Posted on by kimhaynesjohnson

Slice of Life Challenge – March 9 – A Mini Fairy Garden

Sometimes on weekends, I like to travel one county west to the Pike Nursery in Peachtree City, Georgia just to see their lovely displays and let my mind feast on the presentation ideas. They don’t just toss merchandise on shelves and keep it organized and neat; they arrange it so folks can see the limitless possibilities in the artistry of design. They have stations where everything you need for a project is right there, ready to jump in your buggy if you’re not careful enough to deflect it.

That’s what almost happened to me when I saw these mesmerizing miniature glass terrarium containers suspended from a garden arbor. I wanted all of them and the arbor, too, plus the chains to hang them, and I wanted to move the whole setup into my kitchen and set it up to hang over the table so I could sit there eating a plate of grapes, admiring it.

Instead, I took a step back and reminded myself that I am a killer of plants. Succulents have a slightly better chance than others, and I have managed to keep a peace lily and a philodendron from perishing because my husband notices when it needs watering. But no one from Pike Nursery would be coming home with me to ensure these glass-encased ornamental plants thrived……which meant certain death for the plants.

I took a picture of the terrarium directions and wondered if these same instructions might work for two small succulent gardens to go on my front porch tables. It was worth a shot, so I decided to modify the idea to fit the need instead of installing a glass jungle over my table.

I toyed with the idea of building a couple of Mason jar terrariums again, but I’d tried these before, too, and failed. I couldn’t give up on trying to succeed ~ I just needed to find a foolproof beginner level container garden project.

A garden of succulents had the best shot of living. And I wanted to add some fairies to the mix. I followed the directions on the poster and collected the supplies I needed to create two plant pots for the two coffee tables on the front porch. I selected two containers and an assortment of plants. I also got some pebbles and some potting soil, along with a few fairy garden pieces.

I chose a mixture of colors in the plants – one little pop of color in a cactus, two vibrant green succulents, and two muted gray/green succulents.

I filled each of the containers about an inch full with pebbles from a rock bed in our front yard for drainage.

Then, I added potting soil and loosened the roots as I placed each plant in the container and covered it with soil. I also added a couple of plant food sticks to give them a wish and a hope.

I added some fairies and accessories, including more rocks, to each container.

Then I lightly watered the plants.

With any luck or magic fairy dust sprinkles, they will make it through summer. And I’m already thinking of names for them. I’m thinking Belle or Bella for the vibrant green Bellum Altair, since it sounds Tinkerbell – ish. What other magical fairy-sounding names would you suggest? I’ll share where I got the idea to name the plants and the names of the fairy garden plants in the next few days.

Special thanks to Two Writing Teachers for giving writers voice and space.

18 Replies to “Slice of Life Challenge – March 9 – A Mini Fairy Garden”

  2. Utterly enchanting, Kim, combining the wonder of nature and the story-magic of fairies! You reminded me that when they were children, C.S. Lewis and his brother used to collect moss and other small items to create miniature worlds…see where that eventually led! I would give one these fairies a name from a baby’s gravestone I first saw when I was a child visiting my grandmother deep in the country (along the old dirt road, you know-). The name; Leafy Jean. I might name the other fairy Lacey Jane. Seems a story is waiting to be written with these characters coming to life…and I look forward to reading your next installments!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Kim, we have yet one more thing in common, our penchant for horticultural homicide. My house plants rarely survive. I think you may have a winner w/ the succulents. They’re like cacti in their limited need for water. And I think you should think of them as dogs and name them after your schnoodles. You’d never forget to treat the fur babies. You lavish your pups w/ affection. Transfer those feelings to the fairy gardens and you’ll raise them for years to come. I’m thinking g I need a succulent garden gif a little elephant our guide gave each of us while in Thailand.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. You made the right choice with succulents! My fingers are crossed for you, lol. I adore those little fairies alongside – may they add a little magical watering a time or two, when necessary. Those hanging terrariums were lovely – I want them now, too. Thanks for this!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. OMG, Kim, I absolutely love how your planter turned out. I must share this with my husband. He is the gardner, but I love how you’ve decorated with the fairies. My daughter-in-law wants a baby shower with a theme of dragons and fairies. Now, I know exactly what I’ll do to decorate. I”M SO EXCITED!!! Please share tips about the best places to buy these miniature fairies. The orange succulent is gorgeous, too!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Barb, I’m so glad you like them! The fairy garden decor all came from Dollar General. The basic set with the house and a fairy and a welcome sign and one or two other small items was $6, and the add-on pieces were $1. They also have elves and gnomes. My colleague showed me a deluxe set available on Amazon as well, and she actually ordered some glow in the dark stones to go in her garden. I got all the 4″ plants at Home Depot, but the mini 2″ ones were cuter at Pike Nurseries if you are looking for something on a smaller scale. I wish we lived closer – – I would come and help you decorate! What fun – fairies and dragons! I just checked out a book today from the library called The Book of Fairy Poetry, illustrated by Michael Hague. Have you thought about framing some fairy poems to be part of the decor? Oh, what fun you are going to have decorating.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. I love doing things like this, Kim! Your creation is beautiful!
    We have a nursery about 20 minutes from our house with a self-potting station. I’ve taken my kids a few times to create terrariums. I need to retake them since they managed to kill their succulents since they didn’t bother to water them enough. (Last time they overwatered and drowned them.)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Stacey, I’m trying to come up with a watering strategy for myself that goes beyond the noticing that I don’t seem to be consistent in doing. I seriously am thinking of setting an alarm twice a week on my phone to remember to feed these green girls!

      Like

      Reply

  8. I love the way you need to guard against the projects jumping into your basket. I get that! I can grow two other plants beside succulents – spider plants and an ivy plant. Both were given to me by my mom, who could grow anything. I think she must be helping keep them alive.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I agree – yes, our mothers have their ways of reaching us and helping us across the heavens, don’t they? I might have to try a spider plant. That sounds like it might be challenging, but if I ease into small steps, maybe I can do it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  12. I loved this slice for so many reasons! I too, am a killer of any kind of indoor plants. It’s strange because I’ve gotten pretty good at outdoor gardening. But for some reason I am an inside plant killer. Even succulents. So I am impressed you took them on. Then I love how you put together suck detailed fairy gardens! They are so pretty! And I love the particular fairies you chose.
    And I just love the way you wrote the whole thing. You had me wanting to keep reading and reading.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. Pingback: Slice of Life Challenge – March 11 – What’s in a Name? – Common Threads

Leave a comment