Imagine in your garden a shady, mysterious corner, a clearing where butterflies fly, and birds sing, plants on which the rain turns into pearls, chimes that tinkle softly … One would almost see little fairies swaying on branches If this idea appeals to you, here is how to create a fairy garden where you will come to dream, or perhaps read a book of poetry.
1. Set up your fairy garden between shadow and light
A fairy garden has to offer mysterious corners, if possible in the shade of tall trees, sunny places for fairy-like flowers, and half-shade places where the sun filters and shimmers through the trees. Foliage.
The shadow will be the realm of green, the semi-shade the area of soft colors, while the places exposed to the sun will be able to welcome colors a little more shimmering while remaining in an exquisite range: pale yellow, mauve, purple, dark pink, blue, a touch of carmine.
2. Choose fairy plants
According to various legends, some plants are known to attract fairies and invite them to dance in your garden, especially clover, thyme, rosemary, foxgloves (sometimes called “fairy gloves” or “fairy dice”), bluebells, heather, hyacinths, primroses, lily of the valley, roses, and lilacs. It is sometimes said that every elderflower and Hawthorn is home to a tiny fairy.
Plants dedicated to fairies
If rosebushes attract fairies, some are specifically assigned to them: plant the beautiful pink rosebush ” The Fairy ” or the sumptuous white rose ” Snowy Fairy ” (also called “Iceberg”).
No fairies without elves … The plant also elephant flowers ( Epimedium ), a beautiful ground cover with small flowers in spring: the variety “Roseum,” with its mauve flowering is particularly suitable.
Exquisite roses
Other roses do not bear fairy names, but their exquisite delicacy recommends them in a fairy garden:
- ” Morning Dew,” ground cover with large double eglantines, delicately scented, shaded with pink and white.
- ” Ballerina,” shrub with small pink and white dancing flowers, all in grace and delicacy.
- ” Aimée Vibert,” or “Bouquet of the bride,” climbing with little pom-poms of pure white, highlighted by adorable pink buttons.
- ” Evangeline,” rose creeper with a profusion of fragrant rose hips, pure pink with more intense reflections.
Mysterious plants
The world of fairies is strange, these legendary little creatures need shady corners and large plants behind which to hide in peace: offer them the protection of some giant with huge leaves, like the gunnery of Brazil ( Gunnera manicata ), the big butterbur ( Petasites hybridus ) and the rodgersia ( Rodgersia podophylla ), not to mention the ferns, especially the very high osmonde or king fern ( Osmunda regalis ).
Plants to drink and peck
Even if the fairies are content with little, they will like to revel in some wild strawberries and go to drink with the soft green leaves of the lady ‘s mantle, on which the rainwater remains in round droplets, aligned like necklaces. Sparkling pearls.
3. Attract birds and butterflies
Delicate rustling wings are the favorite music of the fairies.
Attract birds by planting shrubs that offer pecking berries, setting up bird feeders and birdhouses in the trees, as well as a beautiful bird bath, made of cast iron for example.
Attract butterflies by leaving a patch of weeds (nettles in particular) in the fairy garden; by installing honey plants such as buddléia, borage, scabies, lupins, and sweet peas; aromatic plants such as thyme, sage, and rosemary. Also regularly have some very ripe fruits that butterflies are fond of or a cup of sweet water mixed with honey and a hint of salt.
4. Hang chimes and mobiles
Nothing is more magical in the garden than tinkling chimes or light mobiles swaying in the wind.
Hang the chimes at the ends of branches or on metal supports stuck in the ground. Choose light and delicate patterns or make your chimes. You can also hang bells in the trees at the end of a fishing line.
- Make yourself graceful mobiles with pieces of wood, seeds, bits of straw …
- Suspend from the branches, at the end of a wire, encircled circles made of wire around which you will roll ivy regularly stitched with fresh flowers.
- Hang a mirror rotating and scintillating with the wind, made of sticker “mirror” pasted recto-verso on a board and framed with barks of wood.
- Make earthen windmills bought in garden centers …
5. Complete the decoration of your fairy garden
You can decorate your fairy garden with multiple objects.
Symbolic circles
Since time immemorial, the ring has a strong symbolic value. For example, place on foam some circles of white pebbles, pine cones or ephemeral flowers freshly picked.
A fairy house
A fairy house is essential: if you are not very handy, take as a base a birdhouse and cover it with sticky plant elements: moss, twigs, dead leaves, acorns, barks, and wooden pucks … not to mention to simulate a door and its button.
Place the house on the ground, preferably on a small mound, in the middle of mossy stones and strawberry plants.
Wrought iron objects
Without abusing it, plant here and there wrought iron mushrooms or a butterfly, a dragonfly on a pendulum.
Bench
Do not forget a pretty seat nestled in the greenery, to enjoy your fairy garden and watch for their appearance fully.