Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 248 5/24/17 12:26 PM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 249 6/5/17 3:27 PM

248 chapter 6

FAIRY GARDENS AND

MINIATURES

Fairy gardens are a very whimsical addition to

your container garden, and children take great

pride in helping to make and maintain them.

Fairy gardens combine diminutive plants with

tiny accents, such as fairy houses, dollhouse-sized

furniture, and other wee adornments. It’s great

fun to design a container of miniatures for these

imaginary garden creatures, and pint-sized garden

guests will love playing with it.

Though fairy gardening is an art of its own

with several books dedicated to the subject

and entire plant collections selected, bred, and

marketed specifically for them, here are a few

easy ways to build a containerized fairy garden of

your own.

• Wheelbarrows with a few added drainage
  holes make great fairy gardens. Easy to
  move from place to place, wheelbarrows sit
  at the perfect height for curious little eyes
  and hands. Simply fill the wheelbarrow with
  planting mix, select, arrange, and plant
  multiple dwarf or miniature plants in it, and
  then add a fairy house, some stepping stones,
  and other accents.

Wheelbarrows make great fairy gardens because they

sit at the perfect height for children’s eyes and hands.

Use a favorite fairy tale, story, or movie to create a

themed fairy garden in a container. This one includes

Rapunzel’s tower made from a section of PVC pipe

covered in small stones.

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More Container Concepts 249

• Create a themed fairy garden by choosing
  a favorite fairy tale, story, or movie and
  building the garden with that theme in
  mind. If Hansel and Gretel is a favorite, make
  a miniature gingerbread house out of small
  terracotta tiles and white caulking. Or, for
  mermaid lovers, build an underwater-themed
  fairy garden by topping the soil with sand,
  glass pebbles, and smooth sea glass, and
  including succulents with small, round,

bubble-like leaves. Top it off with a small

boat propped a few inches above the sand on

a stack of rocks.

• Fairy gardens can be very elaborate or simple
  and sweet. Even a small pot by the back door
  will garner the attention of a child. Don’t feel
  you have to go to the extreme to please the
  little gardener in your life. The key is to let
  them touch, feel, and rearrange the accents in
  your fairy garden as much as they’d like.

Containerized fairy gardens don’t have to be large or elaborate to be appreciated by kids and adults alike.

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