“A rustle in the wind reminds us a fairy is near.” — Anonymous
Nothing surpasses woodland surroundings for sensory and spiritual stimulation. Those rustling leaves, babbling rills and bird songs are enchanting and stir the imagination.
With eyes closed, it’s only a small stretch to believe that any native setting is magical.
Our superstitious European ancestors imagined the same, and their folklore is rich with beings like elves, pixies, gnomes and, of course, fairies.
Within the last decade or more, that lore of the fairy has inspired a major revival in the miniature gardening world, the fairy garden, and it is one enjoyed by both children and adults alike.
We can probably thank Disney’s Tinkerbell for some of it; she’s a pop icon who reinforces our wholesome concept of a fairy as winged human female, tiny and magical, and only occasionally mischievous.
Research, however, shows that the history of mythological fairies throughout centuries and cultures has had a light as well as dark side. One legend says they were born from a baby’s laugh. Another that they are departed souls, trapped between heaven and hell, perhaps angels or demons. A third that they are versions of human beings defeated in an ancient battle and reduced to hiding. A most unsettling one is that baby fairies were sometimes left in place of a human child. These were called “changelings” and may have helped explain the existence of impish or imperfect children.
Today, interestingly, many people, especially in Iceland and the Celtic countries, still genuinely believe in natural spirits.
One captivating tale about fairies in England involves two young cousins, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, who in 1917 claimed they had played with fairies at a woodland stream in a place called Cottingley. They even produced photographs with Elsie’s father’s camera to prove it.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories and a great proponent of spiritualism, came to believe the girls’ pictures were authentic. A mass media circus ensued.
It was not until more than 60 years later, in 1983, that Griffiths finally confessed that the fairies were made of cut-out drawings that had been traced from a book, mounted on cardboard and attached to branches with hatpins.
The creation of gardens with fairies today usually involves planting either a container or creating an area of the yard complete with tiny structures and living plants that “please” these ephemeral beings. It’s especially fun to involve friends, children and grandchildren and can be as simple or ornate as you like.
My friend and I participated in a fairy garden workshop at a local nursery this past spring. There, we were given a container, soil and a choice of a few fairy-related items, as well as moss and stones to create our gardens. It was a lot of fun. Each participant produced a unique fairy world, complete with articles like a tiny pond, swing, rabbits and a gazing ball.
However, there is no need to go to a garden center. Fairy gardens can easily be made anywhere using similar types of “ingredients.” For example, the Centre Crest residents’ gardening club just held a fairy garden workshop, utilizing doll houses and other donated household items. They even brought glitter to sprinkle some magic “fairy dust” on each creation.
Here are some additional ideas about design:
■ Though there are many “official” fairy houses and accessories in stores and catalogs, smaller items found around in the play room, the garage or the junk drawer can make original gardens.
■ Fairy gardens can be located in slightly hidden spots in the garden, such as among the roots of a tree or tucked into a flower bed, creating an element of surprise for those walking through the area.
■ Adding small, slower growing plants to the scene gives the feeling that the space is home to tiny beings. For example, Anne Ashberry, a nursery owner of the 1950s, who originally began by planting miniature gardens in troughs on pedestals to allow the elderly to continue gardening in comfort on their balconies or in courtyards, scoured the world to find alpine plants that would remain small in her coveted gardens. She even created a tiny rose garden to present to Princess Elizabeth.
■ Young children can be very helpful in looking at the garden from a child’s perspective and can no-doubt find items outside to incorporate. Try cutting small sticks to use as fencing or small rocks decorated with permanent markers, for instance.
■ Clearance racks for holiday items, especially Christmas villages, may hold some great miniatures for future fairy garden designs.
■ A fairy garden can also be inside. It can consist of a terrarium or group of houseplants with a container as the base.
Care of a container fairy garden is not difficult. I found the most important tips are to water it lightly, avoid fertilizing and slightly trim the plants if they become too large too quickly. I also avoid setting the gardens outside in places subject to downpours or baking sun.
Outdoor fairy gardens require more vigilance, and some fairy-related items may be brought in over the winter months.
Whether the fairies’ new home is indoors or out, simple or ornate, its creation offers a great opportunity to release the inner child, sprinkle some fairy dust and rediscover some of the wonder and magic that is in gardening.
