Fairy garden festival celebrates the tiny
Miniature gardening continues to gain in popularity all across the country. Maybe it's our chance to play like children again; maybe it's our opportunity to introduce children or grandchildren to gardening; maybe it's our way to garden in very small spaces; or maybe it's a combination of all three.
There is no right or wrong way to create a miniature garden. It can be a grand world in a large expanse of an existing landscape, or it can be a small pot with just enough room for a minuscule path leading to a tiny bench among petite blossoms. All you need to get started is your imagination.
Containers
Start by choosing the pot for your miniature garden. Select a container that matches the style of your garden. Terra cotta bowls, moss-covered pots and wooden boxes are good choices for gardens with a natural theme. Brightly colored containers are a good fit for whimsical gardens, and a garden with a contemporary style would be perfectly displayed in something sleek. Regardless of style, make sure your container has drainage holes.
A spot in the garden
When you are creating your miniature garden directly in the ground, look for a spot in your landscape with good backdrops for tiny houses, furniture and other miniatures. I chose a rock garden for my fairy garden. Small evergreen shrubs and ornamental grasses are also good choices.
Plants
Choose dwarf or slow-growing plants for your miniature garden. Herbs like oregano and thyme can form a carpet on the floor of a sunny garden. Rosemary or chives can be trimmed to form walls. Dwarf conifers are the ideal size for trees in miniature gardens. Creeping wire vine can crawl up trellises or arbors.
There are many perennials and annuals with tiny flowers perfectly scaled for the miniature garden. Consider sea thrift (Armeria maritima), bellflowers (Campanula carpatica), succulents, twinspur (Diascia), Linaria and alyssum if you need plants that love sunshine.
If you are planting in shade, Scottish or Irish moss can cover the floor. Shade-loving Coleus can be pruned into small trees. Train variegated ivies on arbors and trellises. Check out miniature hostas, lily of the valley, polka dot plants (Hypoestes phyllostachya), impatiens and fuchsias.
Accessories
Now you are ready to choose the miniature accessories. Decide on the biggest elements, like cottages, first. Then choose garden structures: trellises, arbors, patios, ponds and pathways.
Next, select furniture. Will you display chairs and benches made of vines or brightly painted metal lawn chairs? Finally, choose items just for fun. Barbecue grills, mailboxes, welcome signs, bicycles and miniature animals are just a few of the items available for your small-scaled world.
Fairies and gnomes
Will your miniature garden be inhabited by fairies, gnomes or trolls? Or will these characters be in the imagination of those who look upon it?
If you want to learn more about miniature gardens, visit the Fairy Garden Festival at The Planter's Palette. It begins on Saturday, June 21, and concludes on Sunday, June 29. The nine-day festival features themed gardens including a fairy carnival, a fairy ring, a fairy herb garden, and lots more. You can also register for a variety of classes and special events celebrating miniature gardening. More information can be found on The Planter's Palette website at www.planterspalette.com or by calling (630) 293-1040 ext. 2.
Fairy Garden Festival
Saturday, June 21
10:30 a.m.-11 a.m. Face Painting
11-11:30 a.m. Fairy Parade; come dressed in fairy finery.
Sunday, June 22
2 p.m.-3 p.m. Fairy Garden Tea Party for Moms/Daughters
Monday, June 23
2-3 p.m. Beginning Hypertufa Trough Make & Take Workshop
Tuesday, June 24
2-3 p.m. Summer Fairy Garden Make & Take Workshop
Wednesday, June 25
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Self-Directed Mini Garden Crafts for Kids
Thursday, June 26
2-2:30 p.m. Butterfly Container Garden Make & Take Workshop
Friday, June 27
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Self-Directed Mini Garden Crafts for Kids
Saturday, June 28
10 a.m.-11 a.m. Summer Fairy Garden Make & Take Workshop
Sunday, June 29
2-3 p.m. Advanced Hypertufa Make & Take Workshop
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040, ext. 2, or visit planterspalette.com.