Contrasts add excitement. I love seeing large plants in juxtaposition with small ones. Contrasting sizes, mixed together, invite the eye to inspect. But lately I have been playfully mirroring my large-scale gardens with miniature garden displays using the same plants, in reduced form.

1. Mirrored Garden Displays
Florence Blum
Writes on Miniature-gardening.com' offers miniature plants and
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2. Contrasts add excitement. I love seeing large plants in juxtaposition with small
ones. Contrasting sizes, mixed together, invite the eye to inspect. But lately I have
been playfully mirroring my large-scale gardens with miniature garden displays
using the same plants, in reduced form.
In one garden bed, I have a border of large Elegans Hostas. Here, I have let them
expand to the point of becoming supersized. Each Hosta has plumped to fill its
allotted space—or, if truth be told, has overstepped its bounds. This works, but it
takes up space.

3. In filling a nearby area of much less space, I wanted to stay true to the spirit of that
already-thriving garden. What to do? Blue Mouse Ears Hosta became my answer to
taking what was already part of my garden’s “look” and re-creating it in miniature
garden form.
The diminutive Blue Mouse Ears Hostas remind me of my large blue-green Hostas while
growing on a manageable scale. The giant leaves of my larger Hostas become chewed by
insects I cannot name. But this miniature garden gem has shown few signs of wear as
summer progresses.
As an accompaniment, Mini Skirt, a slow-growing mini Hosta with variegated leaves like
some of the big guys in my larger display, sends up a spike of lavender flowers. These
flowers seem to last longer than do those of larger counterparts. And polite… even flirty
Mini Skirt shows self-restraint. Staying petite, it alternates with my favorite Blue Mouse
Ears in the miniature garden, mirroring the scheme in the large-scale garden I also love.

4. Visitors think they are seeing things when their eyes turn from the large display—giant
mounds of solid and variegated leaves—to the miniature garden plantings fitting tidily
where they are situated. As if viewed through a magnifying glass and then from a
distance, these two distinct gardens—one large and one duplicated in miniature garden
form—work together to provide continuity.
I have begun to consider using this mirroring technique with Butterfly Bushes. Last year I
was gifted with a large Butterfly Bush. It has taken off between two sizable shrub Roses.
I would not dream of reducing the size of this plant which has grown wildly. Its conical
clusters of the tiniest flowers—purple, with bluish undertones—are doing their job of
drawing in Monarchs and Swallowtails. But accommodate another? No space.

5. Elsewhere, in a sunny miniature garden bed, I have introduced two dwarf Butterfly
Bushes. With just one summer’s growth where they are planted, I now see their familiar
blooms on stems a mere fraction of those of the large plant. These have me thinking
about how to mirror my large Buddleia and Rose display in the nearby miniature garden.
I will find dwarf magenta Roses to surround a small Butterfly Bush. Pugster Blue® will fill
the bill here, with its blooms of coveted near-blue. Like the two dwarf Butterfly Bushes
already planted, I have no doubt it, too, will bloom readily while remaining compact. It
will turn a space where I aim to continue the same scheme of form and color that exists
in the larger garden into a mirrored, but reduced, miniature garden display.

6. Pugster Blue® will need time to get its roots comfortable in new soil. But I still have
time—more late-summer warmth to get this small plant settled into the miniature
garden. With good sun and watering, it will be in full bloom next summer.
These mirrored displays make me happy. Other gardeners are sure to find this idea
playful, fun, and sensible when space is at a premium… or even when it is plentiful.

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