Fairies and Other Themes for Gardens : Landscaping : Home & Garden Television

A garden is what you make it, but creating a focus is a great way to tie everything together neatly, such as in this "Alice-in-Wonderland garden" (figure A) or a "Wizard-of-Oz garden" (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

"When you have a theme for your garden, it gives you a great outlet for all your creativity," says gardening expert Rosalind Creasy. "And you can make anything you want, even a fairy garden (figure C)."

Creasy has always been enchanted by the lore of garden dwelling fairies (figure D), carefree spirits who take great delight in nature's splendor. In fact, her fairy garden came about because another free spirit, a child, planted the idea in her imagination. "I planted a fairy garden because my niece said I needed one," says Creasy. "And I didn't even know what a fairy garden was, but then I started thinking about it, I realized that I have lots of plants with fairy names, so why not put them all together in a garden?" 'Fairy' geraniums, 'Elfin' thyme (figure E), 'Apricot Fairy Queen' foxglove, 'Elfin' impatiens, 'Fairy' snapdragons, and 'Fairy Earrings' fuchsia are just a few of the plants that pay homage to fairy folklore in her garden.

Another interesting feature to Creasy's garden is that all the things the plants attract--bees, butterflies and birds--are exactly the same things fairies love. Of course, the flowers are also a source of food for the winged creatures, winged and mythical. "Fairies are really particular," she says. "They don't eat just anything, but they love pollen and nectar." According to Creasy, a great addition to attract both fairies and beneficial insects is a strawberry plant.

Figure F

Figure G

Having a theme can also provide a solution to common landscape problems--for example, what to do to make a garden "pop"? For example, Creasy adds a few plants and a fairy statue with some bright red rose petals to add color and emphasis to the garden space (figure F).

Remember that fairies are small, and your garden can be, too. Creasy creates tiny garden beds fairy-size with small boxwood (figure G), a little river rock bed because fairies love shiny things (figure H), and fuchsias, since both fairies and hummingbirds like the bright blossoms (figure I). Creasy's fairy garden also attracts the local neighborhood kids.

Figure H

Figure I

Figure J

She says starting your own fairy garden is simple. Nestle a fairy into a store-bought plant and you've got instant charm (figure J). Or start from scratch with a container. Use high-quality potting mix. Creasy adds a dime-store bridge (figure K) and several small plants. Even on a small scale, landscape design principles come into play as she arranges the plants. Tiny pebbles become a winding river, and to finish it off, she adds a tiny fairy (figure L).