How to Design a Miniature Garden for Your Dollhouse

Miniature accessories do not just live outdoors in the fairy garden. In the dollhouse community, we often focus on interiors, from tiny dishes to squares of wallpaper for little rooms. Have you ever thought about what happens when your dolls venture outdoors? Dollhouses deserve their own unique outdoor spaces. That is where the miniature garden comes in.

Yards

Yes, you can incorporate a miniature garden into your dollhouse. All it takes is a little imagination and attention to detail. Perhaps your dollhouse residents would like a front yard or backyard in which to spend time. You may want to start by situating your dollhouse on a large base. Cork or Styrofoam can be helpful here, because you can easily slide picks into them for quick decorating. The surfaces themselves will be covered by faux lawn, pebbles, woodchips, and other landscaping materials.

Once you have chosen a base and situated your dollhouse on top, you can plan out your miniature garden. It helps to use a fence or retaining wall to create the miniature garden space. Whether you choose something wiry and minimal or more formal, a fence ensures visitors that the miniature garden is part of the dollhouse property. It also helps keep the area around your dollhouse neat and tidy.

Once you have fenced in your space, you can start building your yard. Cut strips of faux lawn to create a “grassy” floor. Then experiment with different miniature accessories. Small bistro tables and chairs offer opportunities for teatime in the dollhouse yard. Birdbaths and benches give miniature dolls and fairies a spot to sit and reflect. A gazebo, red wagon, or lemonade stand could also add personality. Faux miniature trees offer shade and greenery. In the wintertime, you might switch out blossoming trees for faux snow-covered pine trees. Does your dollhouse have lights? String up some twinkly yard lights for summertime BBQ or winter holiday fun!

Side Yards

The base of your dollhouse probably has a little room on each side, creating the opportunity for side yards. These should also be covered in faux lawn that has been cut to fit the space. If the dollhouse has both a back and front yard, the side yard could include a pathway connecting the two spaces. Around the stepping stones, decorate with faux potted flowers and plants or even more decorative rocks and stones. Small signs point the way to the backyard fairy garden or pond.

Water Features

If your dollhouse has a large yard space, you may have room to add a water feature such as a fountain or pond. These can utilize real water or glassy blue pebbles that give the look of water. Be sure to “plant” plenty of faux miniature plants and grasses around a pond to set a realistic scene.

Vegetable Gardens

A vegetable garden is a favorite choice for the dollhouse miniature garden. All you need are some woodchips or other faux “dirt” spread into a square. Use a short retaining wall, fence, or pebbles to create a border for your miniature veggie garden. Then “plant” miniature vegetables like corn, lettuce, and carrots. You can add signs, garden tools, and perhaps even a garden shed or wheelbarrow. Vegetable gardens look especially appropriate in the backyard of the dollhouse. You can create a little path that leads right from the backdoor or kitchen door to the miniature garden. Your dollhouse residents will love harvesting from the garden for their meals.