English Country Garden

Status: completed Completed: November 2024

Explore the Build Process Step-by-step documentation with photos and techniques

Project Inspiration

Coming out of my experience with the Log Cabin and Cathy’s Flower House, I really wanted to practice more to make realistic miniature flowers. The first attempts in the Log Cabin were a bit of an eye opener that it would take much more practice, improved techniques and better materials. As a keen gardener, with my own beautiful garden and a huge admiration for English Country gardens, I could not select a better topic to experiment with flower making than to scratch build my own miniature garden.

This project captures the beauty and horticultural richness of a traditional English cottage garden. The centerpiece is a historic Victorian cottage with a thatched roof, surrounded by a 15m × 15m garden at 1:50 scale. The thatched roof was specifically included to practice and experiment with something different than the slate/tiled roof of the Log Cabin.

The main focus of this build was learning techniques for creating realistic miniature flowers and plants. The garden features over 100 different flowering plants and shrubs and a good selection of trees, each crafted to capture the characteristics of English cottage garden favorites.

Project Overview

Build Type: Scratch build from research and photos
Scale: 1:50 (1m in reality = 2cm in model)
Base Dimensions: 30cm × 30cm plywood base
Garden Size (at scale): 15m × 15m
Cottage Dimensions: Approximately 16cm height, 11cm width, 19cm length (roof height 9.5m at scale)
Status: Completed
Start Date: April 13, 2024
Completion: November 30, 2024
Build Duration: 7.5 months (working in spare time alongside full-time work)
Primary Focus: Realistic miniature flower and plant creation

Why This Project?

Given that this model brought together my love for plants and gardens with my newly discovered focus on scratch building and miniaturization, it turned out well - something I’m genuinely pleased with. It definitely laid the foundation for building more and different models. The enjoyment and satisfaction of doing it was remarkable. I’ll be selecting more models to explore different materials and skills, build out specialist tools and discover new methods.

Project Goals

Learn techniques for creating realistic miniature flowers of many varieties
Practice thatched roof construction (different from previous slate/tile work)
Capture the informal, densely-planted aesthetic of English cottage gardens
Create a fully scratch-built Victorian cottage with period details
Develop skills in miniature plant morphology and realistic coloring
Repurpose and reuse available materials rather than purchasing specialty items

Featured Plants and Elements

The garden showcases an extensive variety of plants, each individually crafted:

Flowering Plants:

Delphiniums and Foxgloves (tall spike flowers, approx. 3cm tall)
Roses (6mm blooms with climbing varieties)
Hollyhocks (tall border plants)
Lavender and Box hedging
Geraniums, Lobelia, Phlox, and Daisies
Wisteria and Clematis (trailing/climbing plants on walls and arch)
Cosmos, Poppies, and Marigolds
Geum, Dahlias, and Lilies

Foliage and Structural Plants:

Hostas with large distinctive leaves
Ferns (challenging at this scale)
Ornamental Grasses (Carex varieties)
Box hedging and various shrubs

Trees:

Wire-frame trees with sawdust foliage
Apple tree with tiny clay apples
Tall birch-style tree with individually wired leaves
Narrow upright conifer for back door area
Various smaller ornamental trees throughout

Garden Structures:

Clematis-covered garden arch
Low stone wall made from horticultural grit
Wooden gate with period detailing
Slate pathways with cement steps
Bird bath

Build Achievements

100+ Individual Plants: Each flower, shrub, and tree handcrafted using various techniques
Material Innovation: Repurposed copper wire, paper, sawdust, natural materials, tea leaves, seed heads, dried twigs
Authentic Thatched Roof: Constructed from real grass using custom-engineered sorting caddy
Scratch-Built Victorian Cottage: Balsa wood construction with brick chimney and period windows
Layered Garden Design: Multiple planting zones, varied elevations, upper and lower levels
Scale Consistency: Maintained 1:50 proportion while balancing “art of the possible” with realism
Minimal Material Cost: Nearly all materials sourced from garden, tool room, or around the house

Research and Learning

This project involved extensive research into both gardening and miniature techniques:

English Garden Design:

Studied hundreds of photos of formal and cottage gardens
Researched cottage architecture, especially thatched roof cottages with country gardens
Analyzed plant arrangements and the informal cottage garden aesthetic

Plant Morphology and Characteristics:

Documented detailed characteristics of potential flowers: spike arrangements, flower bases, leaf types and forms, flower shapes, color varieties
Created long lists from gardening books and gardens4comfort.uk
Studied specific plants including foxgloves, delphiniums, roses, hollyhocks, lavender, ferns, hostas, daisies, grasses, poppies, cosmos, clematis, lilies

Miniature Flower Techniques:

Researched flower shapes: strap (daisy), bell/funnel (bluebell), cluster (lavender), spike (foxgloves), flat top, distinct petals (rose, dahlia), star (clematis), saucer (cosmos), pompom (poppy), trailing
YouTube tutorials on flower-making demonstrations
Experimented with multiple methods for each flower type

Thatched Roofing:

YouTube tutorials:
Adapted techniques using real grass from garden
Engineered custom V-shaped caddy for sorting and bundling grass

Resources:

Botanical books and magazines
Personal garden book from gardens4comfort.uk
Paper cut stencils and paint/drawing stencils
Catalogs of flower shapes and types

Materials and Techniques

Materials Used (Repurposed and Found)

Wire (Recovered Copper):

Ultra-fine wire: ~0.1mm diameter (delicate stems)
Fine wire: 0.3-0.5mm (flower stems, small details)
Medium wire: 0.8-1.2mm (structural stems)
Heavy wire: up to 2mm (frameworks, tree trunks)
Pre-coated with acrylic paint in various dark colors to hide copper gloss

Paper:

Standard 80 gsm printer paper (petals, templates)
Packing tissue 17-35 gsm (soft, delicate layers)
Cardstock 160-220 gsm (stems, leaves, structural parts)
All pre-colored with acrylics in various shades, dried and filed for easy access

Natural Materials:

Sawdust: sifted into different grades, colored in greens, whites, pinks, reds
Seed heads: strengthened with watery clear varnish, then painted
Sphagnum moss
Dried twigs with leaves
Tea leaves for foliage
Real grass for thatching (collected from garden, sorted, bundled)
Horticultural grit for stone wall
Crushed slate for pathways

Other Materials:

Clay (flower making, cottage chimney)
Diamond painting dots (spiky plants)
Leather hole cutting tool (micro cups)
Small ball sculpting tool (forming cups)
Modified stencils and paper punches (flower petals and leaves)
Balsa wood (cottage construction)
Filler (wall texture, path edges)
Pillow filling (tree foliage base)

Techniques Developed

Miniature Flower Creation:

Micro cups: leather punch + ball tool, glued to wire stems
Clay molding: funnel shapes for lilies, punch-cut clematis
Paper cutting: stencil-cut petals, layered and stacked
Daisy technique: fine-cut paper strips rolled onto sawdust-dipped wire
Spike flowers: individual small flowers attached sequentially to wire
Cluster flowers: fine sawdust application
Trailing plants: flowers added to prepared vine stems

Foliage and Leaves:

Large leaves: individually cut paper, wired, bundled by twisting wires or setting in hot glue
Ferns: extremely challenging at miniature scale - various experiments
Shrubs and bushes: different techniques for varied textures and forms
Hostas: distinctive large leaf shapes cut and wired

Tree Construction:

Wire frame branches with clay-built thick sections
Branches covered in pillow filling, then colored sawdust
Tiny clay apples for fruit tree
Combination twig and wire for realistic structure
Tall trees: garden twigs as main stem, drilled holes for branch insertion using hard wire core
Leaves: stamp-cut from paper, individually wired, bundled and glued to branches

Cottage Construction:

Balsa wood walls with filler layer for texture
Brick effect chimney (filler on balsa core)
Windows and doors: thin wood-colored and white paper strips, plastic for panes
Sash window detailing
Thatched roof: grass bundles starting from bottom, working up
Custom V-shaped caddy engineered to sort grass (all pointing same direction)

Structures and Landscape:

Stone wall: horticultural grit stones individually glued
Wooden gate: scratch-built with period detailing
Garden arch: scratch-built frame, clay clematis flowers
Slate path: crushed real slate, filler for edges
Steps: filler formed and weathered to imitate cement
Terrain: homemade clay mixture (flour, water, white glue, vinegar)
Multi-level layout: elevated area at back for cottage

Integrated Weathering:

Weathering woven into construction and coloring (not separate phase)
Paint application includes aging and wear during construction
Natural material variations create realistic effects

Garden Layout and Composition

The garden was carefully planned into “rooms” or zones:

Main Feature: Walkway straight from gate to front door
Upper and Lower Levels: Steps and arch create elevation change, access to both sides
Height Layering: Taller plants against center dividing wall, smaller plants in front
Right Side: Bird bath and small trees at garden edge
Cottage Walls: Ferns and hostas, climbing roses and clematis
Framing: Larger trees at rear of cottage and garden edges
Focal Point: Bright blue clematis on arch draws the eye to center
Planting Method: Plants prepared as loose units for flexible arrangement, glued with glue gun, trees and shrubs pinned for stability

The cottage garden look and feel only came together through trial and error of layout and positioning. Some flowers were only created at the very end to solidify the final effect.

Build Process

Work on this project was done concurrently across multiple components throughout the 7.5 months, rather than in distinct sequential phases. This was necessary to:

Balance making something for the first time vs. determining how many items would be needed
Test techniques and refine methods
Consider overall layout and size while building components
Work around full-time job schedule in spare time
Allow for preparation, trying different options, research, and sourcing materials

The project included many first-time activities with extensive preparation, experimentation, and material sourcing all woven into the lengthy process.

Challenges and Solutions

Scale Consistency: Balancing technical scale (1:50) with the “art of the possible” - what could actually be achieved at miniature size. Some compromise between strict scale and visual effect.

Realistic Flower Appearance: Many forms were experimented with. While miniaturization meant some flowers weren’t perfect, the result is representative with “artistic freedom” applied.

Thatched Roof Construction: Getting grass smooth and cut exactly as a life-size roof would be was challenging. Engineering the V-shaped sorting caddy helped significantly.

Creating Cottage Garden Aesthetic: The informal, lush look only came together through extensive trial and error with layout and positioning.

Time Management: Approached with patience: don’t rush, review regularly, redo if needed, pause and restart as necessary.

Material Sourcing: Most materials from garden, tool room, or around house. Apart from glue and paint, material cost was minimal, but material selection, collection, and preparation was much more involved.

Learning Through Trial and Error: Built through research, trying things out, lots of patience and determination.

Ferns at Miniature Scale: Particularly challenging - required multiple experiments with different approaches.

Skills Developed

Miniature flower creation using multiple methods
Paper manipulation and cutting techniques
Wire working and structural support
Clay molding for flowers and architectural elements
Natural material preparation and preservation
Custom tool engineering (grass sorting caddy)
Thatched roofing techniques adapted for miniature scale
Balsa wood construction
Texture creation with filler
Stone wall construction with grit
Terrain building and elevation changes
Garden composition and spatial arrangement
Color mixing for natural plant tones
Integrated weathering during construction
Patience and iterative refinement

Personal Reflections

This project demonstrated that extensive research, experimentation, and determination can overcome the challenges of learning new techniques. The combination of my love for plants and gardens with newly discovered abilities in scratch building and miniaturization resulted in a satisfying success.

Most importantly, it laid the foundation for building more and different models, exploring more materials and skills, building specialist tools, and discovering new methods. The journey itself brought remarkable enjoyment and satisfaction.

[NOTE: Consider adding: Any specific moments of breakthrough or discovery? Plants or techniques you’re most proud of? Would you approach anything differently with current knowledge?]

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Have questions or feedback about this project? I'd love to hear from you.