Signs And Designs In The Fairy Garden

Where fairies once flew around bright blossoms, they now wander among the branches of evergreens and play in fields full of groundcover plants. Plants for fall and winter tend to be a little less colorful (though there are plenty of bright options for winter flowering plants!), so I have been working on some fairy garden elements that will add both color and direction to the garden. It is time to design some signs for the fairy garden!

Welcome

One of my favorite things about fairy gardens is the opportunity to use one’s imagination. When visitors of any age stop by the miniature garden, they can dream up all kinds of stories about the friends who live in the fairy cottages, play in the pond, cross the bridges, and sit underneath the miniature trees. Tiny fairy garden signs hep add another layer of detail and blur the line between realism and magic. When you see an arrow pointing toward the Troll Bridge or the Unicorn Meadow, you can paint a picture in your mind of the adventures that are had in the garden.

If you are just dipping your toe into the world of fairy garden signs, you may want to start with a simple garden sign painted with one of the following phrases:

• Welcome
• Fairies Welcome
• Welcome to the Fairy Garden
• Fairies Live Here
• Fairy Crossing
• Fairies Are Always Welcome

These signs not only let fairies and other wee folk know that the garden is a safe and happy place to play, but it signals to human visitors that this is an extraordinary, magical place. The signs need not be fancy or expensive. I have used small bits of wood, pieces of painted acrylic, and decorative stones as starting points for DIY signs.

Plant your first sign near the “entrance” to the garden, near a bridge, gate, door, or pathway. After that, you can start to add fun and functional direction signs that point the way to particular points of interest. Your signs might point visitors to the:

• Unicorn Stables
• Gnome Village
• Veggie Patch
• “Over Here” and “Over There”
• Enchanted Forest
• Ladybug Crossing
• Pixies at Play

Whether you design DIY signs for your fairy garden or choose some from your favorite local or online garden shop, the options are endless! Signs are a quick and easy way to make your winter container garden much more welcoming to fairies and humans alike.

Quotes & Phrases

Another fun way to add personality to your miniature garden is to design signs that display quotes and phrases. Do you have a favorite inspirational, quirky, or silly quote or phrase? For my winter container garden, I am considering some colorful garden signs that will stand out among all of the winter plants, fairy houses, and landscaping materials. These are a few that made my shortlist:

• Follow your dreams—they know the way.
• We believe in fairies
• Sounds of the wind and sounds of the sea make me happy just to be
• May all your weeds be wildflowers
• Dreams in flight
• Seasonal Fun

Here’s one last bonus idea:  It brings me joy to incorporate the holidays into the winter container garden, starting with twinkling lights and evergreen winter container plants. As the holidays inch closer, I like to plant a “Santa Stop Here” sign in my winter container garden. In October, I prefer signs that read “Happy Haunting” or “Happy Harvest.” Tucked between snowy shrubs and other winter plants, these signs never fail to make me smile.

What signs will you be “planting” under your winter plants during this upcoming season? We would love to see what you come up with, from store-bought signs to DIY creations. You can take this blog post as a “sign” to get started. Have fun!

Miniature Gardening offers a variety of accessories, fairies, miniature houses, garden tools and furniture to create enchanting miniature landscapes. Miniature trees from 'Miniature Gardening' are an exclusive collection of plants for mini gardens or fairy gardens. If you are looking for mini garden accessories visit www.miniature-gardening.com.