How to Make a Fairy Garden

Fairy Face

Although many people know how to create herb, flower and vegetable gardens, few know how to make a fairy garden. The design and content of these miniaturized wonderlands are limited only by what your mind's eye visualizes as a place fairies would want to live.

How to Make a Fairy Garden

Like any type of garden, a fairy garden requires careful planning to achieve the best results. Before starting the project, decide where you will build the garden as well as what plants and amenities will be included.

Location

In determining how to make a fairy garden, first decide if the garden will be outdoors or indoors. If you live in a region that normally has mild winters and is not prone to violent wind or rainstorms, an outdoor fairy garden is appropriate. However, since many of the components of a fairy garden are tiny and fragile, an indoor garden will work better in areas where the weather might destroy the plants and accessories.

Outdoor Gardens

Ideally, the garden should be outdoors since fairies are usually nature lovers who delight in the world's natural beauty. Choose a location where the tiny scale of the plants and décor are not overwhelmed by larger plants and one where the minute details of the garden can be fully appreciated without trampling on other plants. If an herb garden is already part of the outdoor landscaping, merging it with a fairy garden is ideal.

Indoor Options

Containers for indoor fairy gardens can be any shape or size. You can make a long and slender garden on a windowsill or line up small pots on the ledge and dedicate each to a different garden area. A large round pot either by itself or surrounded by smaller satellite pots also works well.

Plant Selection

A fairy garden should be esthetically appealing but not too cluttered with non-living decorations. Fairies are often spotted fluttering around plants and flowers, so these should be plentiful in a garden built in their honor.

Herbs

Herbs are perfect for fairy gardens because many of them look like tiny trees and shrubs that fairies would enjoy surrounding them. They also impart the garden with a lovely mixture of aromas and, on a practical note, supply the kitchen with fresh seasonings for cooking. Good herb choices that are attractive, fragrant and popular additions to food include rosemary, sage, oregano, chives, thyme, lavender and savory.

Flowers

Fairy roses, of course, are highly recommended, but if you want to keep a lower profile, choose primroses, which grow closer to the ground. Other pretty flowers traditionally favored by fairies are pansies, which come in a wide range of brilliant colors. Foxgloves are favorite napping places for fairies and the magic sound of bluebells, only heard by fairies, traditionally makes them dance with glee. Fairy queens commonly hold violets in the highest esteem, so they are good flower choice for gardens.

Greenery

In addition to the green of the herbs, ferns are a lovely addition to fairy gardens and fairies frequently play hide-and-seek among the fronds. Choose fern varieties appropriate for the amount of sunlight the garden receives; some ferns cannot withstand direct sun. Irish moss adds a lush feel to the fairy garden and provides a soft bed for tired fairies.

Decorative Items

Although fairies love the world's natural beauty, they also appreciate tasteful garden accessories. Use tiny pebbles and stones to build walls and pathways. Scatter dollhouse size chairs and vases throughout the garden, along with miniature figurines of mythical creatures to add a fairyland ambiance to the garden.

Fairy Trails

After you have completed your fairy garden, walk around it and see if you can catch a glimpse of how the fairies like it. If they keep out of sight, invite a child to survey the creation and get their feedback on possible improvements. Like any creation based on fantasy, there are no restrictions on what can be included in it, as long as the fairies approve.