Fairies

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The Fairy Garden Goes Native

When water is at a premium, you cut corners where you can. I’ve emptied most of my pots, and either replanted with succulents or used the pots for something else.

Our deck top fairy garden requires very little water, but seeing those precious drops fall through the holes in the bottom spurred me to action. Last week, my miniature fairy garden went native.

succulent fairy garden

Fairy Garden Newly Planted with Succulents

I meant to save the markers so I could record the name of the plants, but they’ve gone AWOL…or I tossed them with the transplanting newsprint. The good news: the plants sat on my deck for two to three weeks without a drop of water. They passed the test!

Succulents Up Close

Succulents Up Close

I’m actually quite smitten with these plants. They fit right in, don’t you think?

There’s a story behind the little wooden house (it used to be haunted!). You can read more about that here.  After replanting the garden, I spruced up the house with some new drapes. If you look closely, you’ll see that they’re carefully assembled from the finest Washi tape in the land. Nothing but the finest for mystical fairies. The new garden path is also special. I gathered those lovely, flat green stones on the beach in Victoria last summer. Wilma of the Creartfuldodger took Boomdee and me beach-combing along the beautiful island shore. These stones evoke special memories of that day.

You can view the gallery by clicking on the first photo, then follow the arrows. It took me a bit of time to sort that one out. 😉

Fairy Garden, Just Outside the Front Door
Replanted Fairy Garden, The Long View
Little Free Library, Fairy-Sized
My Own ‘Victoria Garden’ Path
Newly Hung Washi Tape Drapes
Secret Path to the Reading Garden
Fallen Log Bridge
Reading Nook
Extra Chairs for Story Time
Aerial View
Succulents Up Close

All the other treasures in the garden are found objects or gifts. The wooden house came from my son’s craft collection. I rescued it from the trash. The reading patio is an upside down candle holder and the charming chair, cat and rose pillow flew here from Canada via Boomdee. Marcia and her girls surprised me with the pink mushroom one cool fall day.

I built the (little) Little Free Library from matchboxes, stickers and an empty box. A clothes pin and a bit of duct tape keep it in place. A friend taught me how to make the heart-shaped chairs from the top of a champagne closure.

Are you a fairy gardener, too? It’s easy and fun and incredibly relaxing. You can garden anywhere at any time, limited only by your imagination. Jump right in. The [lack of water] is fine!

Postscript: You won’t believe this. Just before sitting down to write this, I received an out-of-the-blue package from my friend Kristi. Inside: her lovely note and a couple of fairy garden treasures. Check back tomorrow, for updates. I can’t wait to show them off.  Thanks, Kristi xox

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Fairy Garden Additions and The Great White Terror

Good thing I took photos when I did. As soon as I turned my back, a neighborhood squirrel dug a hole in the center of the fairy garden. I guess he wanted to put his own mark on the place, casting aside the pistachio walkway and planting a peanut in its place. Rabble rouser! He could have asked first.

I added a small fence and a ladder to the garden, both courtesy of my son’s art project cast-offs.

spooky fence

Spooky fence

this way

This way

When I bent down to take pictures, curiosity overwhelmed the cat.  Mouse that is. He’s never far from the action, and the fairy garden is no exception. So, up he went. Good thing the fairies weren’t about. Imagine how frightening.

DSC_0127 DSC_0128

They must have left in a hurry, as I found a tiny shopping bag at the foot of the stairs. I’ll hang on to it for them. I’m sure they’ll be back to collect once the great white behemoth leaves town.

pea shopping bag

Shopping for peas

If you’re reading this Friday, I hope you have a terrific weekend. For my friends in the Southern Hemisphere, I’m so happy to know that Spring is under way. Enjoy!

Halloween Countdown:

Pumpkin Mischief Maker

Pumpkin Mischief Maker

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Sailing into the New Year: Party in the Fairy Garden

I’ve been sprucing up the fairy garden today.  Word has it there will be a party going on.  I cleared away the furniture to make room on the dance floor.  It’s freshly swept and covered with fairy dust.  You haven’t really danced till you’ve danced atop some fairy dust.

Aerial View

Aerial View

I was fresh out of fairy-sized disco balls, so I improvised using a glass bauble from an old flower arrangement.  I squeezed out the last drops of Stickles™ glitter, brushed it on all the surfaces, then rolled it in sparkles for that extra-special glow.  What do you think?  Won’t those fairies have fun!

Please have a seat

Please have a seat

I tucked the table inside the garden yurt, decorated with pink candles (their favorite).  The party theme is “Sailing into the New Year.”  Will you look at that fancy ice sculpture?  It almost looks like…glass.

Candles and Sculpture

Candles and Sculpture

I draped some glittery blue ribbon flown in all the way from Canada to create a small, flowing walkway.  Fairies have wings, but they enjoy slippery ramps as well.  The invitations read: B.Y.O.B. or bring your own bauble, so I’ll be anxious to see what they bring.

Entrance to the Fairy Garden

Entrance to the Fairy Garden. Won’t you please come in?

Blue Ribbon ramp

Blue Ribbon Ramp

As for you, my dear reader, wishing you all things wonderful in the coming year.  Thanks for your love and support, your likes, votes and comments.  I’ve learned so much this year and I’ve had a great time along the way.

Happy New Year!!!

Looking for more blogging fun, inspiration, and joy?  Here are a few of my favorites (in alphabetical order):

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Fairy Garden Snow

Little hands made it snow in the fairy garden today.  It certainly felt cold enough for the real deal, but alas the skies were blue and clear.

My neighbor Jazzy’s day care kids love to run up and down the ramp and along the deck at day’s end. They were full of energy, happy to be outdoors and impervious to the cold. One of the little Munchkins asked if she could play with her doll in the fairy garden.  How lucky that I had my camera!  She was full of questions: was the grass real?  Were the plants real?  What about the berries?

Playing in the fairy garden

Playing in the fairy garden

A pinch of snow

A pinch of snow

I love the inquisitiveness. One by one, the others joined in.  I was pointing out the “snow” when I realized the wind had carried much of it away. I ran inside for more and within short order, they created a fairy winter wonderland.

Fairy Winter Wonderland

Fairy Winter Wonderland

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

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Fairy Garden Yurt: Blue Fescue to the Rescue

As the temperatures drop, my thoughts turned to winterizing the fairy garden. Garden fairies need shelter from the biting wind and cold. Enter Blue Fescue to the rescue in the form of a living yurt.

Winter Fairy Garden materials

Winter Fairy Garden Materials

Blue Fescue Yurt

Blue Fescue Yurt

According to Wikipedia, “a yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia.” This adaption of the thirteenth century dwelling continues to live in the earth

I planted five small ‘plugs’ of Blue Fescue tufted ornamental grass, then gathered the tops of them together in one bunch. I wrapped and knotted the Fescue with a long strand of tall grass.  A welcoming bunch of clover hangs just above the entrance.

Bunch of clover

A welcoming bunch of clover

The yurt stays cozy with a downy-soft and fragrant lavender carpet, well suited to a fairy’s needs. Just outside the yurt are a pair of chairs and a lantern to light the way.

Birthday Chairs and a lantern

Birthday chairs and a lantern to light the way

A tall, orange umbrella offers shelter on rainy days. A petal-soft “lamb’s ear” is the perfect place for a pair of cats to curl up for a nap just below.

Orange Shelter

Orange Shelter
It looks *and* smells good

Come and sit a spell

Come and sit a spell and enjoy the subtle fragrance of Allium, lavender and orange

Please be sure to spread the word. Garden fairies welcome!

Resources:

  • Blue Fescue, available at most garden centers
  • Wood Mini Spools by Maya Road
  • Mini Lantern by Tim Holtz idea-ology
  • From the garden: baby tears, lavender, clover, lamb’s ear, orange (hollowed out by a rat) and Allium
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Haunting in the Fairy Garden

It was a dark and stormy night in the garden. Strong winds whistled through the stark, barren trees. Lightning split the blackened skies as thunder rumbled like an angry troll. Tiny fairies scaled the tall pumpkins, stumbling upon a petrified fallen log nestled at the base of the pumpkin’s stem.  Out of nowhere, a tall ladder appeared reaching skyward.

Fairy garden log

…stumbling upon a fallen log.

A large, white cat mewed at the base of the decaying stump, reminding them that they must trudge on. They climbed the ladder slowly, chin to chest, to avoid the fierce and brutal wind. Reaching the top, the fairies emerged in a magical forest where homes were made from stickers and tiny cats were one-dimensional.

Halloween Fairy Garden

Halloween Fairy Garden

Fairy Garden Cats

Frolicking cats

They stumbled along a grey stone pathway littered with fallen leaves leading to a house. Larger than life tombstones stood at an odd angle nearby. Were they imagining things or was that really a ghost?  If you’re a fairy meandering through a forest on a dark and stormy night, it’s easy to let your imagination get away from you.  It’s probably just a balloon stuck in a tree.

Halloween Fairy Garden

Going up?

Suddenly, someone yelled “surprise!!!” it’s almost Halloween!

Only wonderful things happen in fairy gardens, and this was no exception.  Purple flowers bloomed in the nearby forest.  Cool, green baby tears lined the forest floor. Resident cats, Petals and Blossum frolicked in the tall grass.  A Pyjama Gardener cut flowers for the party table nearby. The fairies stayed to help decorate.  We’ll see what they are up to tomorrow.

Halloween Countdown:

Happy pumpkin

I’m so happy!

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Back to School in the Fairy Garden

 

Fairy GardenOur local paper ran an article on fairy gardens recently with a few ideas I hadn’t thought of.  One suggestion was to plant a fairy garden in a pot up high for easy maintenance.  The other was to place it in a high-traffic area so others could enjoy it.

Today I did just that.  In honor of back-to-school month I planted a back-to-school themed fairy garden and placed it out front near the steps.  The bees found it immediately, then my son when he got home from school.  Can those ethereal garden fairies be far behind?

I used an old bird bath stand as a base, then added a fern-lined wire basket.  The fern-lined hanging basket came with three chains attached to a hook.  I pried the hook loose, then wrapped the chains under the bird feeder to secure it in place.

Lovely purple Ageratum line the back of the classroom, with Baby Tears serving as a walkway.  The classroom chairs are part of a stacking game.  I raided the LEGO® Brick bin for desks and playground equipment.  If you squint your eyes and employ your imagination, you might just see an apple on the teacher’s desk.

Fairy gardens were once the purview of small children, but they’ve enjoyed a resurgence among adults.  Blogs, books and websites abound with ideas and inspiration.  In the end, I think it’s fun to use your own imagination and if possible, items you have on hand.

This is a great project for the young and the young at heart.  Let me know how your garden turns out.  Be sure to report back…with pictures of course.  ♥

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From Tonkadale Greenhouse:

For centuries, the world has been fascinated with the idea that “fairies and elves” live among us and have the power to spread magic and mischief throughout our homes and gardens.

While the existence of fairies is up to your own imagination, adding fairies to your garden is a way to participate in this centuries old tradition. It never hurts to please the fairies and sprites in order to gain their favor.

 

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Blooming Thursday: Fairy Garden Flowers

It’s another cold, crisp day in the Valley with the bright sun belying the chilly wind. Yes, we Californian’s are weather wimps. I made a quick dash between appointments to a nursery to gather a few small plants for the fairy garden. I chose Hypoestes for the soft, pink vibrant color, Lamb’s Ear for its softness and Sweet Alyssum for the incredible honey-like fragrance. Color, scent and texture make for lovely landscapes.   Won’t the garden fairies be pleased?

Sweet Alyssum, My Signature Flower

Lamb's Ear, The Closeup

"Silver Carpet" Lambs Ear

Pink-Lined Walls

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Fairy Garden Improvements

According to the ancient art of Feng Shui, a home’s entryway is critical to our well-being. Kathleen McCandless, author of Feng Shui That Makes Sense says:

 “The entry is not only the first impression of your living space, it is also a key component in whether or not you will experience comfort, safety and happiness while you live there. The most important consideration in Feng Shui is whether or not a space allows us to feel ”safe”.  If we do not feel 100% safe in our environment, we will not relax…”

To ensure the well-being of the garden fairies,  I created what I hope will be an inviting entryway.  I braided three soft branches from the overhead pine, then wrapped them in tender shoots of Asparagus fern creating a gentle arch.  A pair of pine cones flank the arch for stability.  The airiness of the ferns should appeal to the light-hearted nature of garden fairies, so that crossing the threshold is a delight.

Braided Archway

While my fingers remained nibble, I braided a lavender bed. Lavender contributes to a calm sleep, also essential to general well-being. I lashed the corners with tall grass using simple knots to keep the corners united. The bed is tucked into a sleeping loft in the crook of one of the rocks .

Knotted Corners

Lavender For a Restful Sleep

I found a beautiful mound of moss under the garden swing. If I’m successful transplanting it, the cool moss will make a lovely addition to the fairy home interior. More news tomorrow.

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Fanciful Fairy Gardens: Available for the Child Within

Future Site of Homes for Fairies and Gnomes

I’m mesmerized by the idea of a fairy garden, a place among the flowers and trees designed to attract “fairies and garden gnomes.”

I was surprised to find entire websites dedicated to this pursuit.  You can buy  hand-carved furniture and tiny fences for your upscale fairy, or you can gather rocks, twigs and leaves and design a starter miniature garden.  I like the creative challenge of using items found in nature.  I could outfit a beautiful pot or corner with purchased items, but I’ll have more fun creating something from scratch.

Two large boulders and a little patch of dirt are within my sights out back, a lovely place for fairies to take up residence.  If you build it, they will come.

Building Materials

Further Fairy Garden Inspiration:

Ask the Party Fairy

The Feathered Nest

The Magic Onions

The Mini Garden Guru