Wednesday 8 May 2013

Four Simple Steps to create your Perfect Fairy Garden.


My resolution for May is to do something I've never done before.  Last week I had the privilege of teaching year 6 at my local junior school on how to survive anxiety caused by exams.  Could I top that?  Well, no probably not but then unique opportunities should never be overlooked. 

This got me thinking about my lovely clients who patiently pour over my blog posts and listen to me waffle on during their holistic sessions and so I thought that this week I'd have a go at something new that was accessible for my readers to try.

How to Make Your Own Fairy Garden...

We have always had fairies at the bottom of our garden so it was fairly apt that on a sunny bank holiday weekend, my daughter and I set about making a fairy garden.

With 20% discount at our local garden centre we filled our trolley with plants and compost.  I dug (no pun intended) about in the shed and came across an old wine crate which was the perfect size for our little fairies. 



1.  We assembled our tools.  The crate (any small container will do - remember to drill drainage holes in the bottom), our compost, plants and of course the fairies! 




 2.  We filled the crate with a black bin bag so the wood didn't rot and then added a layer of stones to help with the drainage, once this was done we emptied the compost on top and smoothed it out.


 


 3.  Once the compost was in place we could plant up our flowers, we used some extra stones to mark a path through the garden (so the fairies don't get their shoes dirty!) and added a solar lamp (available at any garden centre or supermarket), well fairies do like to play out at night!

We chose mixed Lobelia as they are easy to grow and will give us a colourful garden for the summer.






 
4.  With all of our flowers planted up we could invite our fairies along and they all seemed delighted with their new garden!  Don't worry if you haven't got any fairies to hand - sprinkle your garden with a little fairy dust and they will find you!
So there you have it, a perfect fairy garden.  Great for any garden or patio area and don't worry if you don't have a garden, why not have a go at making one in a plant pot.  With some left over plants and a selection of crystals my daughter made a smaller garden in a little plant pot that was going spare - perfect for a window ledge! 

Having a go at something new doesn't mean you have to break a world record or reinvent the wheel.  This challenge has certainly made me think outside the box, but I've also realised that it's the little things that count just as much as the life changing achievements.

I spent a wonderful weekend with my daughter and seeing the smile on her face when we watered our little garden and watched the solar light flicker on at dusk was simply priceless.  Doing something I've never done before really has been my favourite challenge so far.



Why don't you have a go at your own fairy garden, I'd love to hear how you get on or what you think of our gardening skills so please leave me your comments below...




...remember to select a 'comment as' from the drop down box so we can all hear about your fabulous fairies.


5 comments:

  1. This is absolutely lovely and inspiring! And wonderful that you included such clear instructions:) Thank you! I might give it a go myself!

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    1. Thanks Heidi, it was so much fun. I hope you do have a go and can get inventive, I may need to invest in a couple of toad stools and castles for my next project!

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  2. Shelley your book is so inspiring I am really enjoying reading it lots of love carly x

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  3. Your book is so inspiring I am really enjoying reading it lots of love carly x

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