Fairy Garden Design and Techniques

The mere mention of fairies often conjures up images of tiny winged creatures sprinkling fairy dust on sleeping children. Although many eastern beliefs include evil or mischievous fairies, the modern western version portrays fairies as delicate winged creatures that inhabit gardens and wooded areas. These fairies are thought to bring good luck and bestow blessings upon humans. Creating a fairy garden in a shaded nook invites these mystical beings to your home and creates an enchanting area for rest and relaxation.

Location of Fairy Houses
Choose an out of the way area of your yard to set up your fairy garden. Tucked into shaded nooks, around the roots of trees or under shrubs are good places to place a fairy garden. According to legend, fairies prefer magical plants and trees. To attract fairies that enhance spirituality, intuition and dreams, place you fairy garden beneath willow trees. Apple trees promote youth, love and eternity while the cedar tree promotes confidence and health.

Fairy Houses
Create a fairy house out of wood or stone. There are many delightful houses available for sale, but making your own allows you to tailor your fairy house to your personal preferences. A pre-made birdhouse can easily be adapted to a fairy house by gluing small stones, moss and other decorative features to the outside. Cover the roof with pebbles, moss or natural twigs to create a natural look to the structure.

Other options include an upturned terra cotta pot, a discarded cast iron kettle or any other object that can be converted into a house. Think outside the box when searching for material to build your fairy house. Try your hand a twig house to create a one-of-a-kind fairy house.

Place the fairy house in the desired location before beginning the landscaping of your fairy garden. I find this gives me a good perspective on the type of plants and furnishing to include in my fairy garden.

Plants for a Fairy Garden
Add miniature flowering plants to the garden. Some prefer to choose a mossy area and inset pots of flowering plants, while others dig up the soil and transplant seedlings into the ground. Creeping thyme or variegated lemon thyme, rosemary and other miniature herb add fragrance. Add a miniature rose (and keep it trimmed to size), primroses, violets and violas add color and fragrance to the garden.

Pathways in Fairy Gardens
Create a pathway to the house with pebbles, crushed stone or sand. Some prefer to add colored sand, aquarium gravel or to sprinkle a few gems into the pathway to add sparkle to the garden. Use materials that enhance the fairy house and are in proportion to the size of the garden.

Fairy Garden Decor
Add decorative items to enhance the garden. Tiny twig or stone benches, water features and stones create an inviting atmosphere. Although you can buy fairy house furniture, you can often make your own or use discarded doll furniture. Use a marble as a gazing ball by gluing it to a base and erecting it in the garden. Hang miniature wind chimes and add a tiny fairy statue to complete this enchanting garden.

There is no right or wrong way to create a fairy garden. Let your instincts guide you as you build a magical area to attract these delicate creatures. Some believe that if you listen closely, the fairies will direct you as you design their new homes.

Sources:
Fairy Gardens - Plant Palette - University of Illinois Extension
How to Attract Fairies into your Miniature Garden