Create a fairy home and you just might attract a fairy into your garden ;-)
Even if you are limited to just a small patio or deck, you can still build yourself a welcoming Fairy Garden. I made this one as a gift several years ago, so I don't have many step-by-step photos of the project in progress. But I've recreated a few and I hope they can provide a little guidance.
I decided to use large and medium size terracotta pots (buying extra of each in case things don't go right the first time). You can get terracotta pots at most garden centers, but Amazon has some as well. I suppose you could also make this out of plastic pots cut to shape. But I liked the earth tone of terracotta and the broken, discarded look being brought to life by fairies.
BRINGING IT TOGETHER
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1My large pot had a 12" top and was 10" high; the medium size I chose had a 7" top. For the large pot, a hammer is needed to break the opening where you want it. I laid the pot on its side on top of a folded towel and used a narrow hammer to make my first break.
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2Hmmmm... going to need a wider opening.
3Gently hammer off more pieces to create the front opening. Even with the best intentions, I broke off a little more than I had wanted to for the opening (as you see in final results). But save those pieces! I used the broken pieces to surround the smaller pot inside and it worked fine.
4The smaller pot is put inside the larger, upright, with soil in it for the main garden.
5You will need to break off a bit of the top rim on the smaller pot.
6Winding steps will lead to the main garden at the top and there is now an opening to walk through... and a space for the arbor to flank.
7You'll want to pack in some wet soil first under the smaller pot until you get the height you want. Then more wet soil up and around the one side between the pots.
8Now you can push in some flat stones for winding stairs. The soil will also hold your smaller pot securely in place.
9So, our fairy has a home below in the pot, a door to enter and windows (if you choose to add). Above is the topside garden patio.
10I used some small tiles to create the patio for the mini bistro set to sit on. I did use live miniature terrarium plants from a nursery for this garden, so its a living display.
11Miniature details are added to enhance the garden and create the fantasy: a fairy door, miniature mushrooms, arbor, bistro table set, birdhouse, gazing ball, watering can, and bird bath. Most of these items, or versions of them, can be found on Amazon. The miniature birdhouse was a special find on Etsy.
12And if you look closely at the top of the stairs you can catch a glimpse of a fairy shadow going up to the garden. These were also purchased on Amazon.
13This garden was meant as an outside display and contains real plants. It can be watered, or left in the rain. But, come winter you need to bring it inside so the pots don't crack further. You could also use this as a small year-round garden feature within your home as well. I set the entire structure in a terracotta tray with pebbles to retain some of the moisture, or catch any runoff. Also added a few more plants to the base.