All The Small Things

Wow, huge topic.  Fairy gardens are everywhere lately, even my local big box store added a fairy garden section to its garden department.  I did a google image search and was overwhelmed. 

So, I thought I’d talk a bit about my own experiences with fairy garden.  I haven’t had a chance to put in a fairy garden at my new house, but I did have one at my old house.  It started with the book Fairy Houses by Tracy Kane.  In that book, a little girl starts making fairy houses in the woods.  The only rule is she can only used natural, found bits (wood, fallen leaves, pebbles).  After reading it to my daughter, we were making fairy houses everywhere. 

While it was fun, I decided we could do something a little more permanent in our own garden.  I kept to the “found” rule, but starting recycling things like tea kettles, cast iron pots, bits from an aquarium into fairy houses.  I even used a string of Christmas lights to light it up.  When we moved, I gave what I had to mom to create her own garden.  Its in her yard now and every year she expands on it.  Since spring has just arrived here in Michigan, she doesn’t have it up yet.  I promised to go over and get some pictures once she does.

Now there are online stores just dedicated to it with finely detailed houses and adorable accessories.  There’s also a great flickr group with all sorts inspirations.  If you are looking for some small sized plants for a fairy container garden, the last chapter of Andrea Barham’s Easy to Make Dolls’ House Accessories is all about miniature gardening and includes a list of tiny plants.  If you don’t have a yard, you still can have fairies about with a fairy door.  My favorite fairy doors are part of ongoing art instillation in Ann Arbor called Urban Fairy Operations.  Also, if you are looking to have some interactions with your fairies, check out an article I wrote for Offbeat families on (fullsize) Fairy Mailboxes.

Finally, if you get the chance, one of my favorite gardens appears in Disney World as part of the flower they have have in May.  Its theme around their own Tinkerbell and the Fairies series and each fairy in the series has his or her own house tucked away in the garden.  Its where I took this picture: