Under the shade of a white kale, next to a river of iridescent glass rock, a fairy lounges alongside a wooden wishing well while a brown rabbit perches nearby.
Fairy gardens, the latest trend to hit the world of landscaping, provide an outlet for “people to be creative and to reconnect to the outdoors,” said Dawn Whittington, marketing director for The Home Garden Center in Longview.
Fairy gardens, or gypsy gardens, are miniature landscapes created in almost any kind of container you can imagine, out of almost anything you can dream up.
These whimsical dioramas can feature fairy or gnome figurines and a variety of woodland animals.
Regina Dyer-Smith introduced fairy gardens to her son and daughter last summer as a means to keep them busy during school holidays.
“They will actually play with them like they’re dolls or action figures,” she said.
Tony, 8, and Bella, 6, have a sports-themed gnome garden and a fairy garden with six or seven sprites in colorful dresses.
“Bella’s all about the bling,” Dyer-Smith said, laughing.
For the sports-themed garden, Dyer-Smith originally cut a wedge off of an old basketball and filled that with dirt and some cactus plants, but Tony quickly outgrew the small container.
“Honestly, now it’s in an old tray,” she said.
Bella’s fairy garden required a bit more work.
“I distressed an old dresser drawer and painted silver swirls on it,” she said. “Then we filled it with dirt and river rock, and topped it off with glass rocks.”
That fairy garden also has pink chiffon canopies for the fairies, Dyer-Smith said.
Begun as a basis for container gardening, fairy gardens sometimes house a resident fairy and sometimes just provide an idyllic setting to attract a fairy to come live there, Whittington said.
“Some people like to believe that if they create it, fairies will come,” she said with a smile.
Brittany Humphrey is the Fairy Garden Coordinator for the The Home Garden Center.
“I didn’t think I’d get into it at first, but now I’m addicted to doing these,” she said. “They’re so much fun.”
You can purchase pieces for your garden and put it together yourself, or Humphrey can create a custom landscape based on your ideas.
She’s done a beach and tea party themes, and she’s even created a fairy garden in a rusty old wheelbarrow.
“I have so much fun. I feel like a kid when I do them,” Humphrey said.
She blends different textures of rocks, mulches and plants, creates dynamic heights with tall plants or ground covers, and incorporates the fairy elements in a way that is artistic and masterful.
You can use live plants or artificial, depending on your level of gardening expertise and where the fairy garden will be placed.
“There’s so much creativity and flexibility that goes into it,” Whittington said. “You can change it up, add, subtract, make multiple displays, use different accessories … the sky is the limit.”
In addition to the fairy garden, the gypsy garden is hugely popular.
“It’s basically the same thing, just with brighter colors,” Whittington said.
While fairy gardens tend to have a more organic, vintage feel, gypsy gardens boast bold colors such as fuchsia and lime green and sparkly features, such as tiny crystal chandeliers and bright accents.
Spring is a hot time for the fairy gardens, Whittington said, but it’s a hobby that can easily be changed on a seasonal or even weekly basis.
“We have people come in to buy new pieces each week,” she said.
The gardens are more than just a cute display.
“Gardening is such a forgotten art,” Whittington said. “It’s a great way to introduce children back to nature without having to use an app or a piece of technology. It’s also great common ground children and grandparents can enjoy together.”
Humphrey and Whittington have created fairy gardens to be featured at area businesses including Nanny Goats (complete with a goat and wine bottles), Lollipops and Lace, Mathnasium, Tiny Turtle and Ruffled Feathers Boutique.
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