DIY Projects for a Mini Fairy Garden

Design

• The design of the garden can be as a special site or you can stage various areas throughout the garden and the landscape of the yard. For example, plantings can be made underneath the canopy of a large tree so that the foliage and flowers can stand out. Or, you can create an entire mini fairy garden area with its own location and accompanying foliage and flowers.

Foliage and Flower Selection

• Use both perennial and annual flowers that are dwarf in size to enhance the mini fairy garden design. Plant flowers with vivid and colorful blossoms like primroses, pansies, petunias, snapdragons and Gerber daisies. Use sunflowers to add color and whimsy. Dwarf varieties of butterfly bushes and azaleas can provide shrubbery that ties in to a smaller height and scale and colorful flowers. Lily and crocus bulbs will give the garden a special look to greet spring. Ferns and hostas can continue to serve as miniature-sized shrubbery to create borders and backdrops for the color "pops" of flowers. Include striking plantings like Echinacea, foxglove, begonias and foxglove to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to amplify the mini fairy garden theme.

Statuary and Stones

• Statuary will provide the visual clue to define the garden as a fairy garden. Select statues of fairies, garden gnomes, birds, rabbits, turtles and other woodland creatures to give the garden a magical forest look. Include iridescent globes to give the garden an iridescent and ethereal appeal. Purchase fairy princess accouterments like tiaras and magical items like wands that can be sprayed with polyurethane for longevity and placed in a well-deserved spot amidst the fairy garden flora and fauna. Incorporate garden picks with butterflies, bees and ladybugs to enhance the overall effect. Use river rocks, gravel and small stones to keep the scale miniature and in balance with the plantings.

Water Features

• Incorporate a water feature to enhance the mystical ambiance of the fairy garden. If the garden is placed in a shaded area, install a small pond surrounded by rocks. Or if the landscape permits, incorporate a small waterfall or birdbath.

Child's Playhouse

• A child's playhouse can make a striking and enchanting focal point for the fairy garden. Consider a gingerbread house design or one with country charm. Alternatively, you can purchase small dollhouse statuaries or ones made of ceramic materials and use them as statuary, dispersed throughout the mini garden. Create a small picket fence using popsicle sticks painted white to add even more charm to the fairy garden.