountain in Asheville , North Carolina . I retired here from Houston seven years ago . I was an avid gardener in Houston for 30 years but had a passel to larn about a very different climate that actually has four seasons and how to garden on a very extortionate slope . It take for a while to find shoe with good enough traction that I was not sliding downhill most of the time . Our lot was mostly wild forest with a small amount of landscaping along the driveway when we buy it .

I spent the first four twelvemonth landscaping the hill above the private road up to the route and downhill below the house . We put in trails that zigzagged down the side of the mountain through our band . I have three major green area that I landscape that are out on the track as well . The track and parks are decorated with some of my concrete projects as well as purchase statues . I switched from bronze cast to concrete for my sculptures because the larger outdoor scurf made bronze casting cost - prohibitive . I have a life - size infant black bear in concrete in one of the parkland .

For the last three years I focused my energy on a novel project along the driveway that I call my Miniature Bonsai Garden . It immix the rocking horse I brought with me from Houston of gardening and sculpture with a new bonsai hobby I pick up in Asheville . My new garden is 100 feet long and contains bonsai trees in training , flowering ground covers , succulents , and othersmall plant , as well as mosaic patio , small brick retaining walls , tile plantation owner box ( all built in my studio over the wintertime ) , roofing tile pavement , and a stream made of rock and concrete .

The miniature garden has evolve from experience and problem solving over the last two years and is presently in its third arise season .

Here ’s the “ before ” shot of the infinite that would become the miniature garden .

And here is the “ after ” blastoff . Look closely at the planting all along the front ; they are miniature landscape , with thesmall shrubbeing trained as a bonsai .

The miniature garden even has a mini - sidewalk and a tree diagram baseball swing .

A tinywater featureruns through the mini - landscape painting . The shrub areChamaecyparispisifera‘Filifera Aurea ’ ( zone 4–8 ) , or a alike cultivar , that have been pruned up to divulge their trunks and make them look like miniature trees .

In this point from the miniature garden , I peculiarly bang the diminutive vine - coveredarbor !

I get it on how the landscape painting works on two levels . In a wide sentiment , the larger landscape works as a whole , and when you front closer , you may take in all the miniature details .

A littleseating areafor bantam garden visitant on the mosaic roofing tile patio

Traditionally bonsai are grown in container , not in the ground , but the technique can be translate to a all-inclusive range of position . Wire wrapped around the short pants allows each branch to be positioned precisely where you want it to make a dendroidal effect in the garden .

Have photos to partake in ? We ’d bang to see your garden , a peculiar appeal of plant you sleep with , or a fantastic garden you had the luck to visit !

To posit , send 5 - 10 exposure to[email protected]along with some information about the plants in the delineation and where you train the photos . We ’d make love to hear where you are located , how long you ’ve been gardening , successes you are proud of , failures you learn from , Leslie Townes Hope for the future , favorite plants , or funny story from your garden .

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