Fairy Gardens

I don't know if there was a trend or popular phase with fairy gardens.  If so, I missed it.  But now I am fascinated by them.  One great thing about a fairy garden for me is that they can be created in containers and thus easily maintained.  I have a black thumb when it comes to gardening but I think I can do this.


Here is some information on fairy gardens from minigardenguru.com

"What is it - A fairy garden is a garden created and nurtured for fairies to live in.

Where planted – Most often in-ground where fairies would have access. Container fairy gardens are what we know as hotels or condos

Main plants used – Any flowering or herb plant. Most trees, flowering shrubs and hedgerows.

Size or scales used – Fairies are approximately 3 ½” to 4” tall, not including the wings.

Main themes or accessories – Tea parties, birthday parties or any seasonal celebration. Furniture and garden structures are normally made from twigs or other naturals but there are many exceptions.

Identifying characteristics – Look for the furniture set up on the patio, fairy houses or fairy doors in tree trunks or along the side of fences or buildings. Most herb and flower gardens have fairies too."




Take a look.

The above images are from midwestliving.com.  That site is a great source of inspiration.

The pic above is from oneinchworld.com where they have a tutorial about making fairy twig furniture.  Click here for all the directions.

I have also read about what plants are good for planting in a fairy garden.  They have to be small, of course.  Here is a sampling from bhg.com:

"Sun-loving succulents: hens-and-chicks (Sempervivum), coral carpet stonecrop (Sedum album 'Coral Carpet'), large red carpet stonecrop (Crassula radicans), two-row stonecrop (Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood'), ice plant (Delosperma 'Table Mountain'), golden moss (Sedum acre), Echeveria 'Perle Von Nurnberg', zebra haworthia (Haworthia fasciata)

Dainty herbs: lavender (Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'), lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus), woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus), creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), creeping chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

Dwarf alpine trees: dwarf white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Top Point'), dwarf golden yew (Taxus baccata 'Standishii'), dwarf Western red cedar (Thuja plicata 'Grune Kugel'), dwarf Sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Dwarf Blue'), dwarf Japanese Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Hage')

Ornamental grasses: fiber-optic grass (Scirpus cernuus), toffee twist sedge (Carex flagellifera 'Toffee Twist'), sea thrift (Armeria maritima)

Creeping groundcovers: bugleweed (Ajuga reptans 'Burgundy Glow' or 'Chocolate Chip'), golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'), creeping wire vine (Muehlenbeckia axillaris), miniature brass buttons (Leptinella gruveri), Irish moss (Sagina subulata), Scotch moss (Sagina subulata 'Aurea'), creeping speedwell (Veronica repens), saxifrage (Saxifraga 'Purple Robe')

Foliage favorites: Oxalis 'Charmed Wine', My Monet weigela (My Monet Weigela 'Verweig'), white clover (Trifolium repens 'Atropurpureum'), dwarf lady's mantle (Alchemilla erythropoda), miniature hostas

Fairy flowers: bellflower (Campanula carpatica 'Pearl Deep Blue'), Cuphea 'Mellow Yellow', basket of gold (Aurinia saxatilis), miniature mat daisy (Bellium minutum)

Tip: Ask your nursery staff for "plug-size" plants or divide larger ones to "Thumbelina" scale."


I am definitely going to try my hand at a fairy garden.  I wish I had little kids to do it with because it would make it even more fun.  (SIGH!)  Maybe some day there will be grandchildren.  No pressure to my kids at all.  Ha!

I hope today's blog will inspire.

Meanwhile .... keep it simple and make it real.

Jeanne