This weekend, we got together for Easter dinner and some miniature garden creation. You can call them terrariums, Japanese gardens, bonsai, or we just call them dish gardens.

What you'll need:

• A decorative dish, bowl, or planter
• Potting soil
• Rocks of all sizes, pebbles, and gravel
• Little plant plugs - they're $1.50 at your local greenhouse: ferns, shade plants, ground cover, succulents, cactus, herbs... mix them up!
• Bark, sticks, twigs
• Moss (you can find packs at Michael's)

The basics are:

• Start with a theme: desert, ponds, mountain stream, displaying a collection
• Use 3-5 plants. Odd numbers look more natural.
• Space them roughly in a triangle.
• Use rocks or bark to add depth.
• Start with a viewing place in mind.

The glass house terrarium

An herb mini garden

A good way to display a collection - like these bears along a stream

My 3 year old made this!

My 6 year old's tree with a bird

Use rocks to create depth

Caring for your dish garden:

• Sun, water and love
• Keep the leaves moist while your garden is getting established

Taking care of his garden

Thanks Aunt Jean & Uncle Dave!