Tray Landscapes

Looking for something different for your indoor garden? Put a scene from the forest in your home. Creating tray landscapes allows for much more creativity than just putting a plant in a pot, says guest Daniel Avrin, and each landscape is completely unique. Here are some general tips and ideas:

• The idea is to create a natural scene in miniature. Think of something you've seen: a favorite view, a nice photograph, a childhood memory.
• The container you choose should complement the plants in motif, lines, shape and design. You can be creative with your container as long as it has good drainage. Use a seashell, gourds, even driftwood, if you like.
• Remember proportions, says Avrin; choose small-leaf plant varieties for your landscape. Try terrarium plants, dwarf ferns, small palms and indoor bonsai plants. It helps to visualize what the plant is intended to mimic--a bush, a tree, grass or a shrub.
• Create depth and interest by placing large plants in front, smaller plants in back. Also, don't place plants in boring straight rows; put a couple on one side of the pot, one on the other.
• One easy scene to make uses a bonsai ficus tree planted in a land/water pot, available at nurseries. The special pot is divided so that you have a plant on one side and a pool of stones and water on the other.

Step-by-Step:

1. Place a piece of mesh over the drainage holes in the container.
2. Place a thin layer of pea gravel in the bottom of the container with some charcoal chips to keep the soil sweet.
3. Add a layer of well-draining, unfertilized soil to within a half-inch of the top of the tray or container.
4. Begin to build up the landscape, creating a focal point. Use rocks to add height, or mound up the soil to create hills.
5. Add plants and landscape elements in such a way that they look natural, as if they've been there for some time.
6. Add decorative touches such as pebbles, gravel, sand or mosses. The entire surface of the soil should be covered.
7. Place the mini landscape in a spot with bright, indirect light. Keep soil evenly moist but not soggy, and prune and trim plants regularly to help them keep their shape.
8. Do not feed plants; you want them to stay small. Instead replenish the soil every two years or so.

Guests
Daniel Avrin
Bonsai Expert
3684 Bucknell Dr.
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
Phone: 303-470-8439
Email: BESTAVRIN@aol.com
Also in this Episode

Inside Dirt : Episode ISD-120
•	Tray Landscapes
•	Texas Ferns
•	Growing Ferns Indoors
•	Powder-Room Plants