How to Make a Fairy Container Garden

Build a whimsical fairy garden

Fairy gardens are miniature gardens built for---or meant to look like they were made by---tiny fairies. A fairy garden can range from a small dedicated corner of a conventional garden or an elaborate series of terracotta pots and containers to a seeming random area chosen for incomprehensible fairy reasons. Fairy gardens often include tiny whimsical toys and tools to evoke their magical fairy gardeners.

Things You'll Need

• Herb seeds
• Plant container
• Potting soil
• Miniature garden accessories (optional)
• Miniature fairy figurines (optional)

Instructions

1. Select the plants for your fairy garden. You can use a small bonsai tree or flowers, but often low-growing herbs work best because they're fast-growing and easily maintained by trimming. Herbs like oregano, thyme, chives, lavender, sage and rosemary are great choices for your fairy container garden, and are also all very pleasantly fragrant---the better to attract fairies with! Other plant choices might include green myrtle, geraniums and creeping savory.

2. Choose the fairy garden container. Be sure to choose a container that allows water to drain. Artificial stone, terracotta and clay pots are great choices for your fairy garden that will withstand most weather conditions and come in a wide variety of shapes and styles that evoke the natural and supernatural fairy worlds.

3. Fill the container with potting soil and plant the the seeds in your garden according to the instructions on the seed packet. Leave space in the garden for adding fairy-sized accessories like miniature rakes, hoes and shovels. Add to your fairy garden landscape with tiny trellises, chairs or paths. You can simulate a small pond by half-burying a shallow dish in the garden. Maintain your garden by trimming the herbs as needed to keep it neat and pruned.

4. You can add miniature fairy figurines as well to demonstrate the garden "in action." You can also leave your garden without inhabitants to suggest that fairies might be planting there when no one is around to look. The saucer where excess water collects below your fairy container garden can also provide a great opportunity for decoration and fairy gardening.

5. Add a touch of magic to your fairy garden with glitter or gold dust sprinkled about near the edges. Consider also painting the outside of your fairy garden container with forest scenes, fairy wings, patterns that simulate light, the fairies themselves and more.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also create an outdoor fairy garden in a large container set outside, but with an indoor fairy garden the fun can last year-round regardless of the temperature or inclement weather.

References

• The Herb Companion: Gardening With Fairies
• Gardening Know How: Fairy Gardens--How to Make Your Garden Into a Fairy Sanctuary