Create a whimsical fairy garden in a container using pollinator-friendly plants like pansies, sweet alyssums, Irish moss, woolly thyme, and a mini terracotta saucer to use as a small bee and butterfly bath.
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I am all about adding whimsy to my home this year. I started with our kitchen adding botanical wallpaper to the back of shelves, new plants, playful decor - both thrifted and new - and even some floral liner in the fridge. But as the weather warms up, I find myself heading outdoors more. So I wanted to enchant our yard with whimsical touches as well.
The garden is one of the best places to add whimsical charm. And one of the easiest ways to do this is by creating a fairy garden. But I didn’t want to throw a fairy garden together with just any miniature plants. I wanted to create a fairy garden that not only added a magical touch to our yard, but was also beneficial for the pollinators.
So I headed to the local greenhouse to shop for flowers. It’s that time of year when early spring blooms are adding color to every corner of the garden center, while warm weather varieties are just beginning to make their first appearance. I was able to choose a mix that will thrive in spring and continue growing into summer, providing food and nectar for pollinators throughout the season.
Flowers to Grow in Your Fairy Garden
I wanted to plant flowers that stayed relatively small in a pot. But the main factor was choosing plants that were beneficial to pollinators.
- Irish moss: Irish moss is a soft ground cover with tiny white flowers that bloom up from its lush green carpet. It's easy to split, which is what I did to plant it in my fairy garden.
- Woolly thyme: Woolly thyme is another low growing plant that produces tiny fuzzy leaves and flowers that attract pollinators.
- Creeping thyme: Creeping thyme is similar to woolly thyme, but has smoother leaves. It's also a ground cover with flowers that attract pollinators.
- Frizzle Sizzle pansies: These are gorgeous spring flowers with ruffled petals in a variety of colors. While there's limited nectar in these flowers, their frilly petals add some extra whimsy to the fairy garden.
- Sweet alyssums: Sweet alyssums are one of my favorite flowers to add as an accent to flower pots. Their tiny clusters of flowers smell like honey and attract beneficial pollinators. Plus, they look pretty sweet in a fairy garden.
- Violas: Violas are related to pansies with smaller flowers and also provide early spring nectar for pollinators. They do tend to spread, so you might find them close by in other areas of the yard.
- Candytuft: Dwarf varieties of candytuft are perfect for fairy gardens. The plant produces clusters of flowers that are fragrant and attract pollinators.
No matter what flowers you choose for your fairy garden, it's best to plant dwarf or smaller varieties with a slower growth habit. Especially if you're planting your fairy garden in a flower pot.
Pollinator-Friendly Fairy Garden
As far as the decorations for my fairy garden, I was able to grab a bunch from Dollar Tree. You can also find other decorative accents for your fairy garden at Michaels and on Amazon. Also, some garden centers have sections specifically for fairy garden plants. Check your local greenhouse for these mini flowering plants.
Once you gather your supplies, fill your flower pot with potting soil. If desired, mix in some earthworm castings. Before planting, I definitely suggest positioning your plants as well as your terracotta saucer and fairy garden decorations.
When you're pleased with how your fairy garden looks, start adding your plants. I planted the woolly thyme first towards the front of my planter since it'll trail out of the planter. Then, I divided the Irish moss and planted that.
Next, I added the pansies and sweet alyssums towards the back of the planter.
Once those were in, I also placed the fairy garden decorations in the planter.
I added rocks to the bee bath (this gives pollinators a safe place to land) and filled it with water. At the same time, I watered the rest of the garden.
SUPPLIES
- 12-14" flower pot
- Potting soil
- Optional: earthworm castings
- 4" terracotta saucer
- Small river rocks
- Fairy garden decorations
- Small pollinator-friendly flowers and plants
STEPS
- Add potting soil to a flower pot. If desired, mix earthworm castings into the potting soil.
- Position the fairy garden decorations and plants where you like them. Then, plant the flowers and other plants in place and add your fairy garden decorations.
- Add smaller rocks to the terracotta saucer to create a small bee and butterfly bath. Pour water into the saucer and water the plants as well. Then, enjoy your enchanting little fairy garden!
I'm so pleased with how my fairy garden turned out! It's nice to know that I'll be helping the pollinators with nectar sources as well as a safe place to drink water. Plus, having flowers that will bloom in succession means they'll have an ongoing source of food from spring throughout the summer season.
Did you make this Pollinator-Friendly Fairy Garden project? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
