Fairy gardens are miniature landscapes that bring the enchantment of nature into our homes, no matter where we live, and are designed to look like they belong in a fairy tale.
They usually include an old-fashioned house, a tree with hanging plants and flowers, and little paths to walk on. The plants and animals found in these tiny worlds can be as diverse as the natural world itself.
There’s something for everyone to enjoy – from a quiet spot with just one plant or animal to an intricately detailed scene complete with hundreds of creatures!
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What is the Purpose of a Fairy Garden
The purpose of making fairy gardens is a source of relaxation, meditation or just to create an inviting space at home. Fairy gardens are typically low-maintenance and great for indoor spaces as well. Themed around fairies and other magical creatures, these little landscapes provide hours of enjoyment with minimal effort.
For indoor gardens, they bring the enchantment of nature into our homes, no matter where we live. The plants and animals found in these tiny worlds can be as diverse as the natural world itself. There’s something for everyone to enjoy – from a quiet spot with just one plant or animal to an intricately detailed scene complete with hundreds of creatures!
Why Make a Fairy Garden?
There are multiple reasons to make a fairy garden. With today’s busy lifestyles and attachment to electronics, creating a fairy garden takes us away from the fast-paced world. We can get lost in a magical world and even pretend to be one of those winged beauty fairies living in nature.
Fairy gardens are also perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy gardening but doesn’t have enough space or time to do so.
How Do I Start My Own Fairy Garden?
To get started on your very own indoor fairy garden you will need to choose a container, some soil, a few small plants, and a fairy.
To create an outdoor fairy garden, the location should be chosen first. Somewhere close to where you spend a lot of time outdoors like near your patio or even your front door if you’d like guests to enjoy it as well. Keep in mind that where fairies live is rich with moisture and shade so make sure they feel at home!
What Can I Use as a Base for a Fairy Garden?
You can use many different containers as a base for your fairy garden including pots, dishes, boxes, or even watering cans! An old broken birdbath is an excellent choice. You can be very creative here!
Choosing the right container for your fairy garden is an important decision. You want to make sure you have something that is durable and also fits in with the style of your house. When creating an indoor garden, make sure your container has drainage holes so that water will not accumulate at the bottom of it
The first thing you need to do when choosing a container for your fairy garden is deciding what size pot you would like it to be. A good rule of thumb is not to choose anything smaller than 8 inches wide and 12 inches long because they are usually too small for plants.
What Kind of Soil do I Need for a Fairy Garden?
As a general rule, regular potting soil for an indoor fairy garden will work. For an outdoor garden, your exisiting soil should suffice. Specific plants may require special conditions. Succulents need more of a sandy mixture and other plants may need more moisture rention soil.
What to Use For a Fairy Garden
Once you have chosen a container or a location, plants become your focus. Plants that stay small or can be trimmed often are in order here. Choose plants with different textures and heights for the most impact.
If you want to add hardscapes like a fairy house or mushrooms, be sure to leave room for them. You might want to put the bigger items in place first and then position your plants around them.
After your plants are in place you can start decorating! Want a stream? Use blue glass globs or fishtank gravel. Want a ladder? Create it with sticks wired together. Thimbles turned upside down can be used for flower pots.
Hang small battery operated twinkle lights through your plants for stars. Of course, a mushroom is much needed in a fairy forest! The best fairy gardens mimic nature. While a fairy beach is cute, that isn’t where fairies live.
What is a Fairy House Called?
As a general rule, fairy houses are simply called fairy houses. They can also be called fairy forest cottages, fairy tree houses, fairy mushroom houses, woodland dwellings, or forest homes.
In Irish folklore, their homes can be a palace underneath a mound, sometimes called fairy forts. In Danish folklore, they are called barrows.
What are Good Plants for a Fairy Garden
For indoor fairy gardens some good plants are: sedums, moss’s, fairy vines, Baby’s Tears, succulents, and Rosemary for a tree.
For an outdoor in-ground fairy garden almost anything goes as long as you keep the scale the same as the ornaments that you’ll use. The plants listed for indoor gardens will work well for small-scale fairy gardens. Just be sure to buy plants for your zone if you wish them to come back after winter. (Baby’s Tears won’t live through freezing temperatures.)
Any plant suitable for a miniature garden should work well for a fairy garden. When you are at your local garden center, look for plants with tiny leaves. Do online searches for “miniature garden plants” if you’ve exhausted the “fairy garden plants” search.
Are Fairy Doors Special?
You betcha! A fairy door is a little door that is attached to a tree or in the side of a barrow as shown in the images below. Walking up on this tree in the middle of the forest would be such a special surprise!
Purchases for large fairy gardens can add up making them on the expensive side. If you’re creative and want to keep some of your hard earned money for other things, fairy doors are they way to go!
The History of Fairy Gardens
The history of fairy gardens is not very well known. It is thought to originate with the fairies themselves who would create tiny worlds for themselves to live in when they were on earth. The tradition has been passed down through generations, becoming popularized by artists and writers like Beatrix Potter and JRR Tolkien
Long before our modern fairy gardens became popular, stories of fairies have been written as early as the 6th century and folklore existed way longer than that. Fairy tales often portray them either as winged beauties or mean creatures with an evil disposition to humans; in truth, it is said they are “a bit” from both worlds!
Where round the bed whence Acheloiis springs,
The watery fairies dance in mazy rings
Homer
