Mini Gardens as Gift Gardens

 

   Give the gift of greenery and floral this spring! Mini gardens can be used in a multitude of ways to spice up an otherwise boring corner of your home or garden. As the spring celebration season is upon us, another use for these small, lush vessels are as a hostess gift. At Sunshine Garden Center, we have various mini garden plants and succulents in stock for the choosing, along with pre-assembled mini gardens for sale. Seasonal availability. 

Planter design

When filling a container, the variety of plants to choose can get overwhelming. To make it simple, we recommend using the “filler, spiller, thriller” rule. 

• Thriller- Tallest among the bowl, statement piece
• Filler- mid-sized, bushy or lush foliage
• Spiller- vining or trailing plant

Other considerations:

1. Decide what theme your recipient would like. Do they have a favorite color? Do they really like a specific type of plant? What plants remind you of this person? Do they need low-maintenance vs high maintenance? What plants may match the lighting of their home?
2. Choose 3-6 Mini Garden/ succulents to use in your dish, depending on the size. Using multiples of the same plant will give quicker "fill" effect. 
3. Stick to all mini garden plants vs all succulents to ensure the soil requirements and watering schedules are similar. 

Container

To make this gift as “green” as possible, we recommend upcycling or reusing a container or dish you already have. If the dish has no drainage, consider adding rocks or pebbles at the bottom to avoid wet feet. 

Planting

1. Lay down a base layer of soil from 1-3 inches depending on the depth of your container
2. One by one, remove your plants from their tiny pots, setting them into place in the dish
3. Fill in the gaps with potting soil and press down lightly on the plant’s soil to make sure it’s secure
4. Give a thorough watering!
5. Ready for gifting!

Happy Spring from Sunshine Garden Center!

Courtney