Sunday, April 05, 2009

Fairy Gardens

A Fairy Garden

Whether large or small, creating a fairy garden is the perfect activity for the creative gardener. We chose to make a small one that a child would enjoy playing with and rearranging. We took a large but shallow terra-cotta container with a drainage hole in the bottom. If your pot doesn’t have a drainage hole, drill a few smaller holes with a masonry bit attached to a drill. Fill the container with a good light-weight soil mixture. We create our own blend here at the farm which is a mixture of a light soil less blend, a few handfuls each of vermiculite and perlite, and a handful of sterile sand and composted worm manure. Make sure it is moist before you begin planting. The soil should come to just below the top of the container.

Now for the fun part. Herbs incorporate themselves well into a fairy garden. They do not grow too quickly and if they get straggly, a little trim is all that is needed to keep things neat. Fairies require places to hide so incorporate some taller bushy herbs and plant them at the back of the container. We chose Rosemary 'Arp' and Rosemary 'Cascade' as the “forest”. They also enjoy soft places to rest upon after play. We chose ‘Magic Carpet’ Thyme and ‘Elfin’ Thyme for the carpet and planted it near the shade of the Rosemary. Johnny Jump Ups and Pansies added color and gives the fairies material for their skirts and caps. We added a few garden tools, a bench and tiny pots so the fairies could complete their gardening chores. A pebble pathway leading to a little clump of lavender completes the miniature garden. Gentle watering of the container is needed daily. Container should be kept in partial shade to be enjoyed by the wee folk and the larger folk.

No comments: