5 Steps to Create a Fairy Garden
Summary
– Step 1: Set up your fairy garden between light and shade
– Step 2: Choose fairy plants
– Step 3: Attract Birds and Butterflies
– Step 4: Hang chimes
– Step 5: Complete the decoration of your fairy garden
Imagine a shady, mysterious corner in your garden, a clearing where butterflies fly, and birds sing, plants on which rain turns into pearls, chimes that tinkle softly… You could almost see little fairies swinging on light branches… If this idea appeals to you, here’s how to create a fairy garden where you’ll love to come and dream or maybe read a book of poetry.
1. Set up your fairy garden between light and shadow
A fairy garden must offer mysterious corners in the shade of tall trees, sunny places where flowers loved by fairies can grow, and half-shaded places where the sun filters and shimmers through the foliage.
The shade will be the kingdom of green, the half-shade the domain of soft colours, while the places exposed to the sun will be able to welcome colours a little more shimmering while remaining in a delicate range: pale yellow, mauve, purple, dark pink, blue, a touch of carmine.
2. Choose fairy plants
According to various legends, certain plants are said to attract fairies and invite them to come and dance in your garden, in particular clover, thyme, rosemary, foxgloves (sometimes called “fairy gloves” or “fairy dice”), bellflowers, heather, wood hyacinths, primroses, lily of the valley, roses and lilac. It is sometimes said that each flower of elder and hawthorn houses a tiny fairy.
Plants dedicated to fairies
If roses attract fairies, some are dedicated to them by name: plant the lovely little pink rose “The Fairy” or the sumptuous white rose called “Iceberg”.
No fairies without elves… Plant elf flowers (Epimedium), a beautiful ground cover with small light flowers in spring: the variety “Roseum” is particularly suitable with its violet bloom.
Exquisite roses
Other roses do not have fairy names, but their exquisite delicacy recommends them in a fairy garden:
– “Morning Dew”, ground cover with large, delicately scented double rosehips, shaded in pink and white.
– Ballerina”, a shrub with tiny pink and white dancing flowers, is graceful and delicate.
– “Bride’s Bouquet” is a climber with small round pompons of pure white, highlighted by adorable pink buds.
– Evangeline”, a rambling rose bearing a profusion of fragrant eglantines, pure pink with more profound reflections.
Mysterious plants
The world of fairies is mysterious, and these legendary little creatures need shady corners and large plants behind which to hide in peace: offer them the protection of a few giants with enormous leaves, such as the Brazilian gunnera (Gunnera manicata), the great butterbur (Petasites hybridus) and the rodgersia (Rodgersia podophyllum), without forgetting the ferns, in particular, the very tall Osmond or royal fern (Osmonda regalis).
Plants for drinking and pecking
Even if the fairies are content with little, they will love to feast on a few wild strawberries and drink from the soft green leaves of the alchemilla mollis, on which rainwater remains in round droplets, lined up like strings of glittering pearls.
3. Attract birds and butterflies
A delicate rustling of wings is the favourite music of fairies.
Attract birds by planting shrubs that offer berries to peck at, installing bird feeders and nesting boxes in the trees, not to mention a pretty bird bath, such as a cast-iron one.
Attract butterflies by leaving a weed patch (especially nettles) in the fairy garden; by installing melliferous plants such as buddleia, borage, scabiosa, lupines and sweet peas; and aromatic plants such as thyme, sage and rosemary. In addition, regularly place a few ripe fruits that butterflies like or a bowl of sugar water mixed with honey and a touch of salt.
4. Hang chimes
Nothing is more enchanting in the garden than jingling wind chimes or light mobiles swaying in the wind.
Hang wind chimes on the ends of branches or metal brackets stuck in the ground. Choose light, delicate models or make your chimes. You can also hang bells from trees on the fishing line.
– Make your graceful mobiles with pieces of wood, seeds, straw…
– Hang enchanted circles made of wire from the branches, around which you can wrap ivy regularly spiked with fresh flowers.
– Hang a mirror that turns and sparkles in the wind, made of “mirror” stickers glued on both sides of a board and framed with wood bark.
– Put some windmills bought in garden centers…
5. Complete the decoration of your fairy garden
You can decorate your fairy garden with multiple objects.
Symbolic circles
Since time immemorial, the circle has had a substantial symbolic value. For example, place circles of white pebbles, pine cones or freshly picked ephemeral flowers on moss.
A fairy house
A fairy house is a must: if you are not very handy, take a birdhouse as a base and cover it with glued plant elements: moss, twigs, dead leaves, acorns, bark and wood slices.
Place the house on the ground, preferably on a small mound, among mossy stones and wild strawberry plants.
Wrought iron objects
Without overdoing it, plant here and there wrought iron mushrooms or a butterfly, a dragonfly on a pendulum.
A bench
Don’t forget a pretty bench nestled in the greenery to enjoy your fairy garden…
