Gardening with Fairies
(Page 2 of 4)
February/March 2005
By Theresa Mieseler
Soil Mixture
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The potting mixture for containers is important because the plants aren’t able to receive the variety of nutrients found in natural garden soil. In addition to considering how to maintain nutrients for the plants, it’s important to consider the stability of the container. Peat mixes are lightweight, dry out quickly and won’t keep the pot from blowing over in the wind. Keep the following in mind when preparing your soil mix: porosity, adequate drainage and water retention (depending on the type of plant and its requirements). You can purchase premixed soil or mix your own with the following combination:
• 2 parts sterilized soil
• 1 part peat moss or compost
• 1 part perlite
Planting, Care and Maintenance
After you’ve chosen the container and plants, fill half of your pot with the soil mixture, and then begin placing plants. Once you have the plants where you want them, finish the planting job and then you’re ready to add accessories to the container. To create a landscape, include a path, trellis, chair or pond. Add a fairy-sized trowel, rake, watering can, hoe or wagon. Water placed in a small clay saucer simulates a pond, and pea gravel, wood chips or broken clay pots can pave a path. Leave about 1/2 inch of space at the top edge of the container for watering.
Sunlight is vital to the success of your fairy garden (I give mine 6 to 8 hours in a sunny spot). During the hot summer months, daily water is needed but monitor this according to the light and temperature. I prefer to water and let the pot dry out between watering rather than keeping the roots wet. Trim plants as needed to keep your fairy garden looking neat and tidy. When plants are actively growing, you can add organic fertilizer according to package instructions. In cool climates bring your fairy garden indoors before a frost and place in a sunny window.
Adding Your Own Fairies
As real fairies are somewhat temperamental and difficult to come by, you may want to populate your fairy garden with store-bought inhabitants. The plant fairies of Cicely Mary Barker are my favorite because they are unique and designed around herbs and flowers. Barker was a self-taught artist who drew her first fairies based upon the faces of her sister’s kindergarten class students.
Fairies come in many shapes, sizes and materials (see resources below). Poly resin construction is the most durable and will last the longest. A fairy 3 to 5 inches tall is ideal. To stabilize fairies in their new garden, you can glue each to a bench or chair, or simply stick them in place with the attached rod or stick with which they often come equipped.
A Dusting of Imagination
Let creativity be your guide. When I offer workshops for creating fairy gardens, I am always amazed at what participants come up with. One person will make a lovely gray santolina become a shade tree for a little bench while another develops a cobblestone path meandering through a forest of lavender carpeted by thyme. Miniature fences and garden tools or fairy figurines draw the eye past each plant, focusing on the tiny details. Mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grandchildren, friends, coworkers and family gather together and enjoy an evening of fun and chatter as they plant their pots. There’s no limit to the variety and impromptu intrigue you can offer with your fairy garden. Whether you’re designing it for your own enjoyment, or for others, have an enchanting time and maybe, just maybe, the fairies will pay a stealthy visit some night by the light of the moon.