Too Cute to Eat! Small Plants Are Trending This Year

From mini edibles to micro ornamentals, itty-bitty plants are big news this year. Check out the tiny plants that are trending in the garden.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these affiliate links.

June 02, 2021

By: Lynn Coulter

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Shutterstock/Olga Miltsova

Photo By: Southern Living Plant Collection/Sunset Plant Collection

Photo By: ProvenWinners.com

Photo By: Southern Living Plant Collection/Sunset Plant Collection

Photo By: Ball Horticultural Company

Photo By: PanAmerican Seed

Photo By: Ball Horticultural Company

Photo By: PanAmerican Seed

Photo By: Star Roses and Plants

Photo By: PanAmerican Seed

Photo By: Pan American

Limited Space? No Problem!

With so many passionate growers, many of them with limited space to garden, plant companies have responded with new plants that can be grown in smaller spaces. Whether you are growing on a balcony, a windowsill or a tiny plot in the big city, these mini edibles and ornamentals are the perfect way to garden no matter what growing space you have. Some of these plants are brand new, and with interest in gardening sky-high, if you can't find these right away, keep looking.

Pineapple Guava 'Bambina'

One bite of pineapple guava 'Bambina' fruit is a tropical treat. This dwarf plant isn't widely known, but don't miss its blue-green fruits with strawberry-pineapple-guava flavor. You can even toss the spring flower petals into salads or drop them in drinks for a hint of sweetness and cinnamon. 'Bambina' grows 3 to 4 feet tall—perfect for containers—needs full sun and is hardy in USDA Zones 8-10.

Hydrangea 'Wee Bit Giddy'

This bigleaf hydrangea will make you a 'Wee Bit Giddy' if you need fabulous color for a small space. At just 24 inches tall, it takes partial sun to sun and has big, bright flowers and dark green leaves. It's deciduous and hardy in USDA Zones 5-9. The flowers will be purple-red in soils with a pH of 7.0 or higher. In acidic soils, they'll be blue. Pick up a soil test kit from your local nursery or garden center if you want to see what color yours will be. This neat dwarf shrub is perfect for gardens or containers.

Fig Tree 'Little Miss Figgy'

Her name — 'Little Miss Figgy' — is a nod to her small size, but this new dwarf tree bears lots of big, sweet fruits for eating fresh or cooking. Let her dress up a container in full sun or give her part shade. (You'll get more figs in the sun.) She's 4 to 6 feet tall and hardy in Zones 7-11. Give her some TLC and you can overwinter her container in a garage, basement or greenhouse. The dark purple fruits ripen in summer if hungry birds don't beat you to them. This variety is smaller and more cold-hardy than similar fig trees.

Gerbera ColorBloom Series

Go ahead, try to pick a favorite in the Gerbera ColorBloom series. These cheerful, daisy-like lovelies grow 4 to 5 inches tall in white and shades of yellow, pink and orange. Plant them outdoors in containers or beds and give them partial sun for flowers from spring into fall. These tidy, compact plants may come back as perennials in frost-free zones. The ColorBloom series will be introduced officially in 2022, but you can buy the seeds now.

Mexican Sour Gherkin (Cucamelon)

Get your kids to eat more veggies by telling them these are mini watermelons. They aren't, but they do have a fun nickname: mouse melons. The little gherkins taste like cucumbers with a citrusy tang. The vines run 3 to 4 feet long, but if space is a problem, plant them in a container, guide them up a trellis or other support in full sun, and they'll produce handfuls of inch-long fruits. Pickle these cuties, eat them fresh from the garden or toss them into salads. They mature 60 days from planting.

Persian Violet, Jupiter Series

Persian violets (Exacum affine) in the Jupiter series are sweethearts at just 4 to 6 inches high. They're new introductions with sweetly scented, violet-blue or white blooms and yellow eyes. Give these minis bright light and enjoy them as flowering houseplants or grow them outdoors in USDA Zones 7-11. They also make thoughtful housewarming or hostess gifts. Although they'll flower for weeks, it's difficult to get them to rebloom, so most people replace them instead.

Persian violets are often sold at grocery stores or in the indoor plant section at nurseries and garden centers. Until this new introduction is widely available, look for a 6-inch, lavender Persian violet available at some Lowe's stores instead. It's not currently sold online.

Pepper 'Pot-a-Peno'

Baskets and other hanging containers keep these fun, new-for-2021 jalapenos within easy reach. When they're small and green, 'Pot-a-Peno' peppers have a spicy flavor. When they ripen to red, they're still spicy but taste sweeter. The 3 to 4-inch peppers hang down on plants that mature 12 to 15 inches. Grow them in a container in full sun and expect to harvest 35 or more fruits per plant. This All American Selections winner gets high marks for its compact size, patio-worthy good looks and bushy growth habit.

Petite Knock Out Rose

Adorable Petite Knock Out is the first miniature rose in the Knock Out family and it's just as easy to grow as its wildly popular relatives. The fire-engine-red flowers are 1-1/2-inch across, held against glossy, dark green foliage. The plants stay bushy and compact at 18 inches tall. Put these sun-lovers in decorative containers or use them in a border in front of taller flowers. They're disease-resistant and recommended for USDA Zones 5-10.

Kitchen Mini Edible Pepper 'Cosmo'

Brilliant purple and red fruits make this edible pepper as cute as it is spicy. Tuck trendy Kitchen Mini 'Cosmo' beside sun-loving herbs on a windowsill or countertop or outdoors in a container in the sun. When the snack-sized, mildly hot peppers finish, replace your plant for another harvest. The plants are bushy and grow 10-12 inches high with 2-inch conical fruits.

The Kitchen Mini Collection is brand new and more varieties are on the way. Look for 'Cosmo' seeds and plants at your local home and garden center or nursery or check your favorite online retailers often for updated inventories.

Kitchen Mini Tomato 'Siam'

This tiny tomato, bred to grow indoors, produces bright red, cherry-sized fruits on a windowsill or indoor table that gets full sun. The plant stops producing its sweet snackables after several weeks, so you'll want a fresh plant to keep harvesting. 'Siam' grows better with a small stake for support and matures at 7 to 9 inches tall. The bite-sized fruits mature in 70 to 84 days. If you keep your plant outdoors, remember that it's best grown in a container.

Too Cute to Eat! Small Plants Are Trending This Year

Related To:

Shop This Look

Limited Space? No Problem!

Pineapple Guava 'Bambina'

Hydrangea 'Wee Bit Giddy'

Fig Tree 'Little Miss Figgy'

Gerbera ColorBloom Series

Mexican Sour Gherkin (Cucamelon)

Persian Violet, Jupiter Series

Pepper 'Pot-a-Peno'

Petite Knock Out Rose

Kitchen Mini Edible Pepper 'Cosmo'

Kitchen Mini Tomato 'Siam'

How To Plant Flowers In Large Planters 13 Photos

8 Places to Shop for Fall Flowers and Foliage

How to Prepare Flower Pots for Planting 10 Photos

How to Plant and Grow Marigold Flowers

Easy Flowers to Grow in Pots 11 Photos

How to Grow Strawberries in Pots

Related Pages