Dish gardens are the perfect way to gift a variety of plants. Popular for many occasions, Get Well to Thinking of You, New Business or Home to Sympathy, and Congratulations to Best Wishes, these delightful mixed gardens are compact and easy-to-care for by following a few simple tips.

Ideally, a dish garden has plants with similar care requirements. Most of the plants will flourish under medium light–not full sun, but a bright area near a window, such as a counter, coffee table or desk.

Watering a dish garden is not difficult, but does require initial attention to understand the best schedule for your garden. Most dish gardens are planted in a ceramic container or a basket with a liner, which means there is no drainage. These plants do not want their roots sitting in water, so making sure there is enough time between waterings is important.

Generally, dish gardens can be watered about once a week, less than a cup of water for smaller dish gardens, say under a half foot in diameter; more for larger containers. But depending upon the environment, hot and dry or cooler and more humid, your dish garden could require more or less water than this general rule.

Stick your finger into the soil an inch twice a week to understand your garden’s requirements. If the soil feels dry, gently drizzle water into all areas of the container. If the soil still feels moist, wait another day or two and check it again. If you think you’ve watered too much, after letting the water filter in for a minute or two, tip the container sideways over a sink and let the extra water run out.

If succulents are mixed into your dish garden—plants with fatter fleshier “leaves” that can store moisture—these will need less water so balance where you pour the water in accordingly. A European Garden is a dish garden that has not been planted together, but rather the plants have been left in their own pots, so you can water each plant more specifically. A cactus garden prefers some full sun and very little water; let these gardens get bone dry before sprinkling in a light watering.

Plants in dish gardens generally grow more slowly and fertilizing is not recommended as this will encourage more rapid growth and shorten the life of your dish garden. Over time, plants will begin to outgrow the container. Some light pruning with sharp scissors can keep plants in check, but after a period of months, to maintain healthy growth, replant the plants in larger containers with fresh potting soil, fertilize them, and continuing enjoying your garden.