I hate our back yard. It's full of weeds, rocks and chunks of cement and there's a significant incline. I'm overwhelmed by weeds. I really want a fairy garden vibe. I have no idea where to start!
Depends on what you actually want. Do you have money to throw at the problem? How much time and work are you willing to spend?
Fun_Organization_654
Start with the basics and stay consistent if you don’t want to hire someone. Get a rake, wheel barrel, weed whacker, and sprinklers. Pile the larger rocks to create paths or to make a little wall. Make garden beds around the deck and in front of the shed. Extend them around existing plants. Goes without saying but just have fun experimenting and watch garden tour videos or better yet, go visit gardens and take inspiration.
msmaynards
You want to break up the area into rooms and have limited sight lines through the space. I was interested to note that a room doesn’t necessarily need to be surrounded by a head high wall. If the plants are as tall as the ‘room’ furnishings you don’t know there’s anything there. So I head for the destination of the 4.5′ tall quail hutch and get to pass the birdbath and along the way I find a chair to sit in to listen and watch what’s going on in the garden even though plants are only 2-4′ tall.
Figure out a couple of nice places to sit, make paths to them and plant 3′-?’ tall plants to break up the area. Place arches in especially important transitions and if there’s any dip make a bridge. Every single plant is special and offers something wonderful at some point of the year. You can use tall annual plants to fill in as the permanent stuff grows. Use the tallest of sunflowers, bean teepees and corn and/or? as you wait.
Save the junk to use as path edging and raw material for all the follies you can think up. I’ve got upside down chunks of broken concrete serving as path edging and I built a couple of pedestals for bird bath and sundial with more chunks. I should make a toad cave with some as well. Folks make ‘dead hedges’ when they have lots of sticks and brush and a need to delineate some area. I’ve got aged bamboo stakes ‘too good to throw away’ I probably ought to turn into such. Artistic people solder, weld and bolt rusty stuff into whatever they come up with but you could build with any junk and just paint it. My gnome houses are weathered bits of stakes ‘too good to throw away’ and hardware going to waste in the garage. I even used a hatchet to split shingles from those stakes for a roof. Using debris like this adds character so long as the plants are showing up so it doesn’t look like piles of junk. I like that birdbath pedestal more once plants grew up around it.
This isn’t easy, take your time. I’d start by moving the junk out of the way and laying down sheet mulch of sheets of cardboard covered by chipdrop arborist chips to temporarily stymie the weeds and tidy up the place. Plan where the big plants and paths belong. Widen the path where there’s some view, best shade/sun to make a room. You might follow the contours but a short set of steps to cut the switchback[s] would be nice too. Now use the junk to edge the paths and sitting areas and place any arches/bridges/? Plant the biggest permanent plants first, probably large shrubs or small trees and work to small treasures as you find them.
As for actual fairies? Still working on my gnome village’s landscape. You’ve got the big tree that could be a fairy village if you add doors and such. If you live where fireflies show up then build a habitat for them by leaving brush and dead leaves on the ground as the larvae are predators of ground dwelling bugs.
Festering_Inequality
There is some great advice on this thread. I’d also add to hunt around at flea markets and whatever garage sale and markets to find odd trinkets, old garden items and ornaments. Sometimes you can find some lovely items that just need a polish or paint job and will add charm to your fairy garden. Aim for lots of colour and grab some paint to spruce up trellises, old pots and fences. If you are good with polymer clay, you can make some cute fairy items. Stepping stones make the area super fun and ground covers look adorable around the pavers, softening edges.
Wind chimes, sun catchers, bird feeders, bird houses, fairy lights…
Pollinator plants are great as long as your kids (If you have them) are safe around the bees. I’d also add ground covers that supress weeds such as creeping thymes and creeping phlox, creeping Jenny (looks great spilling out of pots too), creeping mazus and ajuga. Also, stonecrop sedum (it may spread around though), Erigeron karvinskianus, catmint and Coreopsis. Some rock garden plants might be ideal for your setting, too. Aubrieta, Dianthus, Blue Fescue grass, Ice plant… more colour throughout the seasons.
Some climbers on trellises or arches are also charming, such as clematis, passion flower, sweet peas.
Along the fence, Butterfly Bush is pretty. Don‘t forget some evergreens for winter colour.
Just check to make sure nothing is invasive in your area and if you have pets that munch on plants, check the plants for that, too. Have fun!
4 Comments
Depends on what you actually want. Do you have money to throw at the problem? How much time and work are you willing to spend?
Start with the basics and stay consistent if you don’t want to hire someone. Get a rake, wheel barrel, weed whacker, and sprinklers. Pile the larger rocks to create paths or to make a little wall. Make garden beds around the deck and in front of the shed. Extend them around existing plants. Goes without saying but just have fun experimenting and watch garden tour videos or better yet, go visit gardens and take inspiration.
You want to break up the area into rooms and have limited sight lines through the space. I was interested to note that a room doesn’t necessarily need to be surrounded by a head high wall. If the plants are as tall as the ‘room’ furnishings you don’t know there’s anything there. So I head for the destination of the 4.5′ tall quail hutch and get to pass the birdbath and along the way I find a chair to sit in to listen and watch what’s going on in the garden even though plants are only 2-4′ tall.
Figure out a couple of nice places to sit, make paths to them and plant 3′-?’ tall plants to break up the area. Place arches in especially important transitions and if there’s any dip make a bridge. Every single plant is special and offers something wonderful at some point of the year. You can use tall annual plants to fill in as the permanent stuff grows. Use the tallest of sunflowers, bean teepees and corn and/or? as you wait.
Save the junk to use as path edging and raw material for all the follies you can think up. I’ve got upside down chunks of broken concrete serving as path edging and I built a couple of pedestals for bird bath and sundial with more chunks. I should make a toad cave with some as well. Folks make ‘dead hedges’ when they have lots of sticks and brush and a need to delineate some area. I’ve got aged bamboo stakes ‘too good to throw away’ I probably ought to turn into such. Artistic people solder, weld and bolt rusty stuff into whatever they come up with but you could build with any junk and just paint it. My gnome houses are weathered bits of stakes ‘too good to throw away’ and hardware going to waste in the garage. I even used a hatchet to split shingles from those stakes for a roof. Using debris like this adds character so long as the plants are showing up so it doesn’t look like piles of junk. I like that birdbath pedestal more once plants grew up around it.
This isn’t easy, take your time. I’d start by moving the junk out of the way and laying down sheet mulch of sheets of cardboard covered by chipdrop arborist chips to temporarily stymie the weeds and tidy up the place. Plan where the big plants and paths belong. Widen the path where there’s some view, best shade/sun to make a room. You might follow the contours but a short set of steps to cut the switchback[s] would be nice too. Now use the junk to edge the paths and sitting areas and place any arches/bridges/? Plant the biggest permanent plants first, probably large shrubs or small trees and work to small treasures as you find them.
As for actual fairies? Still working on my gnome village’s landscape. You’ve got the big tree that could be a fairy village if you add doors and such. If you live where fireflies show up then build a habitat for them by leaving brush and dead leaves on the ground as the larvae are predators of ground dwelling bugs.
There is some great advice on this thread. I’d also add to hunt around at flea markets and whatever garage sale and markets to find odd trinkets, old garden items and ornaments. Sometimes you can find some lovely items that just need a polish or paint job and will add charm to your fairy garden. Aim for lots of colour and grab some paint to spruce up trellises, old pots and fences. If you are good with polymer clay, you can make some cute fairy items. Stepping stones make the area super fun and ground covers look adorable around the pavers, softening edges.
Wind chimes, sun catchers, bird feeders, bird houses, fairy lights…
Pollinator plants are great as long as your kids (If you have them) are safe around the bees. I’d also add ground covers that supress weeds such as creeping thymes and creeping phlox, creeping Jenny (looks great spilling out of pots too), creeping mazus and ajuga. Also, stonecrop sedum (it may spread around though), Erigeron karvinskianus, catmint and Coreopsis. Some rock garden plants might be ideal for your setting, too. Aubrieta, Dianthus, Blue Fescue grass, Ice plant… more colour throughout the seasons.
Some climbers on trellises or arches are also charming, such as clematis, passion flower, sweet peas.
Along the fence, Butterfly Bush is pretty. Don‘t forget some evergreens for winter colour.
Just check to make sure nothing is invasive in your area and if you have pets that munch on plants, check the plants for that, too. Have fun!