Fairy Gardens

Fairy (noun) [fair-ee]  (In folklore) One of a class of supernatural beings, generally conceived as having a diminutive human form and possessing magical powers with which they intervene in human affairs. 

Source: dictionary.com

Prior to this year I didn’t realize there was such a craze for making fairy gardens.  I like the idea of them though; a small magical garden where your fairies can visit.  Having a four year old opened up this door of magical fairy lands and I quickly realized that fairy garden classes were a very popular activity in our area.

This year my daughter attended two fairy garden classes; one with each grandma.  I love that there is no right or wrong way to assemble your garden.  Each site had a huge variety of containers to start with, loads of small flowery plants to choose from, and more fairy accessories than you could ever imagine.

The first class was held at Malmborg’s Garden Center.  After seeing her final product, it made me wish I had signed up for the class too!  Her second class was at Tonkadale Greenhouse.  At this class she was a little more into adding fairy accessories than plants and even found room for a pond with ducks.  They both turned out extremely cute.  She is so proud to show people her gardens when they come over.

I would definitely recommend attending a class or making your own at home!  Next year I plan to make one at a class with her.  I was a bit surprised to learn there were more adults than kids attending these classes.  Just be sure to set a budget before attending the class. Some of the accessories aren’t included in the price of the class and can get a little expensive.  A cheaper alternative would be to purchase all of the supplies needed and make your fairy garden at home.  This way you won’t be tempted to add “just one more thing” to your gardens.

Supplies for at home fairy gardens:

• Planting pot or glass jar
• Planting soil
• Three – six small plants
• Rocks or glass stones
• Fairy and/or fairy accessories (mushrooms, animals, swings, etc)
  • Note: This is where you can really spend a lot of money.  Set your budget in advance.
• Glitter (optional)

Directions:

Determine how high you want your fairy garden to rest within your pot/jar.  Fill the pot/jar with potting soil to that point.  Layout your plants and accessories to see where each looks best.  Once satisfied, dig a small hole for each plant and place accessories as desired.  Place rocks or glass stones on top of the remaining exposed soil.  As a bonus – sprinkle some glitter on top for a “pixie dust” appearance.

Be sure to place in a spot that receives a decent amount of sun and water as needed. Based on which zone you live it will determine if you are able to leave your fairy garden outside or not.  Zone 4 is not overly friendly to plants when the temperatures start to drop so I recommend keeping your gardens inside if you live in Zone 4 or less.

L planning out her fairy garden with Grandma

L with her completed garden

L with fairy garden #2

Our new magical fairy garden