Trendhunter.com just sent me their top 20 trends for 2009 and, you'll never guess that miniature gardening can easily be placed into a number of them.

With the economy driving our actions as of late, it's no wonder that such a neat garden idea can hit the mark on so many different levels, with so many different people.

The new trends that are not-so-new to us are: expressing yourself, do-it-yourself projects, urban gardening, living smaller, retro fads and modernizing the past. All of these are on the top 20 for this year and our sweet hobby is right in the middle of it all. How fun is that?

Most times, when I tell someone what I do, I get the ol' sideways look because they have never heard of it. But, if you do look hard enough, you will see someone doing it.

Mini gardens are a very personal expression of the maker. It doesn't matter how big they are, they become a reflection of you, your dreams and who you are. There is one for just about everyone.

It's as simple as just deciding on the place you want it to "live," choose the plants to suit that location and it’s pretty much downhill from there. See the gallery pages on my Web site for a wealth of ideas and inspiration.

Our new complete miniature gardening kits fit the bill of the do-it-yourself project trend. The kits come in a variety of sizes, plants and price ranges. Our Mini Patio Kit so is fun and easy and you can "install" your own mini marble or cobblestone patio or pathway wherever you like. We're always creating new kits too and more to come this spring.

The urban gardening trend has been with us for several years now, and mini gardening is still a perfect fit. In ground, or in a container, you can have a complete garden and it can be just a foot wide. In small backyards, you can still have a huge garden in miniature and be any theme you like so don’t give up your garden dreams for lack of space. Fairy gardens, formal, rustic, beachy, you name it, it can be done! For container gardens, our smallest is 4 inches wide and is so small, we call it a garden snack.

Living smaller? Homes getting more compact? How about a complete garden for that condominium deck? You can have a full garden with a real tree, bedding plants, marble patio, birdbath, fountain, bench and a BBQ, too. You can have it all in small- isn't that why you bought the condo in the first place? You live smaller, now get a garden to match.

What is old, is new again. Miniature gardening was an honest to goodness, real trend back in the 1960's and 1970's. Elvin McDonald, who was the garden editor of House Beautiful Magazine during that time, wrote several books on miniature gardens. While they weren't exactly our kind of mini gardening, people were still gardening small. We are re-making history here, and we didn't even know it.

Now consider yourself trendy, up-to-date and on-the-cusp.

Visit Janit's Web site; http://www.TwoGreenThumbs.com. Her online store is http://www.shop.TwoGreenThumbs.com.

info@TwoGreenThumbs.com, 206-352-0494.