Gardens for the dolls house need not be huge, it is often enough just to create an impression of a garden, how about a window box or trough of flowers to go outside your dolls house, or perhaps a pot plant or vase of flowers to go on a table or windowsill inside the house?
You really do not need to have a garden around your dolls house to get the feel of the seasons; all you need are a few well-placed plants or flowers.
Even a very basic dolls house can benefit from the addition of some vegetation. This can be in the form of flowers and/or greenery growing up the side of the house, or a small pot plant by the door or on a windowsill.
If you have a miniature garden now is the time to have evidence of work in the garden, perhaps by leaving some tools lying around near flowerbeds. How about introducing some wildlife such as rabbits or squirrels? The squirrels can even be used to look as if they are climbing the walls of the house! You may prefer more domestic types of animals such as cats or dogs, perhaps a lazy cat lying on a windowsill, or an inquisitive cat climbing into a window or up a fence, even a cat teasing a dog. We have a selection of cats and dogs in both 1:12th scale and 1:24th scale on our web shop.
Evidence of birds and animals can also be made without having to actually have the animals present. For example using simple birds nests (see below) or a mound of earth to show evidence of moles.
A house martin nest can easily be created for your dolls house by shaping a piece of air drying clay into a rough half circle, and make marks over the outside of the nest (as in the photos below) to make it look as though a bird has built it. Bend the half circle of clay into a cylinder shape so that the flat edge of the half circle forms the top of the nest and the two points of the outer edges touch. Leave to dry, then paint with brown paint and attach to the dolls house under the eaves (see on top photo under point of thatch and on lower photo beside the support beam over the window). The nest and the ground beneath can be splattered with white paint to give the illusion of droppings.
