The cottages were made at dollhouse scale (one inch = one foot) using exterior grade materials. The house shape is angled with just enough whimsy that it enhances the perspective when you look at it from above. For the same reason it appears a bit taller from fairy-height.

Connecting the pots with a pathway creates a little journey and provides space to stretch out. Square pots are perfect for this and trailing groundcover will blur the edges. 

Staggering the pots diagonally gives more space in front for the setting, and the back corner for trees. The jagged line also make nooks that beg a closer look.

Sometimes dollhouse scale is just too big. At micro scale (one half or quarter inch = one foot) you can fit a whole yard into a regular planter or just enjoy a coffee in a six inch pot.

Plant live succulents, moss, and mushrooms in a single inch pot in a miniature garden. The effect of window boxes and hanging pots at this scale is wonderful and makes the gnomes happy too. 

Pots this size are usually made of resin. Drill a tiny hole at the bottom and it will work perfectly for live plants.

It's the furniture and items that give the garden a sense of scale. There is an amazing selection of quality accessories available online and at garden stores.

Some things are easy to make yourself. Make a woodpile by splitting a fallen twig. Find a magazine cover image on the internet and print a small copy for yourself.

Flat beach stones puzzled together make a great patio or pathway.  Or go to a home improvement stores and look around the pallets of natural slate. There are usually chips there that look exactly like stone pavers.

Let moss grow around your pavers. It will look like your garden has been established for years. 

This pot has a boat dock that stands in imagination. Flower pots hang from the boardwalk while a tub of beer chills for the local sandcastle architects.

The dock is handmade with real rope and little buoys that are occasionally used as boat fenders. You can tell the tidemark from the barnacles. 

Creeks are a beautiful excuse for a bridge. The creek bed is anchored with larger stones and filled with tiny pebbles from a local beach. It is the bridge that sets the size, offering a place to linger.

Everyone needs a little space for themselves. In a miniature garden that might be a bend in the path or a shady cove of trees. Where else are you going to realise that the world really is a small place?