Fairy Gardens are great for children to develop an interest in gardening and help adults express their creativity. Depending on the climate of where you live and your desired effort level, Fairy Gardens can be integrated into outdoor landscaping or in outdoor containers too.
Most Fairy Gardens in Ontario would need to be indoor-only, or come inside for the winter. If you wish to build a larger garden bed as a Fairy Garden, it would have to be replanted each summer.
What is a Fairy Garden?
“A Fairy Garden is a miniature garden complete with structures and actual living plants. It is designed to give your green thumb a place to tend year-round and to lure fairies and with them, good luck, to your home. It’s a tiny space created and tended with love.”
– Fairy Gardening, Inc.
Many of these miniature gardens have themes which are fun to design, and they act as decor for a living space. Small decorations can be found at a variety of plant shops. I’ve found most of mine at Colasanti’s, Michael’s and Bradford Greenhouses.
It’s best to pick a theme, container and/or location for your Fairy Garden before you start buying supplies to ensure you have a cohesive colour scheme and don’t buy items that won’t fit in your available area. Keep in mind colours of decorations may fade if exposed to frequent sunlight. Paper umbrellas, bright colours, soft fabrics are prone to this issue.
Here are some themes to spark your creativity. Below I have listed common items to include for each theme.
Beach:
Popular decor items to include in a beach-themed garden:
- white or light-coloured sand
- boats
- beach chair
- beer or fruity Drink bottles
- water floaties
- shells
- sea glass
- fencing
Woodland:
Popular decor items to include in a woodland-themed garden:
- stepping stones
- wishing wells
- sheds
- shovels
- gnomes
- pebbles
- bridges
Fantasy:
Popular decor items to include in a fantasy-themed garden:
- crowns
- jewels
- castles
- fairies
- queens/kings
- dragons
- wizards
- cauldron
- potions
Parisian:
Popular decor items to include in a Parisian-themed garden:
- purse-sized puppies/kittens
- poodles
- Eiffel Tower
- bicycle with baskets
- wire arches
- lamp post
- bows
- wine bottle
- wire café set
Fiesta:
Popular decor items to include in a fiesta-themed garden:
- umbrella
- painted stones
- terra cotta pots
- guitar
- colourful birds
- desert animal skulls
- streamers, banners, pennants
- lights
Backyard Barbecue:
Popular decor items to include in a backyard barbecue-themed garden:
- picnic table/blanket
- barbecue
- beer bottles
- sprinkler
- plastic flamingo
- small critters: squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons
- fountain
Let us know of where you’ve found items to include in Fairy Gardens or if you’ve seen any cool displays in your daily adventures. Feel welcome to share links to your own creations as well! Use #wellgrownhome on Instagram or TikTok to share on these socials.
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