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Perhaps you have children at home and want to give them a reason to play outside or you simply want to be more whimsical, magical and imaginative in your life, either reason is a good motive to create a fairy garden.
What is a fairy garden?
A fairy garden is a miniature garden within a landscape that, with their small plants, houses, and furnishings, give the illusion that small little creatures live there. Fairy gardens can be any size or shape. Construct one for inside the house, on top of a tree stump or tucked underneath a shrub. Find a small basket or container to place on a deck. Create a garden in a window box.
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Some simple plantings provide a perfect spot for a fairy to enjoy a cup of tea. Photo from: Fairy Gardens A Guide to Growing an Enchanted Miniature World |
Designing a Fairy Garden
Ideally fairy gardens are located in small, secluded parts of the yard; a spot where someone might stumble upon this magical location. Everything is brought down to scale for a fairy. A shard of rock the size of your palm is a patio. A tiny patch of thyme is a lawn.
Legend has it that fairies like hiding places and are peaceful, yet mischievous. They like to frolic and dance in gardens, so make sure your garden has elements to encourage fairies to play. Perhaps you want to add a bit of ruggedness for the little boys in the house. Instead of a fairy garden create a dragon's lair or a pre-historic dinosaur landscape.
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This beach themed garden uses blue marbles to convey water.
Photo from: Fairy Gardens A Guide to Growing an Enchanted Miniature World |
Picking a theme can help guide the construction of the garden and narrow your accessory choices. Will it be more fun and whimsical or more dark and mysterious? A dragon's lair may seem more menacing with "mountains and caves".
Plants and Accessories in a Fairy Garden
Finding fairy garden accessories, buildings and homes shouldn't be hard to find. Search online, at nursery and garden centers, and within a toy department. Or use your own imagination to find pieces of nature to use within a garden like small twigs and bark to use as a home, pebbles or sand for a stream, moss for lawn, and small rocks for seating and table.
Succulent plants, many herbs, and plants used for bonsai are often used in fairy gardens because of their small stature. Creeping thyme makes a great lawn or ornamental onion (Allium senescens 'Glaucum') can be cut into a hedge. Just make sure the plants fit the scale.
Plants to consider are sea thrift, chive, groundcover sedum, vinca, creeping Charlie, ajuga, mini hostas, and moss.
Fairy Folklore
Leave a crystal, sparkly stone or faux silver or gold inside the fairy house as a sign of welcome. It is thought that leaving small gifts for fairies keeps them from doing mischievous tricks on you. Fairies also have a reputation for being vain, so consider adding a reflecting pool or gazing ball where they can admire their reflection.
What could be any more magical then watching kids use their imagination and play make believe with a fairy garden? Or fairy gardens may be a way for adults to escape the stresses of work and rediscover the inner-child in themselves.
Book on Creating a Fairy Garden
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