Shirley Bovshow’s Miniature Garden DIY

• Miniature roses in 4 or 5"-inch container
• Sweet Alyssum in multi pack size
• Potting soil
• Urn or container
• 22-gauge florist wire to wrap around bottle
• 2- bottles (nicely shaped)
• 2-wine corks
• 1-Covered wire stem (to make top of arbor)
• Sharp scissors
• 1-heart-shaped cookie cutter
• 1-package of red "sparkle glass"
• Package of small white pebbles
• pantyhose discards

Prepare The Bottle Arbors

1. Select two identical bottles, wash inside and out, remove labels.
2. Starting at the bottom of the bottle, wrap 22-gauge florist wire around the base and extend to neck of bottle. Twist wire to other side of bottle neck and extend downward to bottom of bottle. Cut wire and tighten ends together.
3. Wrap floral wire horizontally around the bottle to create a "trellis" grid for the roses to be attached to. Wrap at least 3 horizontal wires.
4. Drill a small hole on top of wine corks with end of scissors or small nail. (This will make inserting the wire for the "arbor top" easier).
5. Twist a couple of covered wire stems together and shape into a small arch.

Install The Arbor

1. Insert the two bottles into the potting soil, burying approximately, ½-1"-inch of the bottom of the bottle. Make sure the two are at the same level and directly across each other.
2. Insert the wine corks into the bottles and join the two bottles by inserting bent covered wire into each of the corks. This is the top of your arbor.

Plant Roses And Alyssum

1. Plant your roses on each side of the bottle and attach stems to the grid using small pieces of pre-bent wire.
2. Plant sweet alyssum along edges of your container.

Prepare For Decorative Soil Cover

1. Cover the soil with old pantyhose or landscaping material and top with white pebbles.
2. Insert the heart-shaped cookie cutter into the pebbles and top with red sparkle glass.

Detail Your Mini Garden

1. Cover the bare soil near the plants with sphagnum moss.
2. Hang a small crystal pendant from arbor.
3. Place a small bench in your garden.

Water lightly and place indoors near sunny window or outside in covered patio in bright spot.

Maintenance

1. Water your miniature rose garden when the soil feels dry to the touch.
2. Remove old flowers once they are spent to keep the garden looking fresh.
3. As rose plants grows, you can re-pot each rose in it's own container or plant outdoors in the garden as weather permits.

Miniature Rose Information

• Contrary to popular practice, you don't have to throw away your supermarket miniature rose when it stops blooming.
• These roses are just as strong as their full sized counterparts. Many miniature roses will grow up to 2-3'-feet tall when planted in the ground and are ideal for small spaced gardens.
• Plant your miniature rose outdoors in the spring after all threat of frost is over in a location that receives at least 6 hours of full sun.
• Water, fertilize as often as you would your full size roses.

Check out Shirley Bovshow's garden designing expertise at edenmakers.com and follow her on Twitter @EdenMaker.