October 2, 2014 Newsletter

Create a Miniature Garden

Miniature gardens are a fun way to be creative on a small scale. Create your own magical garden with a little imagination and the instructions below.

Preparing to Plant
1. Choose your pot. If you are creating a covered terrarium, clear glass is best. For other miniature gardens, anything that will hold soil will work. Be sure to clean the container with hot, soapy water before using.

2. Select the decorations for your miniature garden. Fairy or gnome statues, miniature garden accents, stones, seashells . . . use your imagination and create a garden unique to your style.

3. Select the plants for your garden. Choose a few tall plants and a few short plants, to give some height variation.

4. Be sure you have your planting materials: soil, charcoal, moss and gravel. Kerby's has premade kits that include all of these planting materials for $14.99.

Planting your Miniature Garden to Plant
1. Place a layer of gravel on the bottom of the container for drainage.

2. On top of the gravel, put a quarter to half-inch layer of charcoal, to help keep foul odors out.

3. On top of the charcoal, place a layer of moss. This keeps oil out of the drainage area.

4. Now fill the container with moist, rich Kerby’s Planting Soil.

5. Scoop out holes for the plants you selected and plant them level with the soil level of the container, being sure to pack the soil firmly around the base of the plants. Be sure to put taller plants at the back of your garden and shorter plants towards the front.

6. Add another layer of sheet moss across the top of the garden and arrange the decorative items you’ve chosen. Use a spray bottle to moisten the top of the soil and the leaves of the plants and watch your garden grow.

Workshop: Miniature Gardening
Saturday, October 4th at 10am

Fee: $25 (plus tax) - per garden created

Help us kick off the fall season, with a fun hands-on workshop where you can create a super-cool miniature garden. They are easy and fun for everyone. This is a hands-on workshop, so come on out ready to get your hands dirty! Included in the $25 fee is a small container, two mini-plants, one figurine, and all the materials for planting the pot. Kerby's has plenty of additional decorations available for purchase, including fairy houses, swings and bridges, just in case your fairy or gnome needs a little more fun in their garden! If you plan on coming please call the nursery at 813-685-3265 so that we have an idea of how many people to expect.

Workshop: Fall Porch Pots
Saturday, October 11th at 10:00 am

Make your home really stand out this fall season with lovely pots and beautiful plants. This workshop will teach you all about thrillers, fillers and spillers, and show you some of our tricks for creating beautiful porch pots.

Workshop: Butterfly Gardening

Saturday, October 25th at 10:00 am

Bring on the butterflies! Butterfly gardening is a fun way to get everyone involved in the garden. Plus the plants that butterflies love are beautiful to us too. Come out to this workshop and learn the best way to attract butterflies to your garden.