Papa Geno's Garden Blog

Troll Gardens® is a registered trademark of Papa Geno’s Herb Farm/Prairie Home Perennials, and will soon have its own website.  This concept been in the works for a number of years, and these tiny trees, plants and gardens are the result of a lot of work on the part of several people.  This is “small space gardening” taken about as far as one can take it. We have identified almost 100 species/varieties of dwarf and miniature trees and shrubs and over 100 tiny perennials and grasses that are being used to create our Troll Gardens®?   

             


Trees that never get more than 12” tall, 6” shrubs, flowering perennials 3” tall , hostas that top out at 2 inches, miniature irises, dwarf daylilies and more.  These are not bonsais, although some of the trees could be used as such.  These are totally natural plants and trees that you don’t have to spend a lot of time fussing over.  They are not “house plants” in the ordinary sense of the word, although they can be brought indoors for limited periods of time to grace a dining table. Ideally they will spend most of the year outside in a spot sheltered from drying winds and sub zero temperatures.

         

The trees and shrubs in the Troll Gardens® Collections are not seedlings or “babies” of standard-sized trees.  These are all genetically miniature or dwarf, and very slow growing. The trees just above are in 4" pots and will pprobably no more than double in size in five years.  A ‘miniature’ tree will grow 1-3” per year and reach maturity at perhaps 12” after ten years.  A ‘dwarf’ tree will add 1-6” per year and will max out at 18-24” after 10-15 years. 

The trees and shrubs are shipped in 4” or 4.5” pots, and most of the perennials are shipped in 2.5” x 3.5” pots.  The trees and shrubs will already be 4-5 years old when you get them, and the perennials will be 6 –12 months old.  They can remain in their shipping pots for some time (2 weeks to 2 months, depending on the species), but they will do better if they are transplanted into their new “home” as soon as possible. Most of these little plants will do wonderfully in troughs or other containers, or if you have the right spot, will do fine planted directly in the ground.

Generally speaking, in Zones 8 -10 they can be planted outside, in the ground, almost any time of year with appropriate care given to provide shade from Phoenix sun and shelter from the Texas wind. In Zones 5-7 it is usually safe to plant them outside between March and October if you treat them as you would any other hardy perennial. Some will require more shade than others, and those are so identified. Container growing requires a different kind of attention. If you don’t have an enclosed porch or chilly basement or garage where they can spend the coldest part of the winter, they should be placed in a corner of the yard and covered with leaves. All are capable of surviving temperatures down to 10 degrees F, but they will not survive if they are subjected to repeated freezing and thawing (like many perennials.)

Between November and March these Troll Gardens® will be coming to you from a greenhouse that is kept at 40 degrees F, so you can’t unpack the shipping carton and place the plants and trees in a spot that is either too cold or too warm.  They need to be gradually acclimated to whatever conditions their new “home” will be. And their new home should not be a typical American house with the thermostat set at 70 F. They require some special care at the beginning, but their beauty more than compensates for any extra efforts on the gardener’s part.  Once they are established, they will provide ample enjoyment – with very little fuss – for many years.