Book on sale just in time for the Holiday season.
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Making a Dish Garden
A dish garden offers a small scene in miniature.
Containers may be 12-14 inch saucers for large plants.
Place drainage material in bottom of container, rocks, charcoal, or pebbles and add regular African violet soil less mix that has been dampened. Leave half full so additional soil may be added later when plants have been planted.
Dish gardens MUST have landscaping if they are going to be entered into a show. Landscaping means mountains and valleys, water interest. Make three levels using plants and rocks. Wax or colored pebbles can depict water. Highest level should hold your tallest tree.
CONTAINER GARDENS
AVSA SCALE OF POINTS
LANDSCAPE PLAN= 40 POINTS
SUITABILITY OF MATERIAL= 20 POINTS
CONDITION OF MATERIALS= 20 POINTS
CULTURAL PERFECTION= 10 POINTS
RELATION TO CONTAINER= 10 POINTS
You can see how important landscaping is in a dish garden.
The height of a dishgarden should be about 5 inches more than the width.
Choose plant material which will enhance the African violet. Do not use succulents or cacti since they do not need the same watering schedule as do African violets.
Be careful using variegated plants (other than African violets) since this takes away the attention from the violet. Do not choose other plants with bright colors such as red or yellow since this detracts from the violet.
Plant the largest plant in the back. You can use a piece of bark in the back then move soil up quite high and plant the largest tree.
From the highest point to the lowest, you can make a waterfall. Water or waterfalls may be made from melted wax, colored rocks or other. Shape a piece of aluminum paper into a lake shape or river shape. Pour melted wax into shape and allow to cool. Strip off aluminum.
Judges prefer natural colors for containers such as green, brown or black. Some judges recommend painting terra cotta colored saucers.
Little Red Riding Hood
Colors are important for dish gardens, too, if you are entering a show. Certain words denote certain colors. If, for example, the dish garden class mentions danger, excitement, etc. you would immediately think of using a Red for your main color. If the class mentions tranquility, you would not think of red, but rather white, blue, pink.
Unless they are fairly small, do not use standard African violets as the main plant. Use minis or semi miniatures. Although it is considered an artistic feature if the plant happens to be slightly less than perfect, plants are still judged within the garden and the best looking plant often wins.
Keep accessories small and to the back, almost hidden, so they do not distract from the violet. Variegation in plants other than violets sometimes detracts.
Dish gardens are very easy to make and can be made months ahead of show time adding the violet at the last moment. Dish gardens can be enjoyed in the home at all times.
Members of the Ottawa club challenged themselves by using as a container a black plastic carry-out frozen food container that was about 8 inches by 4 inches.
These tiny miniature gardens were show stoppers.
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Timer for your plants. set your own hours.
 
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