GARDENING FACT SHEET:
Click to View Printable PDF file: “Fairy Gardens”
Fairy Gardens
By Remi Woodrow
There are fairies everywhere: under bushes, in the air…singing through their busy day. So listen, touch, and look around – in the air and on the ground. And if you watch all nature’s things, you might just see a fairy’s wing. – Author Unknown
The fascination with miniature gardening has been growing over the last few years. And one of the most popular forms of miniature gardens is the fairy, or enchanted, garden. Fairy gardens give us the opportunity to let our inner child out and allow a little whimsy into our garden beds.
A fairy garden can be as large as your front yard, or as small as a teacup. The only limiting factor is your imagination and amount of available space. Place a door at the base of a tree or stump, a small bench or flat rock to sit on, a sprinkle of some shiny beads or buttons on the ground, add some scented herbs or flowers, and the fairies will know you are welcoming them into your yard. The garden should be somewhat secluded, not right out in the open or in the center of the yard. If it must be in the open, then be sure to include plenty of hiding places for the fairies; they are very shy creatures.
If creating a garden in a container, the same rules apply. Place the container under the edge of a shrub or large plant where it is somewhat concealed. Container gardens should have some type of vining or hanging plant so the fairies can climb in and out easily. Make sure your container garden has drainage holes to allow rainwater to pass through.
Some of the best plants for your fairy garden are Rosemary (entices fairies to your garden), Lavender (fairies love lavender infused wine), Creeping or Wooly Thyme (provides a soft place for fairies to rest), Foxglove (fairies will play and sleep inside the flowers), and Snapdragons (they are the dragons which protect fairies and provide them transportation). Fairies also love to hide among Ferns and use Lamb’s Ear as blankets.
Always bear in mind that fairies are guardians of nature. They love to cavort with the other creatures in the garden, such as bees, butterflies, and birds, and don’t like anything that could cause them harm. So keep herbicides and pesticides out of your garden, or at the very least away from the areas where the fairies gather.
How will you know if the fairies have found your garden? Check it daily, especially in the early mornings. Is anything amiss? Is a pot overturned, or a petal lying on a rock? That is evidence that fairies may have spent the night there. And if you sit quietly and concentrate, you may just catch a glimpse of one out of the corner of your eye, as they fly away.
Click to View Printable PDF file: “Fairy Gardens”
