My Little Fairy Garden- An Oasis of Peace

Today I will write about my little fairy garden. In these times of Covid 19, it isn’t easy to travel. We have many recreational parks in the Netherlands where you could rent a small house, and relax your mind. I love to do that, and I need it very often because my present job is quite demanding.

I just came home from doing my groceries and observed many shops are closed. Poor owners, I thought. There are the supermarkets where people go in and out, wearing a facial mask, but are not really on distance. Why close other shops and making their life a disaster? We could do social distancing everywhere—my opinion.

The cashier made me putting my coins on the table instead of taking them out of my hand, finally picking them from the table, not wearing any gloves. That all is so ridiculous. No common sense anymore. My heart goes with all business people who don’t have a chance of surviving financially because of bad politics.

Now, this is actually not what I have intended to write about. But it made me think of how we could still have quality time while having a lockdown due to Covid 19. And I thought to make our life beautiful and still be outside, we can redesign our garden.

It is winter now in my country, but the winters are not very cold any more. I have many plants that are actually not growing in this climate, but they survive every year. I wrap them in materials to stay protected from snow and ice if we get colder weather.
My garden is lovely in the summertime, and I do everything to make it an oasis for birds, bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and other insects and animals. It is a small garden with three relatively big trees.

My little fairy garden in winter

Even in the winter, my garden is still lovely, but I think it is a pity we don’t have snow. Many plants are under the ground, and I see my bare walls that are not covered. Some plants are evergreen, and the walls are partly covered in the corners of my little fairy garden. Some plants are wrapped in cloth, and they look like they sleep. But I know they have already formed buds, which will begin to develop in spring. But now they rest.

Last autumn, I changed the garden by observing the sun for the whole year and repotted my plants. It is important to know what the plants need. Otherwise, they will not flower beautifully in spring and summer.

I still have some plants I need to replant to other places because they flower in autumn, and I have discovered that they stood too dark last year. So I am going to change this.

Because the winter is not that strong, I will already set some plant tubers into the ground. I can always cover them if it gets cold. Many tubers are already planted in September and October, so I am really joyful, expecting what they will look like in Spring. I believe they will be gorgeous, covering the whole garden in beautiful colors.

Everything I am doing in my little fairy garden must be natural. So it is normal for me to leave all leaves in the garden to protect my plants from cold days. Later in Spring, they will naturally compost my garden.

But I also have two corners where I compost my organic waste. So in this manner, I have always a great compost for the ground. Winter is the time to decide where I need to adjust the plants’ place to flower beautifully in spring and summer. Most plants will be cut in March. I leave the plant stem for the insects so that they can seek the protection of the winter.

Wild bees are now in the ground or the insect hotels. Doing very much for the bees and bumblebees is very important for me. When they wake up in spring, I hear them flying busily around. It gives me a kind of peace. We have wild honey bees in our house wall, already living there for about two years. Of course, I leave them there. They are not bothering us.

There are trees and plants where the bees find enough food; maybe the reason why we have all kinds of bees in our garden.

In winter, I fix several birdhouses to the walls where I feed my little friends. It is so lovely to see them coming and eating. I love the robin, such a cute little bird. But there are many different birds to be seen in the garden, so even we can’t travel now, we can watch the birds and my sleeping little fairy garden. 🙂

In winter, there is also much to do and to see in the garden. Very enjoyable.

What else can we do in our garden?

I still have some solar lamps in the garden that need urgently taken out,  cleaned, and new batteries replaced.

It is January, and soon we will get more sunlight again. So it is nice to see the lights as little spots throughout my garden. It is a  wonderful and mysterious picture in the darkness. I love it!

I will buy new ones in spring so we will have more lights shining when it gets dark. Lovely feeling! Do you have lamps in your garden? The whole scenery changes just by setting up some solar lamps in your garden, making it cozier.

The bird’s water bowls need cleaning because the birds still bathe and drink out of the birdbath. Keeping them clean is essential for our little friends.

I have a small pond, and the birds are drinking from this water too, but avoiding bathes in it. Maybe the pond is too deep. It is lovely seeing the birds being busy like they are playing all day.

My next plan is to purchase a big white stone for arranging behind the Azalea.  I saw this on a website about zen gardens, and it looked so calming and beautiful. My azalea has red flowers, and that makes a great contrast to the white stone.

The mild winter is a good time for designing your garden because it is nearly empty, and you can better see what you would like to change or include.

When we have more light in March, we can work on our plan and redesign the garden by building a pond, setting up a wall or a standing fountain, spreading solar lamps, and buying more plants.

There is so much to do to make it a little paradise. I need new garden furniture and have already in my mind how to arrange them nicely. Spring will be great!

How to Create a Little Fairy Garden for Animals?

That is really very important for me to have a garden where my little animals feel safe. They are not safe because cats are walking around, and big birds like crows catch the smaller ones. We can’t do anything about that.

But I love to create a  paradise in my garden by setting some bumblebees’ houses between the bushes, a house for a hedgehog, and birds so that I can watch all the life in my garden. That is really very satisfying, especially in these times where you can’t leave your house while kept in lockdown.

There is always something to do. I bundle bamboo stems together and fix them to the wall, building houses for wild bees.

I never use pesticides or herbicides to fight bugs. If my roses have caterpillars eating the buds and leaves, I don’t mind because they will be gone after a while, and the roses will grow and flower even stronger.  So there is no need to attack caterpillars. Their population needs to increase.

Why do we kill all the insects? They are so much needed?

We had a little hedgehog all the years, and when you observe this cute animal, you will be amazed. A hedgehog has its corners in the garden where it sleeps, and one day we could watch it waking up, yawning, and stretching its muscles. Lovely to see this beautiful little animal. If the insects are intoxicated, the birds and other animals like hedgehogs will die too. And maybe your cat or dog.

Benefits of having a fairy garden

If you have a house with a garden or an apartment with a balcony, why not making it a paradise for the animals and you? When you come home from your work, it is a lovely place to distress and to relax.

Especially in these times, where no cafe or restaurant is open, you might love to sit in your own place, to enjoy a cup of tea or a glass of wine, recharging your battery.

If you have a wall fountain, you could close your eyes and listen to the flowing water. I love when everything is overgrown by flowering plants and completely covered in gorgeous colors.

Having nice and comfortable furniture, sitting back, and starting to recharge and recover from your day. Some beautiful solar lamps create a mystical light in the darkness, making your home the most beautiful place in the world.

Maybe you like the idea of having designed a paradise for you and your little friends.

Final Thought

A friend of mine once said: ” Wow, this is Alice in Wonderland!” They were invited and actually we had planned to have a glass of wine somewhere in a restaurant, but the moment she went through my garden port, she was so impressed by this little fairy garden that we decided to stay. It was a beautiful warm summer evening, and enjoying a lovely time together with our husbands in the garden, we missed nothing, not a restaurant or anything else.

I felt so proud of my garden, a piece of art I have created, and my friends loved to enjoy it. I was so happy for my friends enjoying the peace and the beauty of my little fairy garden.

I would love to hear how you live? Do you have a garden or balcony where you feel you have created a peaceful place? What do you think?

All the best,

Sylvia