Playing with Mother Nature
Fairy Gardens
I
work at a landscape nursery, gift and garden center in Green
Bay, Wisconsin called Ivy Trails. I am learning a lot about gardening and
plants. We have fun classes some nights for our customers to learn new
gardening techniques and more about using plants and herbs in creative ways. A
popular class that we do a few times per year is “Fairy Gardens”. We’ve created
an hour where the eternally young-at-heart can create a Fairy Garden to take
home.
“What
is a Fairy Garden?” I asked this question when I worked during the first class;
I had never heard of this concept before. I discovered a new way to play with
plants.
A
Fairy Garden is a miniature landscape, complete with tiny plants surrounding
tiny homes with small decorations such as bridges, fences, gnomes, fairies,
wheelbarrows, gardening tools, benches, tiny stepping-stones, faux or real
water features…the possibilities are endless. Succulents can be planted to
resemble trees or bushes in the yard. Bright blue clear stones can be piled in
a hole to mimic a pond. Tiny hanging baskets can be filled with small plants.
Small blooming grasses and herbs look like pretty lawns. Tiny pebbles can fill
a miniature wheelbarrow and small tools can be propped against it to make it
look as though someone is working on a landscaping project. Small ceramic tiles
can be placed in the dirt as stepping stone paths. Small arches can lead to
secret gardens with a tiny fairy sitting on a bench or rock.
Fairy
Gardens are an utterly fanciful way of unlocking our inner creativity and
letting our souls “play” with nature. What a fantastic way to relieve stress
and interact with our Mother Earth!
I
implore you to play with this gardening technique. You don’t have to spend lots
of money; you can easily find inexpensive ways to incorporate items you already
have or find at rummage sales, thrift stores and second hand stores. There is a
“Re-Store” in our area now that has constantly changing inventory of
merchandise removed from apartment complexes and restoration projects in
businesses and homes. It’s a great place to find containers, stepping-stones
and other props for your garden. And there are many more stores carrying items
to play with in miniature gardens, like Ivy Trails. Ivy Trails has a good
supply of Fairy Garden décor to get you started. Visit them online at www.ivytrailsgarden.com.
Discover
just how much fun it can be to create your very own Fairy Garden. This is a
great family project; many of our customers make their gardens with their
children or grandchildren and it gives them ongoing entertainment as you can
constantly change things up. Fairy gardens and miniature gardens can create a
bond with a child that will last a lifetime!
by Kelly Giese
by Kelly Giese
