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.
