Fairy Garden Fun

How to make a Fairy Garden

 Creating a Fairy Garden at SimplyHomeSweetHome

information adapted from D's Hooked on Fairies

1. Choose A Container
• A container with drainage holes is best when using live plants outdoors. Indoor containers without drainage holes require a proper layering of rocks, charcoal and soil.
• Plastic or terra cotta pots work great, clear glass bowls and jars reveal to much of the many layers
• I love to use vintage items~ tea kettles, cake pans, wagons, wheel barrows...
2. Containers Without Drainage Holes: Layer Your Materials
• First: apply an ample layer of pebbles to the bottom of your container for drainage
• Second: insert a layer of landscaping fabric, coffee filter or porous plastic that will allow the water to penetrate. This will stop the soil from getting into the rock layer.
• Third: cover the landscape fabric, coffee filter or plastic with a layer of charcoal to keep the soil fresh
• Fourth: Fill the rest of the container with potting soil
3. Choose A Theme ~the possibilities are endless
4. Pick Your Plants
• Choose plants with compatible light and watering requirements
• Choose miniature plants or those that you can prune and train easily or plants that grow slowly.
• Any smaller flowering plant or one with tiny leaves will add color and whimsey to the fairy garden scene
• Create an edible miniature garden using herbs, lettuce,etc. Edible gardens are great fun for kids and adults. As you trim your garden you can eat the clippings!
• My Favorite plants to use are succulents, perennial sedums, ferns, violets, polk-a-dot plants, sweet allyssum, wooly thyme, mints, hen and chicks, house plant starts....
5. After You Plant Your Container, Fill-in With Your Accessories
• Cute fairy houses, your very own custom fairy garden sign, chairs, benches, pillows, trellises, garden tools and so much more are all available to purchase at garden centers or you can create or own accessories.  Look to nature for inspiration.. gathered stones, bark, twigs, acorn caps..... 
• Insert a Fairy or a Gnome… 
6. CREATE...
7. Finishing Touch…Cover Open Soil With Bark, Pebbles or Sheet Moss.
   You can use these materials to create grass and paths too! 
8. Remember To Water and Fertilize Carefully… everything is little and too much water too fast can create flooding in a container.  If your container does not have drainage, use a spray bottle to mist the garden to keep it alive...