DISH GARDENS

1.  Site specific or general purpose?

 Planning for a special staging location?  Be sure of viewing angles, light availability, elevation of shelf.  If  the dish garden is for general purpose (sale, judging, gifts) these are not as critical, though plan for good viewing from all angles if you can.

2. Dish properties.

Dish should be small, 6 to 12” or less in width, shallow, and have a drainage hole.  It must be of a durable material; try to stay away (my personal preference) from terra cotta, wooden bowls, and too many pattern holes in the sides.  If an abundance of holes or openings are present, consider lining the dish with a matching color of dirt barrier (the white side of cheap landscape cloth, used fabric softener sheets).  If dish has a design pattern on the sides, consider if you need to mark a “Front” on the dish.

3. Soil considerations.

The bottom of the dish should contain a ½” layer of gravel.  You can then cover the gravel with a porous material to prevent soil from washing out the drain hole, or go ahead and fill the dish to the lowest working level.  You should have a suitable soil (well draining cactus soil with sharp gravel mixed in to preserve air pockets for a succulent garden) or other mixes suitable for your plant selections. 

4.  Plant selection. 

Plants selected should have common water and light requirements.  Plants should have like growth-habits, or consider how to keep faster growing specimens to scale.  It might be feasible to plan on replacing fast growers every couple of years so they don’t overwhelm the dish design. 

5. Items all together for assembly? 

Lay out your plants in the same spacing as they will appear in the dish.  Adjust layout to meet the eye, and consider changes in elevation for your finished dish.  Gather any hardscape items you want to employ in your design.  Chips of flaky flagstone are great for making strata layers or creating stone elevations.  Consider a small mirror for incorporating the look of still water.  Consider scaled accessories as you would find at a model railroad dealer.  Let your mind go wild on what you can add, miniature cow skulls, bare chicken bones, uniquely patterned or broken rock samples, perhaps some mineral crystals.  Broken shards of molten glass from a glass factory can add color and shine to your dish.  Have all your tools at hand at an easy-to-clean workspace.  I bought several Christmas tree dishes 36” wide by 1-1/2” deep.  You can do every step of your construction and contain all the spillages in one space.

6.  Stack the plants to tell a story.

Once your lowest elevation is stable, install items like mirror shards, or base boulders and secure these by pressing into place.  Consider elevations in your dish garden and how they will look in 1 or 2 years. As a rule, you don’t want fast growing columnar plants where they will block viewing the rest of the scenery.  Create the proper sized planting hole with one of several tools.  The handle of a small round paint brush will make holes that are fairly stable.  Consider using a proper size of stainless steel serving tongs, close the tongs then press down to the desired depth, and then let them spring open wide enough to accommodate the specimen.  Gently place the plant in the hole with the tongs in place.  You could also use the tongs as a mini-post hole digger.  Press into the soil at a wide enough spacing to fit the plant, then compress and pull out unwanted soil.

7.  Build each elevation like layers on a cake, make each layer a part of the story you are telling.

Perhaps put some taller specimens behind a ridgeline of stone flakes.  If designed to be viewed from only one angle don’t let the plants step on each other’s parts in the narrative.  Consider root pruning to help plants spread a good root system.

8.  Top off each elevation with a coordinated  top dressing.  Perhaps choose different colors for specific areas.  You may want to investigate using different colors of aquarium gravel for the desired effect.  There are an infinite number of designs, styles, and structures for your gardens.  Make this a learning and a growing experience.

Freddy Hill,  12-14-11.