How to make a fairy garden? A DIY fairy garden is a whimsical little oasis filled with greenery, accessories and a home for the mythical little creatures. They’ve been all the rage the past few years and have been popular among everyone from gardeners to homemakers, families and anyone with an appreciation for pretty little spaces.
Constructing a fairy garden is the perfect project for you if:
- you love letting your creativity run wild.
- you have an appreciation for small details.
- you enjoy complex looking projects that are really simple.
If you are one or all of the things listed above, you should consider creating a miniature fairy garden! Fairy gardens can be set up inside or outdoors. There’s a great deal of supplies that you could use to build your fairy garden. In fact, you may have many usable supplies you may need for your fairy garden laying around your home, meaning you could potentially create a DIY fairy garden without needing to get much from the store.
Pick A Place
Outdoors
If you wish to place your DIY fairy garden outdoors, there are several locations that would work perfectly. While there are different types of gardens, a fairy garden being one of them, there are several aspects you need to consider, such as how much sun/shade an area gets and what the environment you live in is like. This guide is a good place to start, regardless of what kind of garden you’re creating.
A large tree in your yard with bigger, mossy roots would make the perfect little home for a DIY fairy garden. Of course, this would be a permanent spot so if you live somewhere with nice weather year round, you can certainly set up your fairy garden there.
A small fairy garden house nestled in a tree stump including several succulent plants.
If you happen to have a tree stump in your yard, you can take the seemingly ‘dead space’ and turn it into a charming little fairy garden. Just fill the stump with some potting soil, put in whatever plants you need and fill it with whatever accessories you desire.
If you have some bushes, hedges, or other greenery in your yard, you can tuck you fairy garden partially hidden inside of them. Of course you want it somewhat visible, but part of the lure of fairy gardens is the secrecy. Anyone who notices it will feel like they’ve stumbled upon something magical!
Perhaps the easiest place to set up a fairy garden is in a container. There really isn’t a ‘wrong’ option to use here and the possibilities are endless. You can get creative and use whatever you can find. Some ideas include:
- Terra cotta or ceramic pot
- Old water basin
- Wicker basket
- Bird bath
- Wine barrel planter
- Rain barrel
- Wheelbarrow
Indoors
If you’d like to keep your DIY fairy garden indoors, you still have many options when it comes to containers. If you live somewhere with changing seasons, you can set up your fairy garden in a container and keep it outside during the spring and summer and move it indoors when the weather turns cold. You don’t want rain and snow ruining your whimsical fairy garden.
A DIY fairy garden created in a tin basket. Placing your DIY fairy garden in a container allows you to set it outdoors or move it inside.
Before you choose a container, you should consider whether you want a large or small fairy garden. This also depends on what room you’d like to place the fairy house in. A DIY fairy garden would make a cute addition to a bathroom counter or conversation starter placed in the corner of a kitchen counter. Small fairy gardens can be placed in a bowl, pot or wicker basket. These can be found in many different sizes and go in virtually any room of your house.
If you want to make your DIY fairy garden a main centerpiece of a room, you can certainly place it in a larger container. This will allow you more room for plants, accessories and creativity.
Select Your Supplies
One you’ve selected your spot or container, you need to get the supplies required to start building your fairy garden. Again, there are endless possibilities when it comes to selecting your supplies. With the increasing popularity of fairy gardens, homes and accessories like miniature furniture pieces can be found in nearly any craft store or online. Creating a fairy garden is essentially a DIY project. If you’re a crafty person, you should also be able to whip up some unique pieces on your own as well.
P.S. If you’d really like to have a fairy garden but don’t have the time to get the supplies yourself, you can find complete fairy garden kits! The garden fairy and all make great gifts, too.
Of course, what really makes a fairy garden a garden, is the plants!
Because fairy gardens are essentially tiny little homes for mythical creatures, you want everything to be little. This means the plants should be in scale with the fairy house and other accessories. Fortunately, there are many small plants to choose from. One low-maintenance type of plant that will look just right in a fairy garden are succulents!
Succulents are the perfect plant to put in a DIY fairy garden. The Echeveria variety look especially nice in fairy gardens.
The type of succulent that we found to be most aesthetically pleasing in a fairy garden are of the crassula and echeveria variety, though any type would work well. A good thing about using succulents in your fairy garden is that succulents do well both indoors and outdoors. Succulents are like Aloe in that they do well in dry conditions. Most need sun to partial shade and only need to be watered about once a week, making them fairly low-maintenance.
Herbs also make ideal plants that will fit right into a fairy garden. Thyme and oregano both have small leaves, which will look good in the small-scale fairy garden. Herbs like rosemary or lavender look like little trees and would make a fine addition to a fairy garden.
Like succulents, herbs can do well indoors or outdoors. They also need sun to partial shade. Both succulents and herbs require high-quality potting soil and good drainage so make sure your container has some holes in the bottom for draining.
Another main part of a DIY fairy garden is a house. You can find little houses in craft stores or in fairy garden stores online. You can also get creative and use a bird house or build you own house. Of course, you don’t need a house, especially if you’re building your fairy garden in a small space. A simple bench would be sufficient and make a perfect resting spot for a fairy.
Other supplies to round out your fairy garden could include moss, little stones, seashells, sand and twigs. These could all be found naturally or in a craft store.
You can glue together popsicle sticks, toothpicks or little twigs together to make a little fence. Small glass beads, shells or smooth stones would make a good path leading up to the front door.
Small LED lights on a copper wire will take a fairy garden to the next level and fit it on the size scale, too. The addition of twinkling lights will really up the whimsical factor.
Choose A Theme
It’s obvious that the best part about creating a fairy garden is the creativity that it allows. You’re creating a little space for a mythical creature, of course you’re going to have fun with it! You may have an idea of what fairy gardens look like from the ones you’ve seen before either in person or in pictures, but there are so many more possibilities than that.
There are endless possibilities if you’d like to center your DIY fairy garden around a theme. You can do a seasonal theme, beach theme, cottage theme, farm theme, camping theme, gardening theme or anything else you can think of.
Set up Your DIY Fairy Garden
Once you’ve chosen a spot and you have your plants, fairy house and accessories, you’re ready to put it all together. If using a container, first fill the miniature garden with your potting soil. You’ll want to put the plants (succulents and herbs) toward the back along with a house or any bigger furniture pieces. You want the tallest things in the back so that all of the little accessories will be visible. What comes next is up to you!
A creative, rustic fairy garden house complete with several little houses and hidden fairies.
Now that your fairy garden is complete, you can enjoy it year-round either inside or outdoors. We hope that any fairies that stop by bring you lots of luck. If nothing else, at least now you have a pretty little space to admire!
