Fairy Garden Move In Season

Over the past couple of weeks I have added some daily joy to my life by setting up my fairy garden.  Now the move-in is complete.

These little houses and small details bring me such satisfaction.

For Christmas, I got a new apple house occupied by rabbits.  

So far they are of the sort that don’t eat my garden.  I am charmed by the tiny details, like the teeter-totter and the apple bench.

In the evening, the solar lights on some of the houses glow in the darkness of the backyard and remind me to be grateful for the small daily blessings that make life just a little sweeter.

December 1: Fairy Garden

Earlier this morning, a sleety rain was falling when I walked out back to make a picture of the empty fairy garden patch.  In the hour since then, the sleet has turned to tiny flakes of snow. and ice  The damp cold will be with us for the next few days, along with a Winter storm that sent JT back up north back a day early so as to beat the snow that will also arrive in his corner of New England.

Winter is here.

The fairies packed up a month ago so they’ve no fear of the cold, resting on the warm shelves of the basement.  The days are growing rapidly shorter now and the tree branches in the backyard are bare for the coming season.

We’ll probably rake up a few more bags of leaves before Winter settles in for good.  We’ll fill the bird feeder in earnest now, aware that our fellow creatures are in need of nourishment.  The Winter season is that way for me, filled with days that call for an extra blanket and a warm mug of tea, a reminder to slow down and nourish my soul with good books, garden catalogs, twinkling lights in the fade of the day, and time for rest.

November 1: Fairy Garden

Last weekend, the fairies packed up for the season.  They head south for the Winter, though in their case it’s the milder weather of the basement where they can rest safely during the cold season.   Leaves will fill this patch until they are raked up and the colder weather and snow eventually arrive.  Over the Winter, I’ll do some prep work in the fairy town and likely talk my way into some new fairy accessories, as is my way.

The bird feeder is filled to keep the birds happy in the coming cold weather.  Truth is that the squirrels will also have a try at scoring a treat but we’ve laid in plenty of bird seed, so there is enough for everyone.  Each season of the year has something to offer and this patch of the garden always reminds me of the wisdom of Mother Nature’s plan.

October 1 Fairy Garden

For 2019, I tried a new method for weed control in the Fairy Garden strip along the fence.  It seems pretty clear that it has not been a success as the weeds are in charge.

Part of this garden strip has always been shady and hidden and while I enjoy the secret in the shade, I think it’s fair to say that I like my shade in the form of ivy, hostas and the peach tree, not the weeds.  

October is always the point when the fairies tuck away for the cold, and in the next week I will clean off the houses and store them away for the season.  Come next Spring, I’ll have a better weed-control system in place so that I can once again enjoy the fairy garden.  I’ll daydream and plan all Winter for this transition.  I’ll likely add a few more things for the fairy residents to enjoy.  This planning will keep me happy in the Winter cold and that’s happy.

September 1: Fairy Garden

The weeds along the line of the fairy garden fence never lost their access to abundant rain this summer and they’ve rather taken over.  There’s green everywhere in the yard; enough that it’s hard to believe Fall and September are at hand.

And yet, here we are.  There’ve been enough cool mornings to get the dogwood tree to think of the coming season.

The same is true for the peach tree.

Though the hostas don’t look bedraggled by the heat as they usually appear in August, they do look a bit tired.

Summer flew by and I can’t quite believe that Fall is at hand.  I’m never ready to say goodbye to flip flops; this year is no exception.  But tomorrow is Labor Day and Tuesday is the first day of school and just like that, I’m wearing shoes again and we’re off and running.  By this time next month, the fairies and I will be planning for their slumber season.  I’ve already stacked up some garden bulb catalogs to enjoy as a treat this back-to-school week and as September closes out, I will have ordered some bulbs for next Spring.  At least a few will be planted in this fairy patch.  Gardening always rewards advance planning and I like that.  

I especially love the seasons as they are changing and nothing is more lovely than the cooler mornings that signal Fall on the horizon.  The fairies and I are ready for the change.

August 1: Fairy Garden

Keeping up with the weeds has been a bit of challenge in the fairy garden in this past month but even with the abundance of Virginia creeper, this patch of the garden always charms me.

The peach crop was harvested by the squirrels (I didn’t get even one) and the clematis is past its prime, but things remain green and lovely in both the sunlight and the shade.  

I love this yard in all times of the year, but especially the summer.  August’s arrival has me facing the hard fact that summer won’t last forever.  In a few months, the fairies will pack up for the cold weather.  But while they are here, they will make me smile.

July 1: Fairy Garden

The current dry air not withstanding, the last few weeks have brought on the warm and increasingly humid weather that fireflies enjoy.  Come the early evening hours, the fairy garden twinkles with fireflies.  I don’t have the photography skills or equipment to capture what it looks like but it’s magical, all the more so because the firefly season is fleeting.  A fairy garden is a perfect accompaniment for the flashes of light and I enjoy sitting on the back deck to watch my garden light up.

Things are pretty garden in the sunlight as well.

The peach tree branches are full of fruit and though the squirrels are enjoying a healthy share, I’m hopeful there will also be peaches for us to eat.  I’m already planning some homemade peach ice cream.

The arrival of July feels like summer is flying by, a development that is worrying because I have yet to reach my fill of relaxation.  For now, I’m reminding myself to live in the moment and enjoy the relaxed days.

June 1: Fairy Garden

The fairies have settled in for the Summer. There is both shade and sunshine  to be found in this corner.  This little garden can be seen from the stairwell landing window when I comes downstairs each morning.  In the early light of sunrise, it feels magical.

At twilight, some of the houses have solar lights that twinkle on and this is equally as thrilling to me.

There is something about this little patch of imagination that quite thrills me.  As the season unfolds, the peaches will ripen and clematis flowers will bloom.   I’m looking forward to enjoying every bit of it.

Fairy Garden

Last week, I set up the fairy garden for the warm weather season.  There’s a patch of garden along the fence and under the peach tree that is a perfect spot for my collection of houses and fairy things ——  there's a pennant, a garden shed, a chicken coop, a wheelbarrow, a grill, and more.  I may have a problem.

The clematis is getting ready to bloom.

This imaginary land and its many clever details brings me such happiness.  There will be points this summer when I will pull out a chair and sit in the shade to read and admire this miniature collection.

That’s happy!

May 1 Fairy Garden

The month of April brought blooms and green all over the back yard and the fairy garden is no exception.  The peach tree has young green leaves and the clematis is preparing to bloom.

This weekend, I will freshen the mulch and pick out the weeds.  Later this month, the fairy cottages will return to this happy patch of my garden.

April 1 Fairy Garden

During my Spring Break, I set out the mulch that will cover the fairy garden in the 2019 season.  I will add a bit more mulch before the fairies move in for the year but the shape of my fairy garden is already taking shape.

There are tulips that will bloom in this patch.

Though it's hard to see, the clematis is beginning to come to life.

The peach tree is also getting ready for some loveliness.

This month will see blooms and flowers and leaves and to my mind the most splendid of the seasonal displays that happen in my pretty corner of Mother Nature’s world.  That’s happy!

March 1: Fairy Garden

The weather may still be cold but the arrival of March is a most exciting development in this gardener’s imagination.  By the end of the month, there will be signs of Spring blooms everywhere and no matter what, Spring is always thrilling to behold.  At the moment, of course, there isn’t much to behold.

By the end of this month, I will have set out the mulch and the iron fence that marks off my Fairy Garden; the houses will follow in April.  In the meantime, March is an expectant month and I will keep watch for even the smallest sign of Spring.

That’s happy!

February 1: Fairy Garden

I’d like to write that I stood outside this morning and carefully made a picture of the fairy garden spot while it continues its Winter rest.  But it was 7 degrees at dawn today and while that is admittedly warmer than yesterday’s 2 degrees at sunrise, I wasn’t feeling brave enough to snap the perfect photo.  We’re at the point of Winter where I pile on a scarf, hat, and thick mittens before I brave the outdoors.   So I snapped a quick pic from the back deck and then quickly scampered back inside the warm house.

The fairies are plenty glad to be in warmer climes as we enter Winter’s last full month.  It will be a while before this patch of the garden will warm up enough to receive them.  In the meantime, the bird feeder has been a pleasing addition, as much for the amusement of watching the squirrels attempt to dine there as for the birds (especially the neighborhood cardinals) who sometimes show up.  The days are steadily getting longer; sunlight is forecast for today; the weekend promises a temperature just over freezing.  I’ll take it!

January 1: Fairy Garden

Each year, I pick a spot in the garden that I will make a picture of and write about on the first of the month.  So much of the reason that I love my home is because of the yard and the garden, which provide me with beauty and imagination throughout the year.  These posts help remind me to observe the passage of time and appreciate all the seasons of my garden.  

The first of the month posts in 2019 will be the section of the yard reserved for my Fairy Garden.  Right now, things are quiet in this patch alongside the back fence next to the quiet peach tree.

The mulch is messy with leaves; the climbing clematis at the center of the spot is at rest.  I store the cottages away for the Winter and will set them up again when Spring begins to take hold.  Come late Spring, all of the Summer, and some of the Fall, the fairy houses will be a spot of magic along the fence.  For now, while the cottages and fairies are at rest, the plot has a bird feeder at one end and a bird house at the other.

It is the quiet season for the garden.  But in my mind’s eye I can see the season to come.  While the cold has its days, I will also rest.  But with my rest comes the planning for the coming season.  Soon enough, the fairies will return.

Fairy Garden

Last weekend, I began the process of setting up my fairy garden for the season.  I started by weeding the patch and then spreading mulch and tidying the area.

This project brings me happiness and pleasure well in excess of what I expected, as I construct the tiny world that will live along the fence for the summer.  There are tulips still to bloom.  As the season unfolds, the clematis vine and peach tree will provide shade.  

I’ve been gifted an assortment of fairy cottages and accessories, including a chicken coup, a rabbit warren, a garden shed, and a mill.  My fairies have a picnic table and a barbecue.  Life is good in the fairy universe.

Every day this week, I’ve taken the time to step outside and admire this enchanting world .  It’s an on-going treat that makes me smile.  

That’s happy!