I found these at the local Salvation Army Store. I thought they might be useful for the Fairy Garden. I am thinking I might put moss in the mushroom and see if I can get it to grow thru the holes. The leaf I was thinking as using it as a pond. Keeping water in it might be a real pain but I could fill it with that clear stuff (just can't put my mind on the name) that hardens and looks like water.

Holly - Can you post a photo of your SA store finds???

I like your possible new miniature garden bed. Love the blue bottles wall.

LOL forgot the pictures.

Last year I was given a Dwarf Coleus. We took 12 cuttings from the original plant and then another 16 cuttings from those just today. It is a beautiful plant tiny leaves, beautiful color last year it grew to about 12 inches tall but could have been trimmed back to keep it smaller.

Holly - Oh! Very nice finds! (Thanks for sharing a photo!) And I love your Dwarf Coleus! Very, very pretty! How tall does it get?

I happen to be at Lowe's yesterday and saw this magazine. It is apparently a reprint (from last year) and I guess was such a big seller that they republished it again this year and it will be on stands until May 2017. (I didn't see it last year.) I typically don't purchase magazines because so much can be found on the internet these days, but I broke down and spent $10 for this magazine. I have read it front to back 3 times already and will be looking at it numerous times again as I got a bunch of wonderful ideas from it. For me that $10 was a good purchase because of all the information in one place that I can look at during work lunch, too! It covers so much with vendors at the back, that I just had to have it!

Beckygardener Like you I very seldom buy magazines any more but sometimes they just catch your eye and you can't help your self. Looks like a nice one.

Garden show today had a mini garden display. The nursery is close to my town so I'll be checking it out this summer

I have been searching out Dwarf or Mini Coleus and found quite a few of them I am really taken with this one, as well as several others. Fancy Feathers, gets 8 in high.
http://www.rosydawngardens.com...

Various Pep cuttings in mini garden, and a sprig of Alternanthera, bottom right.


Variegated Teardrop Peperomia (Peperomia 'Orba Variegata')
Prayer Peperomia (Peperomia dolabriformis)
Red Log (Peperomia verticillata)

Some progress shots. Decorations are still not back in. So many weeds to pull, so much time doing that lately instead of more fun stuff...

Alternanthera has been trimmed a couple times.


A few of these plants have been trimmed too.


Peperomia prostrata/rotundifolia is so cute creeping under the other plants.


A few whole plants removed or trimmed at soil level from here.

Love the plants Its hard for me to find ones that winter outside in Iowa.

Legalily said:Love the plants Its hard for me to find ones that winter outside in Iowa.

Ginny, whats your winter temp range in Iowa where you live?

We get below 0 temps. Some can't handle the hard freezes.

I have gotten some very nice and different plants from High Country Gardens.

https://www.highcountrygardens...

I'll have to check them out next summer.

In the spring, I took leaves off of succulent mama plants and laid them on the ground in patches. By now, the mama leaves have shriveled, leaving the cutest little plants. Now that leaves are starting to fall off of trees, I potted them up. I literally picked them up off of the ground, gently. They weren't deeply rooted, but they are very nice, complex root systems. There are some taller stem cuttings in the pots too. Anything w/o a stem came from a single mama leaf.



In the spring, I'll have a lot of material to fill any gaps that happen over winter, between cold and I think squirrels that like to munch on them during cold weather.

Lunchmeat package with holes poked in the bottom:

Legalily said:We get below 0 temps. Some can't handle the hard freezes.

With snow cover i imagine?
Consider Cold-Hearty Succulents like Sempervivum and Sedums! I plant these exclusively where I live in the Pacific Northwest. Sempervivum and Sedum originated from Alpine regions in Northern and Eastern Europe and they are used to cold dry Winters. In fact they thrive in that climate. In the Wintertime Sempervivum go dormant. So it looks like they aren't doing anything because they aren't! Sempervivum and some Sedum are often hardy down to Zone 4 and poss Zone 3. Semps (as they've been nicknamed) appreciate a Winter snow cover as it keeps them insulated. What they don't like is having wet soggy roots! Planting Sempervivum in the ground in an area with decent sun exposure (dont need FULL SUN, and in fact like a bit of a sun break in Summertime, even if its the shade from a perennial, a rock, or a few tall strands of grass adjacent), in non-rich (boring) soil topped with a few inches of course gravel or chicken grit, and theyll do just fine in Iowa!
You may know them as 'Hens & Chicks," yet this nickname doesn't do this genus of plants justice. Last I heard there are more than 5,000 named Sempervivum. The color changes they go through in the Springtime are absolutely spectacular and it's very easy to fall in love. They come in all different sizes from very small(less than an inch) to very large (over 12in).
I find that even if I'm growing a larger variety of Sempervivum, if I put it in a small pot they'll behave like goldfish--growing only to the size of their container. Check out the Sempervivum forum!!
I'll attach some pics of my planters. FYI my Sempervivum can tolerate much lower temperatures than some of the pots in which I plant them. You can bring them indoors or garage for Winter if the container is not frost-proof. Just place them in the sunniest window possible if inside. Sempervivum get their best spring color when the nights are cold and the days are sunny. Here's some pics of my pieces I sold to clients:

Love the planters I do have some succulents but always keeping my eyes open for more and a variety

Santa Rosa Gardens is having a good sale through Sunday, November 5. They have several pages of succulents on sale: http://www.santarosagardens.co...

I just promised DH I would order NO more plants this fall of any kind