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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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A Case of Mistaken Identity

Well I’m embarrassed! Yesterday I posted a photo thinking it was a carrot about to bloom. Imagine my surprise today to find this beautiful California poppy flowering away in the sun.

Yep! That's a Poppy

For starters, I’ve never planted poppies. It’s our state flower and we’re not supposed to pick them. I worried that if I planted poppies I would be tempted to snip a few blooms to bring indoors. I’m no law-breaker!

Closing Up Shop for the Night

We planted carrot seeds last summer. That they never grew is irrelevant. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that nature has her own schedule. When the foliage first appeared at the soil line, I dug down with a finger and discovered an orange-colored root. I was sure it was a carrot. I looked up “carrot foliage” today and it does resemble our fair flower.

Buds and Greens

It’s not that I’m disappointed to have our beautiful state flower in bloom, but that I was so convinced it was otherwise.   I snapped a few photos late in the day, but the skies were clouding over so the lovely bloom was already closing up shop.

Never a dull moment in the garden.

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After Dark

After Dark

I’ve gardened in the rain and cold until my fingers were numb.  I’ve gardened at dusk till feasting mosquitoes drove me indoors.  I’ve even gardened in the mid-day heat, keeping the tormenting sun at bay with hats and sunscreens and moveable umbrellas.  But I’ve never gardened after dark.

“Dark” is subjective of course. It’s that time of day when I reluctantly turn my garden over to the other side.  If I’m outside too late, Dark reveals opossums, meandering along the fence.  Frankly, they give me the creeps.  I once encountered one on my pathway late at night, walking straight for me.  I froze in place, but it ignored me and meandered on.

Raccoons also visit the yard, playing in the fountain and on one occasion, tapping on the cat door.   The rats don’t always wait for Dark.  They rustle around in the orange tree reminding me to pack up my tools and head on in.  Dark is just around the corner.

Spiders, a gardeners friend, have cousins that prefer to wait for Dark.  They live under the BBQ and below the eaves.  They don’t make a sound, adding to the creepiness factor, but I know they’re there.

I’ve found myself racing the setting sun, trying to pull one more weed before night falls, trying to prune one last vine.   I become a little obsessed with the work at hand and I’m reluctant to stop.  In the summer months it’s usually too hot to garden by day.  My fair skin prefers the damp mists of Avalon to the sunny climate of San Jose.  Since I live in the suburbs and not a mystical novel I’m forced to make do. So I race that setting sun while acknowledging the inevitable.  My garden is harmless by day, but like the closet of my youth, with the flip of the light switch, all bets are off.