What I wouldn't give to have you over to give me some pointers! (I define that as you make some nice arrangements while I watch appreciatively ;-) I can grow most anything (almost), but combining it to look nice is another thing.

I was inspired by the succulent garden that looked like an underwater scene and almost tried to create one myself, but never did.

I love what you have created, although the dinosaur one is my personal favorite.

Nice work!

You mini gardens are gorgeous and very creative.

I also saw the underwater garden scene in the Sunset magazine and have been collecting the succulents to go in my creation. My first idea was to use a old 50 gal aqarium that I had but I have since been looking at shapping a large piece of styrofoam I received with a big screen TV. The stuff is like a big soft piece of styro that molds to whatever it leans against.

I shaped it like a "L" with some of the sides around the front up about 4". Then started covering it with terracotta and have been trying to mold it with planting pockets.

Do you have a photo album you could email me? I would love to see more of your little creations.

So glad to see photos! I started thinking about this after reading about "story" or "landscape" containers in an ancient old Agatha Christie (of course, the container pebbles turned out to be diamonds!).

I like your dinosaur scene too - because it's so successful viewed from above.

I've been thinking of "landscaping" a double container I planted this year - a tall skinny central container embedded in a wider, shallow container. Still thinking of "vertical" ideas that will work at eye-level (it's on the gate-pillar by our front door).

Love the old aquarium idea, but need shade-tolerant plants.., ideas most welcome.

I have a couple of toy yellow metal diggers and trucks that I want to incorporate into containers (no fairy dolls round here, sadly, it's all-boy territory!). I think they would go nicely in a rectangular herb trough, since I find that many herbs enjoy the heat stored by largish rocks in their containers.

The best landscaped containers are the 3 I posted. All the other landscape ones are still only in my head! In addition to the underwater scene, I want to do a desert scene with a miniature airstream. I have also thought about the metal diggers and trucks! I would want a natural bonsai-ed pine tree in that scene for some reason.

Here are some more traditional containers.
{{gwi:20317}}

{{gwi:20318}}

I have a tiny pieris that I got at miniature plant kingdom that seems happy in the shade. I also love the mini hostas for shade. I don't know if you can see it, but there is copper tape around the dinosaur container to keep out the snails!

Here is a plant that I am integrating into a container for plants that will be in the shade and take more water. It only gets 4-5" and you can order it from annie's annuals. It's common name is Wall Pennywort. I thought it had a very unique appearance.

Mini hostas?? Hmm, living in Japan,l have hostas coming out my ears, but miniature??? I'll have to look more carefully at the garden center.

By the way, is that a small flax you have in the pot behind the thing that looks like a euphorbia?

The copper tape is an excellent idea - where there is shade, there are snails...

I like everything you posted, I personally would remove the fairy's and put in some Matchbox Jeeps but that's me! It's much like very good bonsai I've seen before, makes you feel like a giant looking down at the world.

You can buy the miniature hostas on ebay. I like the ones that get about 8" across. You can get an incredible variety, including stripes, puckers, blue-gray, heart shaped leaves and sword leaved ones. Also, go on miniatureplantkingdom.com. I think you can download an order form but I don't know about shipping to Japan!

I like bonsai too, but it's intimidating to me. I choose plants that are more like natural bonsai. Some shrubby perennials have leaves that are the right size or texture. Branching pattern is important too.

The collection of 5 pots has new zealand flax, autumn sedum, elephant food (Portulacaria), jade plant and mother-in-law's tongue. You should see it at the end of the summer when the heads of the autumn sedum turn dark rose against the bronzed flax. It's gorgeous and the bees love the sedum.

Not sure if someone mentioned this but check out Papa Geno's troll garden...

Here is a link that might be useful: Papa Geno's mini plants

wow, that's a great site for conifers, pines and cypress! I find it a little odd that there is a section for hostas, but no miniature hostas. Hopefully they'll branch out.

I enjoy working with miniatures as well...actually still in the learning stages. I have made various sizes of trough pots from peat,sand and cement. I went to the North West Garden Show in Seattle this past February and purchased miniature shrubs while there. Can't wait to get started...but I'll have to...it's still too cold here in the Western NY area. I like using the miniature Hostas as well and also the small hen and chicks. Thanks for the photos! They are inspiring!

did you ever finish your miniature desert scenes??