An Indoor Trough Garden
Indoor trough gardens can be a real pleasure, as people can look at them, or work on them, all year round, whatever the weather.
Of course, an indoor garden will require more care and maintenance than the outdoor version, and there is less scope for adventurous waterworks which risk overflowing!
Advantages:
- People can look at it or work on it all year long, in all weather, at all times of day.
Drawbacks:
- Needs more care and maintenance than the outdoor version.
- Probably smaller space. Less scope for adventurous waterworks which risk overflowing.
- Many good miniature plants won’t grow well indoors, even close to the window.
Concerning the latter, most bonsai trees do not grow well if left indoors for long. Many good alpine miniature trees need outdoor sun.
However here are some alpine miniature conifers which can grow well indoors, though not all of them a slim cypress shape.
- Chamaecyparis thyoides ‘Andelyensis Nana’
- Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Squarrosa Cyanoviridis’
- Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Squarrosa Intermedia’
- Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Plumosa Compressa’
Like many Chamaecyparis trees, these suit both outdoors and indoors.
The miniature jasmine, Jasminum parkeri, also suits both.
A very small indoor trough garden?
A very small trough garden might be an idea, say around 40cm x 25cm, on a windowsill or a table near a window. It might be too small for mini-trees but other plants might be possible. Such a trough could be cast in cement and fine sand from a Gelflex mould of a plaster slab into which flowerbeds, pools, and paths had already been carved. For moving water, consider the small, compact mini-pumps used for tabletop fountains.
An indoor garden based on artificial plants?
Some people might want to try a garden with artificial model plants of the sort sometimes used for doll’s houses or model railway landscapes – or to make their own model plants. Can you get the right effect this way? It’s for you to decide.
Terrarium or ‘Wardian Case’ indoor gardens
These special indoor gardens are glass boxes, like miniature greenhouses, which you keep closed and only rarely need to water since the closed box creates its own moist mini-climate. But they can need maintenance to deal with fungus.They need to be kept away from any direct sunlight, though otherwise they need good natural light. Some terrariums are home-made out of former fish tanks. Others have glass cases which are themselves beautiful glass mini-buildings – and often very costly.
You can find much information on the internet if you search for ‘terrarium gardening’ or ‘Wardian Case’.
Try http://www.artmakers.com/indoor_gardens/ for
instance.
For pictures of attractive cases, see http://www.glasshouseworks.com/terrariums.html
There would be two particular challenges for an Islamic-style miniature garden in a terrarium.
- Can you find suitable plants? Many common terrarium plants are large and lush and would completely cover up the formal, geometric design of an Islamic garden. Can you find more suitable plants which would also thrive in a terrarium’s climate? Alpines, which need sunlight and dry climate, would be unsuitable.
- Could you design a terrarium case which itself used an Islamic decorative style and thus complemented the garden inside? Could you make it or get help to make it? While it wouldn’t be necessary, it could certainly enhance the project.