Welcome to the Fairy Garden!

We started a fairy garden several years ago for the grandkids. It all began after we’d asked the oldest granddaughter if she’d made a wish for her birthday and she replied that she didn’t believe in wishes because they never came true. Well that broke our hearts! So we decided to create a little fairy garden with a wish jar for the grandkids to place their wishes for fairies to grant, to encourage wishes, hopes, and dreams. We ran it past the parents and OUR wish for a fairy garden was granted!

Grandkids arranging the fairy garden.

Our Fairy Garden

The first fairy garden was hidden at the base of a tree by the pond behind our condo unit. We had a tree with a little space between roots to house the door. I picked up a few little things at a garden center, like a glass mushroom, engraved rocks, some metal fairy garden accessories, and made a door, but the kids are encouraged to use natural and found objects to decorate the garden.

Fairy Garden

I keep a little box of fairy garden supplies and they can pick a new object when they visit. We’ve had lots of fun things in there, like a broken chandelier crystal, broken dishes, buttons, tiny flower pots, etc. I check the discount area at garden stores and thrift stores for broken fairy garden stuff too, which the kids can be creative with to repair. My favorite is a little BBQ that was missing a wheel that they replaced with a button—so perfectly fairy-like!

Fairy garden supplies

There is an old spice jar with a painted lid for them to slip wish notes into. Fairies ALWAYS respond back!

Wish jar

We brought the fairy garden with us to the Lakehouse when we moved from the condo. The new fairy garden has a secret path marked by a special fairy marker! One of the grandkids gave us some LED solar lights with dragonflies, hummingbirds, and butterflies to light the path at night.

Secret path to the fairy garden.

The minute the grandkids step out of the car at Grandpa and Cindy’s, they’re racing across the yard to see what’s gone on at the fairy garden when they were away. Oftentimes they’re checking for mail in the wish jar, but fairy gardens get tossed by trolls a lot and need to be cleaned up. Its surprising to me just how much activity there is at the fairy garden between visits from the grandkids—we’ve even had some items just completely disappear! The kids sprinkle fresh sage leaves from the kitchen herb garden throughout the fairy garden in attempts to discourage trolls.

Combination of found, repurposed, and purchased objects. Do you see the little red fairy bicycle?

They even decorate the garden at the holidays!

Fairies love to have their garden decorated for the holidays!

Fairy gardens are just so much fun and its a great way to get kids interested in gardening and exploring outside. Even our grandson who hates getting dirty will forget all about dirt and bugs in his excitement clean up the fairy garden and place new objects! You don’t need to go out and get anything special; consider using things found in your yard or home. And be prepared to get an education on fairies! We have watched lots and lots of Tinkerbell shows and read many fairy stories with the grandkids. It’s been so much fun!

Do you have a fairy garden?

Fairy thank you note after being left a bowl of fresh wild strawberries (one of the favorite foods of fairies) the night before!