By Heather Mann

DIY Dish Garden

*Tip: Try old metal loaf pans, glass mixing bowls or vintage ceramic toys. Baskets or boxes can be used if lined with plastic before planting.

**Tip: Dish gardens lend themselves to low-light plants that will thrive in this environment, so look for cacti, succulents, mosses, philodendrons, ferns or begonias.

1. Thoroughly water the plants a few hours before replanting.
2. Place pea gravel in the bottom of the container to allow for drainage.
3. Fill dish with potting soil, then create indentations for the plants.
4. Group the plants together in a pleasing design, then cover root balls with ample potting soil and lightly water.
5. Add embellishments such as river rocks, glass marbles, animal figurines or tiny houses.
6. Water when the soil is dry, and don’t overfill the container. Gently tip the container to pour out excess water. Avoid fertilizer because the plants will outgrow the container too quickly.

Tip: Choosing plants is half the fun! Get creative with embellishments, and incorporate little mushrooms, animals and figurines, or add natural elements like sticks and pebbles.

Plant Pairing Ideas

• Desert Dish Garden: Cactus, aloe, jade and sedum
• Herbal Dish Garden: Chives, rosemary, basil or mint
• Tropical Dish Garden: Philodendron, fern, snake plant, bromeliad and English ivy
• Indoor Tea Dish Garden: Mint, chamomile, lavender, bergamot and lemon verbena

1. Romantic Three-Tiered Dish Garden: Give your dish garden big impact by planting it on a three-tiered cupcake or cake stand. Fill with African violets, dracaena and nephthytis. For extra charm, add a few floral picks (ribbon bows glued to wooden coffee stirrers).

2. Vintage Dish Garden: Put your favorite vintage glass mixing bowl on display, and use it in a dish garden for your kitchen. Fill with herbs to use in cooking.

3. Woodland Fairy Dish Garden: Choose a rustic container such as a plastic-lined basket, a hollowed-out piece of wood or a folk art-inspired dish. Add woodland plants such as ferns, grasses, mosses and seedling fir or pine trees. Add a small fairy house, gnomes, squirrels, deer figurines or tiny mushrooms.

Tip: Repot plants if they outgrow their container, and use fresh potting soil when re-planting a dish garden.

4. Succulent Dish Garden: Choose a rustic dish such as a clay pot or terra cotta container, and plant succulents such as sempervivum and sedum. Cover soil with white pebbles or sand.

Tip: Showcase a perfect dish garden by itself, or group several of them for a whimsical indoor garden, perfect for a windowsill, shelf or tabletop.

Heather Mann is chief editor of Dollar Store Crafts, and specializes in transforming inexpensive materials into stylish and simple craft projects. She has appeared on the Martha Stewart Show and been featured in Reader’s Digest and the New York Times, and her work has appeared on the cover of Family Fun Magazine.