Fairies at the Bottom of the Garden
Who doesn’t love the idea that there are fairies at the bottom of the garden? Some of us have never grown out of the idea that fairies exist! For us, fairies are magical creatures who care for nature and wildlife in a similar way to that which Angels are said to care for humans.
Making a fairy garden is easy. It is great to do as a project for yourself and certainly a fun way to introduce children of any age to plants and gardening. There are no rights or wrongs and no age limits on who can make one.
Tips for Creating a Fairy Garden
Choose an area of the garden or a suitable planter. The planter can be any shape or size, but if you have a container you are particularly fond of it makes the ‘imagination’ part easier. You might have an old tin bath, basket or a mini wheelbarrow. Anything will do especially if it has a bit of character and you feel the fairies would like to adopt it.
Choosing the Plants
We usually assume that fairies are small creatures, so you need to include plants with small foliage and dainty flowers. I like to use alpines such as phlox, armeria, dianthus, saxifrage and sempervivum. You need a variety of plants with different shapes and colours that give the suggestion of a miniature landscape. A small lavender, dwarf conifer, sweet bay or rosemary can give the impression of a tree or shrub. For colour and beauty, I would use violas in spring or autumn but in summer you could use a summer annual such as bacopa or million bells. If your fairies are particularly hard working you might like to introduce herbs or strawberries into the garden. They would certainly enjoy the scents and flavours.
Landscaping the Garden
As all good garden designers like to tell us, hard landscaping can bring shape to a garden and fairy gardens are no exception. Woodchip is a useful tool to hide small patches of bare earth. You can use grit or shingle to create pathways and, my personal favourite, little mini log steppingstones. Find some stones to give the sense of a rockery and use sticks to make mini fences. My favourite magic ingredients are items that you can find on a nature walk. Acorns, shells, fir cones and feathers are wonderful additions and always received well by fairies.
Welcoming the Fairies to the Garden
The most important part is to say a magical fairy welcome so that the fairies know they are invited. Everyone knows that fairies do not visit if you watch too closely so take your time. In a few days you will know that they have moved in because you will find odd things being moved around or disappearing, only to reappear exactly where you looked earlier! Now where did I leave my gardening gloves?
You may like to watch my videos to give you more ideas!
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