A dish garden is an arrangement of different plants in a single container. It is a miniature ecosystem that represents a scene in nature. A dish garden allows you to arrange smaller plants in a creative manner and enjoy them up close.
The plants grown in a dish garden should be compatible that have similar watering & lighting requirements. The soil mixture should be well-drained but also able to hold adequate moisture.
Find out how to create your own in-house dish garden.
Materials Required:
- Container
- Soil Mix
- Drainage materials- gravels, marbles, small rocks, coarse sand, and coarse charcoal
- Plants
- Decorative items like shells, stones and figurines
- Moss or sand
Steps to build a dish garden:
- Thoroughly water all the plants a day before you create your dish garden
- Select a shallow container of your choice. Make sure it is at least 3 inches deep
- Add 1 inch of drainage material to the bottom of the container consisting of charcoal or gravel. It will prevent the soil & roots from standing in water
- Select & group plants that have similar growth requirements. For example- keep high light, low moisture plants in one container & low light, high moisture plants in another container
- Once you have figured the plant arrangement, add ½ to ¾ inches of soil on top of the gravel
- Arrange the plants in place & add soil just below the rim of your container. Firm the soil around plants & water thoroughly. Do not set them deeper in the soil
- Use pieces of moss to cover the remaining soil surfaces around the plants. Press gently to help plants, soil and moss settle in together
- Look at the dish garden from all the sides & from several distances
- Try your decorations. Add coloured pebbles. Place the figurine among the plants
- Place new dish garden in a warm, shaded location for at least two weeks so that the new transplants become established
Follow these steps to maintain your dish garden:
- Test the moisture level of soil with your finger several times each week. Keep the garden moist with a watering can & let it soak for a few minutes & later remove the excess water while holding the arrangement in place
- Place the dish garden in bright but indirect sunlight so that the plants thrive well
- Fertilise the plants infrequently as over-fertilising causes plants to overgrow the container
- Repot when the plants start to grow too large for the container. You can repot after a year or so when the soil nutrients diminish in quality.