A Fairy Garden Buying Guide
It seems that somewhere along the line, I became a Fairy Garden hipster. I can tell you for an absolute fact that there were only a handful of photos of them online back when I first posted about ours, but now there are hundreds. And hundreds. And hundreds.
Get off my fairy garden lawn, you whippersnappers.
Or ... join in on the fun. Whichever you prefer.
The thing is that I've been asked a bunch of times for a list of places to find fairy garden supplies. Rather than continuing to answer each person individually, I figured it was time to put together a handy dandy list.
If you do make a fairy garden (or have already), please to be sharing a photo? Just email it to me or share a link to a photo or blog post with it in the comments and I'll add it to my fairy garden Pinterest board.
Fairy Garden Furniture/Accessories/Houses
Fairy Garden Kits: The lazy way to go is to buy a fairy garden kit from Alexis. She's restocking her store this weekend (seriously -- she's WAY excited about this whole thing now that she only owes me $150 for cheerleading), but there are a few kits left right now.
Pat Catan's: There is a decent selection of items at Pat Catan's. Check the seasonal aisle, the dollhouse aisle, and the miniatures aisle.
Michael's: The only thing they have is the unfinished birdhouses that can be decorated to be fairy houses, but they have the best ones for the price (under $10). Note: When decorating, look for the paint that says it's good for outdoor use. It will hold up better. Sealing the finished product is a really good idea as well.
Plow and Hearth: The only thing they really have is a furniture kit. It's expensive, but better quality than any of the things I've found elsewhere.
Target: They also have a fairy garden kit. I've seen it in a few stores and it's available online.
Hobby Lobby: They have a few things that work in the dollhouse section, and there are a few fairy garden specific items in the seasonal/gardening aisle.
Amazon: Pretty much everything is available on Amazon at a great price. Here are a few of my favorite things. Just click the images to view them on Amazon.
Vine bench:
Garden tools:
Bird bath:
Patio table and chairs:
Arbor:
Wheelbarrow:
Birdhouse that would make a great fairy house:
And a bird feeder that makes a perfect fairy house:
Locally, I've found various items at two garden centers -- Reilly's Summer Seat Farm and Brenckle's.
Fairy Garden Trees/Shrubs
Anything that is super small and super slow-growing will work. Think bonsai. Locally, I've found Bedner's to be the best source, but there are some online stores that have a pretty solid selection.
Fairy Garden Plants
The key to the plants is to think small. Walk through any garden center and you are bound to find things like alyssum, lobelia, etc. If you seek out the part of a garden center where they keep the "Stepables," you're guaranteed to find some good things. Some of my favorite plants for fairy gardens are:
Irish Moss (Lowe's and Home Depot usually have this) (perennial)
Sea Thrift (perennial)
Erodium Charm Alpine Geranium (perennial)
Dwarf Mondo Grass (perennial)
Rockcress (perennial)
Dianthus (annual)
Wooly Thyme (perennial)
Rosemary (Herb -- different varieties can be used in different ways. Some are perfect for training into a tree, others are dwarf and make good shrubs, others can be trained to go over an arbor.)
When all else fails, go to a really good garden center and ask for help. An employee will be able to show you some things that will do well and stay relatively small. Keep in mind, nearly every plant that is a perfect miniature will spread. You'll have to thin it out once per year or more. For example, I started with two little tiny pots of Irish Moss. I now have three fully stocked fairy gardens just from dividing the Irish Moss every spring.
Holler if you have any questions, and make sure you share your fairy gardens!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Reader Comments (4)
I actually had never seen a fairy garden until you posted about yours. So now when I see / hear about one, I just assume they stole your idea and aren't giving your credit. No really, I do. I almost emailed you once because I was so convinced another blogger was stealing your idea without crediting you. And then I realized there were others...
this is fantastic that you put it all together here. you rock. pretty sure i don't tell you enough. so yeah, YOU ROCK.
you should totally check out janoski's farm. they have an entire section of fairy garden stuff, in the back corner of the greenhouse. they even keep the plants that are perfect for fairy gardens in a fairy garden section. i was in heaven and plan to visit on saturday :)
So....we thought it was mischievous fairies, but turns out a squirrel is attacking the fairy garden my girls made with their grandma. (Pretty much everything short of TPing the house :/) Ever have this problem? I know...random :)