How To Make A Fairy Garden

When I was but a wee slip of a child, my aunt would take me to the edge of the woods to show me where fairies lived. We never actually saw fairies with wings and such, though she assured me they were watching us if they weren't sleeping.

Puck: Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound,

A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire;

And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn,

Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn.

- Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

What's more, fairies can change form, so we weren't sure if the toads we sometimes uncovered were really fairies after all. Anyway, she showed me little pools of water where they swam, leaf tips where they showered, their dwellings in holes between tree roots, and fairy rings where they gathered after dark and danced the night away with wild abandon.

Fairies dancing with wild abandon.

Grown-ups tend to forget about fairies, but the magic can be rekindled and shared with others in a fairy garden. Here are some thoughts on how to make a fairy garden.

Fairy gardens are of two types: imaginary and real. Imaginary fairy gardens are those that you never actually expect fairies to visit. They're created for people to enjoy looking at. They are by far the safest. Real fairy gardens are created for the purpose of attracting fairies to visit and haunt. They have their differences, but both share many characteristics, which I'll mention as I go on.

Imaginary fairy gardens can be created just about anywhere, even in high-traffic areas like patios and decks, in containers and garden beds. But fairies like secrecy, so real fairy gardens must be situated in out-of-the-way places. That's one of the main differences.

Imaginary fairy gardens are often created to scale, sort of like the landscapes you'd see around model train sets. Scale is usually suggested by features like fairy statuary, structures and furnishings. Everything should look appropriate to the scale of the surroundings.

Do not think the fairies are always little. Everything is capricious about them, even their size. They seem to take what size or shape pleases them. 

-Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

Except for the fact that fairies are generally thought of as "wee folk", i.e. smaller than humans, they come in many sizes. Sometimes fairies can even change sizes at will, so scale is not so important with real fairy gardens.

Imaginary fairy garden.

Since imaginary fairy gardens aren't intended to be used by fairies, features such as hovels, furnishings, wishing wells, etc. don't need to be functional. For example, doors and windows may be painted on tree trunks. However, real fairy garden dwellings and furnishings, even if made of found objects, should be usable though simple.

Imaginary fairy gardens are created for viewing by people, so they're easier to be enjoyed if elevated like model train sets. Raised beds and container gardens are nice. Real fairy gardens need not be elevated, but may be. People may stand up, stumble upon or get down on their knees or bellies to peer into real fairy gardens. But, fairies are creatures like butterflies and birds, so vantage is not an issue for them.

Plants for imaginary fairy gardens should be chosen to suit the desired scale. All must be relatively small. They need not actually appeal to fairies. Choosing them requires some thought.

Trees and shrubs chosen to scale should be very small ones. Some dwarf shrubs may be trained as cute little trees, much like bonsai. Possible choices include:

• Ardisia - Ardisia crenata.
• Dwarf Arborvitae - Thuja occidentalis 'Caespitosa', Thuja occidentalis 'Danica', Thuja occidentalis 'Little Gem', Thuja occidentalis 'Pendula', Thuja plicata 'Cuprea'.
• Dwarf Azalea - Rhododendron impeditum.
• Dwarf Boxwood - Buxus microphylla var. japonica 'Morris Dwarf', Buxus sempervirens 'Blauer Heinz', Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa'.
• Dwarf Crepe Myrtle - Lagerstroemia x 'World's Fair'.
• Dwarf Dogwood - Cornus canadensis.
• Dwarf Hinoki Cypress - Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana', Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Lutea Nana', Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Baby Blue'.
• Dwarf Japanese Cedar - Cryptomeria japonica 'Knaptonensis', Cryptomeria japonica 'Tansu'.
• Dwarf Juniper - Juniperus squamata 'Blue Starlite', Juniperus horizontalis 'Glauca', Juniperus procumbens 'Nana', Juniperus scopulorum 'Repens', Juniperus taxifolia var Lutchuensis.
• Dwarf Maple - Acer palmatum 'Ara tama', Acer palmatum 'Kandy Kitchen', Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsabusa', Acer palmatum 'Murasaki Kiyohime', Acer palmatum 'Shaina'.
• Dwarf Pine - Pinus contorta 'Spaans Dwarf', Pinus mugo 'Gnom', Pinus mugo 'Valley Cushion', Pinus mugo 'Spring Snow', Pinus parviflora 'Adcocks Dwarf', Pinus sylvestris 'Kluis Pyramid'.
• Dwarf Spruce - Picea abies 'Coolwyn Globe', Picea abies 'Frohberg', Picea abies 'Pygmaea', Picea pungens 'Procumbens'.
• Rose - Rosa 'The Fairy', Rosa 'Noala', Rosa 'Interdust', Rosa 'Euphoria', Rosa 'Gwent'.
• Sand Myrtle - Leiophyllum buxifolium.

There are many ground covers suitable for imaginary fairy gardens. They include:

Lily of the Valley - Convallaria majalis

•  Ardisia - Ardisia japonica.
• CreepingThyme - Thymus citriodorus 'Archer's Gold', Thymus serpyllum 'Elfin', Thymus serpyllum 'Pink Chintz'.
• Daylily – Hemerocallis ‘Little Wart’, Hemerocallis 'Mini Stella', Hemerocallis 'Stella d' Oro', Hemerocallis 'Ruby Stella'.
• Ground moss - Thuidium delicatulum, Hypnum imponens, Leucobryum spp., Scleranthus biflorus.
• Lily Of The Valley - Convallaria majalis.
• Mazus - Mazus reptans.
• Mondo Grass - Ophiopogon japonicus 'Nana'.
• Sedum - Sedum acre var. aurea, Sedum hispanicum var. minus, Sedum makinoi 'Limelight', Sedum makinoi 'Ogon', Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood', Sedum spurium 'Fuldaglut', Sedum spurium 'John Creech', Sedum tetractinum.
• Spike Moss - Selaginella kraussiana, Selaginella moellendorffii, Selaginella tamariscina, Selaginella uncinata.
• Wintergreen - Gaultheria procumbens.
• Yarrow - Achillea millefolia, Achillea x 'Oertel's Rose'.
  

Appropriate flower bulbs include:

Bluebell - Hyacinthoides

• Anemone - Anemone blanda.
• Bluebell - Hyacinthoides spp.
• Crocus - Crocus spp.
• Cyclamen - Cyclamen hederifolium.
• Fairy Lily, Rain Flower, Zephyr Lily - Zephyranthes spp.
• Fritillary - Fritillaria meleagris, Fritillaria michailovskyi.
• GrapeHyacinth - Muscari spp.
• HardyGloxinia - Incarvillea delavayi.
• Iris - I. danfordiae, I. histrioides, I. reticulata, I. cristata.
• Lily - Lilium 'Butter Pixie', Lilium 'Crimson Pixie', Lilium 'Denia Pixie', Lilium 'Orange Pixie'.
• Narcissus - 'Baby Moon', 'Hawera', 'Jenny', 'Jetfire', 'Pipit', 'Tete a Tete', 'Thalia'.
• Shamrock - Oxalis spp.
• Snowdrops - Galanthus spp.
• Snowflake - Leucojum spp.
• Squill - Scilla spp., Pushkinia spp.
• StarFlower - Ipheion uniflorum.
• Star-Of-Bethelem - Ornithogalum spp.
• Summer Hyacinth - Galtonia spp.
• Tritelia - Tritelia laxa.
• TroutLily, Dog-Tooth Violet - Erythronium spp.
• Tulip - Tulipa bakeri 'Lilac Wonder', Tulipa batalinii 'Bright Gem' and 'Red Gem', Tulipa hageri 'Little Beauty', Tulipa linifolia, Tulipa x 'Little Princess'.
• Winter Aconite - Eranthis hyemalis.

You don't have to be so careful choosing plants for a real fairy garden, for real fairies don't care much about landscaping fashion and design to be happy. All they need are rudimentary things, which they can find for themselves. But they can be lured, if you dare, to inhabit places nearby where you can enjoy them or, at least, hope they appreciate your hospitality.

Fairies favor quiet and hidden places, shade, fungi, holes in the ground between tree roots, small still water puddles like seeps or those in the hollows of big magnolia petals and leaves, foxgloves, coral bells, columbine, violets, ferns, lavender, forget-me-nots, rosemary, and nearly whatever appeals to you, too. They don't need freshly washed pillows and sheets.

I feel I should mention the matter of invasive species, human, plant and otherwise.

Imaginary fairy gardens are sure to draw human visitors. They may outstay their welcomes. That's something you'll have to deal with.

Whether plants are invasive depends on whether they stay where you want them. Ground covers do what they do best; they cover ground. Introduced species are often maligned, but native species are not always benign. The choice is yours. Keep them in check.

Real fairy gardens don't take much work for real fairies don't care much. They seldom pay attention to us unless they're annoyed. Fairies, especially of the Seelie Court, may be benevolent, but they can be charming and bothersome like devils.

Puck: Up and down, up and down,

I will lead them up and down:

I am fear'd in field and town:

Goblin, lead them up and down.

- Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

They can cause us to wonder too much, doubt ourselves, mess with our minds, tempt us to believe bad is good. Take care; know they're there. 

If they become invasive, place an iron fence around your yard.

...he made the sign of the cross and bid them begone in God's name, and held his wife as if it was iron his arms were made of. Bedad, in one moment everything was as silent as the grave...

- Andrew Lang, The Lilac Fairy Book, The Fairy Nurse

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and as the vessel of a potter they shall be broken...

                                                                  - Revelation 2:27      

Fairies will not go near iron.

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Behind A Garden Wall: Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum

As stated on the Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum website, "The mission of Ecotat Trust is to preserve and expand the gardens and trails for the enjoyment and use of future generations. The name 'Ecotat' was formed by combining portions of the words 'ecological' and 'habitat' - words describing the 91 acres of land located on Route 2 in Hermon, Maine, at the intersection with Annis Road at the top of Miller Hill." With that information, a Google map and GPS in hand, we found it.

CityProfile describes the Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum as "one of the most beautiful gardens in Maine." That's stretching it a lot. It's a former homestead, a small place maintained by volunteers. More volunteers are apparently needed. The place appears run-down, but there is some charm, somewhat like exploring a great-aunt's back yard out in the country. Lovely perennials mixed with grass and weeds, like irises with dandelions and lamiastrum with poison ivy, and ferns spread beneath trees and around old farm tools.

She would be an imaginative aunt. The landscape features a fairy garden with small plants and statuary. A raised bed presents a miniature landscape with a fairy house made of a tree knot, carved and roofed, with steps to a winding gravel path. The path leads through mosses, miniature spruces and tiny forbs to an itty-bitty gazebo, its roof caved in.

Comfrey, lupines, false solomon's seal, convallaria, tulips and johnny-jump-ups, european ginger, pig-squeak and blood-root seem to grow where ever they want, or where ever they were dropped or planted. As with any old homestead, you'll find bird houses atop leaning poles, arbors and some appealing statuary. Someone even included an allee or two.

A couple of trails wind through ferny woods and skunk cabbage. Somewhere along Tom's Trail, it's plain where Tom stopped working a long time ago, leaving his gloves and buckets of debris to mold. From that point, the trail is not so well-defined. Though we walked on a bit, growing swarms of mosquitoes forced us back.

Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum is definitely a work in progress going on eighteen-plus years. Progress is slow. Blog readers who live in the area might consider contacting Ecotat to volunteer their services. Many of the links on the Ecotat Home Page don't function, but the phone numbers might work.

After taking a few more photos, we strolled through a decrepit apple orchard, the ground littered with fallen apple petals to the car.

Would I recommend you visit Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum? Sure. It's sweet and nostalgic, kind of like stepping back in time to visit your old aunt.

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The Thunder Giant

A frightening hailstorm pummeled Savannah, GA a couple of Sundays ago, beating off azalea flowers and shredding tender foliage. A few friends and I were discussing it later in an undercroft. One wondered at the power of nature as she recited the meteorological explanation of hail accretion, how ever-larger stones can be lifted skyward over and over.

"That seems plausible enough," I said. "But it makes as much sense as the Thunder Giant, and is not so interesting."

They stared at me as though both my eyes had blurred into one in the middle of my forehead. I had to explain.

When I was very young, my Aunt Ann, not 10 years older, used to create masks for me of brown paper bags while she played 78 RPM recordings, fat and scratchy, of fairy tales. Black and multi-colored crayons defined my eyebrows and nose, shaded my cheeks and ears. I was a fearsome sight.

Sometimes, when we were at Grandmother's house, she would take my brother and me for walks, showing us holes in tree trunks where fairies lived, pockets of water between roots where they stopped to bathe and drink, fairy rings in the yard where they counseled, and secret glades where they danced.

She told us about the Thunder Giant when we were huddled together on a bed during a magnificent storm. He stomped, shouted, rolled huge bowling balls down his alley, threw white-hot spears and stones.

Though we were terrified, we always asked for more.

When I asked my friends, none had ever seen the Thunder Giant rage or hailstones accrete. My explanation was as good as theirs, and I think I understand the Thunder Giant better.

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Our Lady's Mantle

Our Lady's Mantle! When I musing stray

In leafy June along the mossy sward,

No flower that blooms more fixes my regard

Than thy green leaf, though simple its array;

For thou to me art as some minstrel's lay,

Depicting manners of the olden time,

When on Inch Cailliach's isle the convent chime

Summoned to Vespers at the close of day.

"Tis pleasant 'mid the never-ending strife

Of this too busy, mammon-loving age,

When Nature's gentler charms so few engage,

To muse at leisure on the quiet life

Of earlier days, when every humble flower

Was known to all, and cherished as a dower.

- James Inglis Cochrane (1863)

Yes, there was a time "when every humble flower was known to all", or and least to many, and cherished as an endowment. (I would have expected it to be during Cochrane's time, but apparently he thought not.) Often plants were prized for their medicinal and symbolic values; Lady's Mantle was among them.

From the time of Dioscurides, physicians believed that plants which resembled in some way a body part, for example, might be useful to treat a related malady. They reasoned that the Creator had so fashioned plants to give some clue to their usefulness. Each useful herb was regarded as a divine gift. This philosophy has been largely rejected in modern times, but it has been shown that many old remedies based upon the doctrine of signatures actually do treat successfully as herbalists expected and demonstrated. Skeptics believe it merely coincidental.

Lady's Mantle was probably so named for the resemblance of its leaves to women's cloaks, flaring and ruffled. Because cloaks covered and protected women, it was no stretch to expect that Lady's Mantle had many applications for women's health. Indeed, it does. The herb is an astringent and styptic, was (and is still) used to tone female reproductive organs, treat prolapse, hemorrhage and excessive menstrual bleeding.

Lady's Mantle is of the genus, Alchemilla (pronounced al-kem-ILL-uh), and it is this name that alludes to other fascinating notions. Alchemilla refers to the herb's use in alchemy.

Alchemilla leaves hold dew drops like tiny diamonds or pearls around the leaf margins, and this gave rise to superstitious beliefs; among them that collected dew was useful in love potions, and when dropped into the eye could enable one to see fairies.

As you might expect, Our Lady's Mantle, glistening with its diamonds and pearls, also came to symbolize the covering of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was this contemplative image that apparently set Cochrane to musing about the convent chime at Vespers on Inch Cailliach's (Cailleach's) isle (aka The Island Of Old Women) and the quiet life.

(By the way, Cailleach was a hag of mythological proportions storied among Irish and Scots, which makes it more interesting that a convent was established on the Isle. Maybe the convent was meant to sanctify the place, or maybe the presence of mysterious nuns birthed the myth. But I'll leave that alone for now.)

There are about 300 species of Alchemilla, but few are widely cultivated. Those that are share generally the same characteristics and cultural requirements.

The plants possess a mounding habit, from 18 inches to 24 inches in height and width. Foliage is herbaceous. Round, lobed leaves arise from a basal woody stem. Small flowers held above the mound are chartreuse and lack petals, but they are produced in such quantity that they are quite charming. Bloom season is late spring to mid-summer.

Alchemilla is perennial and hardy in USDA climate zones 3 through 8. Soil should be humusy, slightly moist and well-drained with pH ranging from 5.6 to 7.5. Plant them in full sun to partial shade, though gardeners in warmest climates should provide afternoon shade. Water regularly.

When conditions are agreeable, Lady's Mantle produces lots of seeds which germinate readily. So you could find yourself with plenty of plants to give away. To avoid re-seeding, dead-head spent flowers.

I recommend Alchemilla for naturalizing in shaded gardens, heritage and heirloom gardens, medicinal herb gardens, and even fairy gardens. Alchemilla is an excellent companion plant for narcissus and tulips.

Alchemilla is not resplendent in her raiment, but is certainly "one of Nature's gentler charms." She may lead you, also, "to muse at leisure on the quiet life of earlier days."

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