A Fairy Garden Entry and Alternative Idea for Traditional Wood Chip Mulch (2024)

FAQs

A Fairy Garden Entry and Alternative Idea for Traditional Wood Chip Mulch? ›

As you can see in the above photo of one of my little fairy gardens, there are lots of amazing things you can use for mulch besides chipped wood. I have used seashells, glass, rocks, pebbles, cocoa husks, recycled rubber, crushed bricks, and many other substitutes in garden beds.

Beyond traditional materials, green alternatives like compost, living ground covers, and recycled organic matter can also serve as effective mulch. Compost not only suppresses weeds but also enriches the soil with nutrients, making it a dual-purpose option.

Mulch is a layer of material that covers the surface of your garden soil. We recommend (and use) wood mulch, and that's what we'll be discussing here. Mulch is made from all types of wood and, while there's no “best” type of wood, some mulches are better than others (we cover that below).

1. Supporting beneficial fungi. 2. Reducing competition for water (if you're replacing grass paths with mulched paths).

All you need for an indoor fairy garden is a pot or planter, some small plants, garden or potting soil and whimsical accessories. Fairy gardens are also ideal for outdoor nooks, flower beds and borders, outdoor containers and even children's wagons, carts or wheelbarrows.

Mulch: Key Differences. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much difference between wood chips vs. mulch. You can use both in your yard, and both will help plants grow.

Finally, avoid large, bark type mulch or big wood chips. Since these big pieces take a long time to decompose, and they end up depriving the soil and plants of nutrients.

Wood chips lose their color and texture over time. They require regular upkeep, such as raking for hazards and to maintain an even surface level.

Triple shred mulch is so thin that it can clump together in a solid mat, preventing water from reaching the tree's roots. Wood chips are chunkier and more irregularly shaped, allowing water to flow more easily through the porous groundcover.

Do wood chips attract termites? ›

Even if you have purchased mulch that is made out of wood, it won't necessarily attract termites directly. Termites are not known to thrive in piles of mulch since they usually tunnel through the Earth and are present in the ground before you lay down mulch if you have them.

An excessively deep layer of mulch may result in water logging of heavy soils and may interfere with the movement of oxygen into the soil. A 3- to 4-inch-layer of wood chips or shredded bark would be appropriate for well-drained sites around trees and shrubs. On heavy soils, a 2- to 3-inch-layer would be suitable.

Wood chips last longer than straw mulch and may slow down regeneration on some wildfire damaged areas where regeneration is desired.

A good tip is to make sure that you aim to lay a path of bark chippings approximately 10cm deep, so be sure to make the base deep enough when you are preparing the ground. Here at Walford Timber we sell both bagged and loose woodchip, both of which look great when accompanied with timber path edging.

Rocks—fairies are attracted to all kinds of shiny stones like agate, quartz, or crystal. Use them to decorate your garden and give the little ones a place to sit. Shiny things—fairies love to look at their reflection, so include shiny things like a mirror or a dish of water in your garden design.

Fill your pot/container with potting mix and plant your plants. I prefer to plant the tallest plant (miniature tree) towards the back of the pot, shrubs to the side and ground cover at the front. TIP: You might like to play around with the arrangement of your plants while they are still in their pots.

Making fairy habitat: whether you believe in magic folk or not, to successfully make part of the garden feel magical you need to create a space where you can imagine a fairy could live. You need romantic plantings. You need flowers. You need bird, bee and butterfly attracting plants.