Mulberry Creek Herb Farm: Catalog/Mulberry Miniatures

Mulberry Miniatures

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Welcome to Mark’s dream section. The smaller the plant is, the more he likes it. "I find these miniatures, so often overlooked and even walked on, absolutely fascinating. Why? Possibly as I mature in my plant tastes, the subtle details of these noble, slow growers are just as exciting as their substantial, bold, splashy counterparts. Certainly it has to do with no matter how many varieties I find, there are, literally, always room for more. And there's the fact that they are just darn cute, like the tiny doll furniture, that make you yearn to be just their size. I suppose I like the contrast with this weird world and my own sacred space, where everything is child-like perfection for my boys and me. No war, no hunger, and no weeds! Creating authentic miniature worlds, transport the artists and lucky participants."

We hope you enjoy these selections as much as we have reveled in collecting them.

Bellium - Mini Daisy

Bellium bellidoides

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b-11
Light: Sun-P.Sun to Sun-P.Sun
Height: 2in.groundcover
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Flowers: Early Fall to Early Summer to Late Summer to Middle Summer
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Garden Railroads,

From the Mediterranean, yet this white flowering daisy from the Mediterranean that is perfectly hardy to Zone 5a. 2 inch short rosettes of dark green, long, spoon shaped leaves complement the 4 inch tall stalks of delicate daisies. With time, it will form an expanding, everbloomin' mound.

Berberis, World's Smallest Barberry

Berberis stenophylla 'Corallina Compacta'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a
Light: Sun - P. Sun
Height: 6h x 8w inches
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Mini Tree

Begins as the world's smallest holly look-alike tree, but it'll slowly reach 3 feet in a decade or two. Glowing coral flowers are followed by black fruit. Miniature landscapes should include thriller, spiller and filler plants. This one's a thriller!

Blue Globe Daisy, Mini Blue

Globularia repens (G. cordifolia Nana)

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b
Light: Sun-P.Sun to Sun-P.Sun
Height: 2in. groundcover
Water: Dry-Normal
Soil: Any Soil
Flowers: Early Summer
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Garden Railroads, Groundcover, Miniature/Faery Garden, Walk About

Absolutely pure blue, miniature ""Scabiosa-like"" flowers in late spring top a very slow creeping green mound of leaves are half the size of G. cordifolia. I'd speculate this is a choice selection for a float in faerie parades but we use it as a ground cover between stepping stones. Light traffic only please.

Blue-Eyed Grass, Devon Skies

Sisyrinchium angustifolium 'Devon Skies'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b
Light: Full Sun to P.Sun
Height: 6in.
Water: Dry-Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Flowers: Early Summer to Late Fall to Late Spring
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Borders, Container, Garden Railroads, Groundcover, Miniature/Faery Garden, Ornamental

New for 2009
Flanked at the base of a mini arbor, these 6""clumps, dressed up with ""look-at-me"" sky blue flowers, carry you away into a anti- super-sized kingdom, each time you give them a glance. Additionally, the sterile flowers have a very long bloom time - well into August which is when I was first drawn to them.

Blue-Eyed Grass, Devon Skies

Sisyrinchium angustifolium 'Devon Skies'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a
Light: Full Sun
Height: 4h x 6w inches
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Mini Shrub

Flanked at the base of a mini arbor, these 4 inch clumps, dressed up with baby blue flowers, carry you away into a anti- super-sized kingdom. Looks like miniature iris. Additionally, the sterile flowers have a very long bloom time - well into August which is when I was first drawn to them.

Blue-Eyed Grass, Dwarf Purple

Sisyrinchium angustifolium 'Lucerne'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b-11
Light: Full Sun to P.Sun
Height: 8in. x 6in. wide
Water: Dry-Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Flowers: Early Summer to Late Fall to Late Spring
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Borders, Container, Garden Railroads, Miniature/Faery Garden, Ornamental

I am not a grass at all, rather a fine leaved, dwarf, iris-like perennial with super long flowering time. There are species of this plant native to almost every continent yet it is relatively unknown in the garden. Very easy to grow and admire.

Bolax - Astro-Turf

Bolax gummifera 'Nana'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a
Light: Full Sun Only
Height: 1/2in. x 6
Water: Dry-Normal
Soil: Sandy
Flowers: Early Summer
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Garden Railroads, Groundcover, Miniature/Faery Garden, Walk About

'Bolax' tiny, slick, dark green rosettes feel almost like, (forgive me,) plastic or ""Astro-Turf."" Hard-to-kill, (put it in a Wal-Mart parking lot crack and it's happy)armor-like pads virtually follow every contour of the ground creating a cozy bed for sweet, little, yellow flowers in early summer. Not for the humid south.

Boxwood, Kingville Mini

Buxus microphylla 'Kingville'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b-11
Light: Sun-P.Sun to P.Shade
Height: 6in. x 6
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Garden Railroads, Hedges/Shrubs, Miniature/Faery Garden

Boxwood, Kingville Mini 5in.+

Buxus microphylla 'Kingville'

Light: Sun-P.Sun to P.Shade
Height: 6 x7in.
Water: Normal- Dry
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Miniature/Faery Garden, Alpine Rockery, Garden Railroads, Hardy Shrub

Boxwoods can be a challenge to maintain, but the smaller versions, like this 12""x12"" is not only the tiniest boxwood available, but more apt to overwinter without chunks of the plant succumbing to drying winds. It willingly accepts pruning into a ball or other shape, so it's naturally an ideal bonsai, hedge or mini RxR tree. Even amid flowering miniature perennials, it stands out as a trough specimen.

Burnet, Mini Copper

Acaena microphylla

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a
Light: Full Sun – P.Shade
Height: 2 inch groundcover
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:RxR, Groundcover, Faery Garden

Some might know this easy going alpine as “New Zealand Burr for its greenish summer flowers that mature into copper red burrs. Put them in between flagstones, by lawn's edge or in a container . You need a firm hand as it can go into unintended places but if you have bambi infestations, consider this as a lawn substitute as it's not on their list of favorites.

Burnet, Mini Purple

Acaena inermis "Purpure'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a
Light: Full Sun
Height: 2 inch groundcover
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:RxR, Groundcover, Faery Garden

We cherish the contrast this hot and sunny groundcover offers with smoky, purple, fern-like leaves tipped in red. Looks antique! It prefers a loose, well draining soil to provide a porous playground for underground runners. Mulch underneathe with light colored stones to show it off.

Calathea / Mini Prayer Plant

Calathea micans cv.

Cold Tolerance: Zone 9b-11
Light: P. Shade – P. Sun
Height: 2h x 4w inches
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Mini Shrub

World's Smallest “Prayer Plant” This is an un-named, ½ sized cultivar of the species, that is not exactly a scaled miniature for landscaping but great for terrariums and dish gardens. It really likes it warm so if it goes dormant, it is NOT dead! It will resprout. Wish I could do that trick with my knees!

Calocephalus, Cushion Bush

Calocephalus brownii

Cold Tolerance: Zone 8a 8b 9a 9b-11
Light: Full Sun to P.Sun
Height: 12 x 12in.
Water: Normal- Dry
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Garden Railroads, Miniature/Faery Garden, Ornamental

Plants like this silver foliaged tumble-weed separate the passionate collectors from those with a casual interest in unique plants. It's easier to tell that it's alive vs. say the ""Skeleton Plant"", I give it that. Still, it's such a great contrast with its linear, jointed form that I really shouldn't belittle it.

Catsfoot - Pussytoes, Pink

Antennaria diocica

Cold Tolerance: Zone 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b
Light: Full Sun to Full Sun
Height: 2in. groundcover
Water: Dry-Normal
Soil: Sandy
Flowers: Early Summer to Middle Summer
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Container, Garden Railroads, Groundcover, Miniature/Faery Garden, Walk About

A dwarf version of this popular (if not policially incorrect name) plant. Felted gray, spreading mat, grew beautifully last year along our ""Walk-About"" path, despite the humidity. Tiny pink clusters in summer.

Catsfoot - Pussytoes, Red

Antennaria dioica 'Rubra'

Chile, Mini Bonsai Tree

Capsicum frutescens 'Prik kee noo'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 9b-11
Light: Full Sun
Height: 12 x 12 inches
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Mini Tree, Bonsai

“World's Smallest Chile Pepper,” and with just a little lower stem pruning, it is the easiest bonsai tree to grow in just one season. Fine, burnt orange fruits announce themselves early followed by equally tiny leaves that form by season's end. Maybe it'll mature to a 12” X 12” tree, but our 3 year old has not yet achieved that size. Couldn't fill in a gig as a mini scaled apple tree for its fiercely, firey, pointed fruits would be a cruel joke if someone sampled.

Chrysanthemum, Mini Desert Jewel

Rhodanthemum 'Morocco'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a
Light: Full Sun
Height: 2h x 6w inches
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Mini Shrub

From the Atlas Mountains in Morocco comes inch high mounds of dark green, glossy leaves and white, red backed flowers, early spring through late fall. Naturally, a rock garden or trough is its home away from home, but its sweet daisies demand a shot in a faery scene. Requires draining soil to survive the winter temps.

Cinquefoil, Yellow Creeping

Potentilla neumanniana

Cold Tolerance: Zone 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b
Light: Full Sun to Full Sun
Height: 2-4in. groundcover
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy
Flowers: Early Summer
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Butterfly, Garden Railroads, Groundcover, Miniature/Faery Garden, Ornamental, Walk About

Everyone has seen the overused ""Potentilla"" in a landscape but imagine a petite version. The bright yellow 3/8"" single rose flowers reveal it's membership in the rose family. Because it is a slow spreading groundcover, it's an icon in our winter windowsill gardens with a rosemary tree and a lemon thyme.

Coleonema - Confetti Bush

Coleanema pulchrum

Cold Tolerance: Zone 8a 8b 9a 9b-11
Light: Full Sun to P.Sun
Height: 18in. x 18
Water: Dry-Normal
Soil: Organic-Loamy
Flowers: Early Fall to Early Summer to Late Fall to Late Winter
Common Uses:Bonsai, Butterfly, Cut Flower, Fragrant, Garden Railroads, Hedges/Shrubs, Houseplants, Medicinal, Miniature/Faery Garden, Topiary

Although this South African plant is often used as a diuretic (to promote urination), it does not give us the right to brutalize its botanical name as Colon enema. Skipping over Karen's sick sense of humor.... Single, white flowers, mature pink among the tiny fragrant needle leaves then sprinkle the root base like.... confetti!. It is hardy to at least 10 or 15 degree.

Coleonema - Confetti Tree

Coleonema pulchrum

Cold Tolerance: Zone 8a 9a 9b-11
Light: Full Sun
Height: 12 x 12 inches
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Mini Tree, Bonsai

Here's a bonsai artist's dream: Bring indoors in the fall then witness winter, white-pink blooms in perfect scale with the fine needled, green foliage. Just a few snips and cherry-bark trunks are revealed. Enjoy outdoors as a tree in any miniature landscape.

Coleus, Mini Red-Leaf

Coleus x 'Cantigny Royale'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 9b 9b-11
Light: Sun-P.Sun to Shade
Height: 12 x 12in.
Water: Wet-Normal
Soil: Organic-Loamy
Common Uses:Bonsai, Garden Railroads, Houseplants, Miniature/Faery Garden, Ornamental, Topiary

In autumn, there are few rivals to this red maple tree mimic in a miniature railroad or landscape due to its dark red, 1"" leaves. While it is a ""Coleus,"" by the time it matures into a 12"" form, it can easily be trained into the shape of a mini tree.

Columbine, Faerie

Aquilegia flabellata 'Cameo'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b
Light: Sun-P.Sun to Sun-P.Sun
Height: 3in. x 4
Water: Normal
Soil: Any Soil
Flowers: Early Summer to Late Spring
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Butterfly, Miniature/Faery Garden, Ornamental

Like ""Little Lanterns Columbine"", the flowers are almost standard sized, however, the height is shrunk to about 3"" tall, one of the smallest known cultivars. This is a mixture of different flower colors, that rise no more than 3 or 4 inches and will slowly re-seed themselves around the garden. As columbines go, these are long lived and cute!

Columbine, Little Lanterns

Aquilegia canadensis 'Little Lanterns'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b
Light: Sun-P.Sun to Shade
Height: 10in. x 6
Water: Normal
Soil: Any Soil
Flowers: Early Summer to Late Spring
Common Uses:Alpine Rockery, Bedding Plant, Butterfly, Miniature/Faery Garden, Ornamental

This delicate, literally 1/2 sized version of our native eastern Columbine blooms in its second year. Lucky for you, we've grown them for over 12 months, so these should flower for you this summer with reds and yellows about the size of native Columbine on 10"" stems.

Columnea /Mini Lipstick Variegated

Columnea X 'Broget Stavenger'

Cold Tolerance: Zone 9b-11
Light: P. Shade - P. Sun
Height: 1 inch Trailing
Water: Normal
Soil: Sandy-Loamy
Common Uses:Mini Groundcover/Spiller

Bright red, 3/4 inch, trumpet flowers are strewn over draping variegated foliage. Would make a gorgeous hanging basket if it grew faster though we're quite content to host it in a terrarium or faery garden. Easy houseplant