Fairy Gardens - Agway of Cape Cod (2024)

FAQs

What is the story behind fairy gardens? ›

It has long been thought that if you provide fairies with a home and leave it in a quiet area of the house, woods or garden, they might thank you by bringing you good luck and happiness. A Fairy Garden can be as small as a tea cup or as large as any garden in nature.

Essentially, fairy gardens—also called enchanted gardens—are minuscule plots that include live plants, flowers, mushrooms, tiny statues, darling trinkets, and other mini accessories such as furniture, fountains, or swings. They're constructed indoors or out, and you don't need to spend a lot of money to create one.

Garden fairies are passionate. They love nature and care for the trees, flowers, herbs, and vegetables in the garden. Fairies are helpers, fixers and problem solvers but they can't use their magic to solve everyday problems! Mother Nature holds every fairy accountable for their use of magic and fairy gifts.

In many cultures, fairy gardens were seen as portals to other realms, where humans could communicate with the spiritual beings that inhabited these spaces. They were used for divination, healing rituals, and connecting with ancestors.

Fairy gardens are miniature gardens constructed of diminutive plants and tiny accessories designed to lure fairies. They can be outside gardens with in-ground plants, or they can be mini container gardens intended mainly for indoors – at least part of the time.

“The basic elements of a fairy garden are miniature plants, fairies and their friends [like dogs, cats and ducks] and accessories,” says Bawden-Davis. “Accessories run the gamut, from tiny watering pails to little rakes and hoes to birdbaths, benches, gazebos and gazing globes.

It is believed that fairies are the original, magically powerful inhabitants of the British Isles that were driven underground by warring invaders. By creating a fairy garden, you can open a passageway for fairies to join the human world, bringing with them their magical powers and often a bit of mischief as well.

Favorite foods include nectar, morning dew, flower buds, honey, nuts, fruit (especially berries of all kinds), fresh baked bread, fruit jams and jelly, syrups, candy, and fruit pies. Some are also quite fond (addicted even) of alcohol, especially wines and sweet liqueurs.

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.

Fairy dust is also called 'Pixie dust' which is generally sparkling and golden in color. It helps fairies to fly. It is said that if a fairy's wings get wet , the pixie dust can not work until the wings are dry.

Why do people make fairy gardens? ›

People build these little worlds for a variety of reasons: to pique or sate their curiosity, that of others, to bring the inside in, to play in a garden year round, to entertain children, and many more reasons.

But hear us out. Large houseplants are going to remain incredibly popular but so are miniature indoor gardens. Add some whimsy to your home with terrariums, bonsai, or even fairy gardens. Terrariums will be especially popular this year for this trend and we have everything you need to get started!

Foxglove used to be known as goblin's gloves in the mountains of Wales, where the flowers were worn by hobgoblins. In Scandinavian lore, foxglove is associated with both foxes and faeries, for the faeries taught foxes to ring the bell-like flowers in warning when hunters approached.

Imagination & Perspective

Show your kids the importance of dreaming and pretending. With a fairy garden, these qualities certainly arise. As your little (and big) ones are crafting this mini realm of plants, pathways, doors, and fairy figurines, they're garnering perspective as well.

Fairies in these myths may be of the more cartoonish variety and signify simply love, magic and springtime, but most signify things like death, sexual depravity, abduction and general immorality. This exhibition looks at representation of fairies within art of many different mediums and time periods.

You only need four components to create an indoor dish garden: a container, drainage material, houseplants, and top dressing. I also find it helpful to have a small watering can with a long, narrow spout to reach each individual pot within the arrangement, but any petite watering can or pitcher will do the trick.

In a whimsical garden, you might find whimsical sculptures, fairytale-like pathways, and unexpected pops of color that add a lighthearted and dreamlike quality. Playful arrangements of plants and flowers, perhaps in unconventional shapes or patterns, contribute to the overall sense of whimsy.

Making a fairy garden is an effective activity to teach children how to take responsibility and fulfill commitments, using a small scale scenario. As they will be so involved in the process, they will feel attached, and hence, work towards making it last.