One of the hottest trends this year, and one that is fun for kids, is the creation of a ‘Fairy Garden’. What are they and why are they so popular? I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Chris Cerveny and Gardeniere, Gina Iliopoulos who are participating in The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and they answered these questions and more.
1) Dr. Chris, where did Fairy Gardens come from, and what are they?
Fairy Gardens have been around for a long time, but they really are an expression of creativity. The idea is we’re going to build a garden that attracts fairies. It’s a garden you might see in your backyard, but it’s miniature. And so, really what you need to get started is a nice container with drain holes in the bottom and a high quality potting mix like Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix. It helps your plants get off to a good start. But then you just need some creativity, and I like to involve the kids.
2) Dr. Chris, I see you have a few displayed. How do you create your own?
Get some kids involved and use their imagination and creativity to help you design this Fairy Garden. Use the plants as figurines, and get some little trinkets. I like to look in the recycle bin for bottle caps or old containers – something a fairy might hide behind. Fairies like to live in secret. Try some little herbs, they smell good. Part of the fun of this is doing it over and over again. You don’t want to make it and just be done. I have one of these on my desk at work, and I change the plants out all the time. Whatever mood I’m in, I change it. I even change it for the seasons.
3) Gina, is this something we can create on a larger scale, say in our backyards?
Your little ones will have their Fairy Garden on their scale, and then you can have your Fairy Garden people-sized. There are so many similar items (benches, arbors, pergolas, stones of different colors and styles, boulders, lights, different plants) that you can use. Anything that inspires you can be used to create a wonderland of your own.
4) Gina, anyone visiting the Orlando area can get lots of ideas there at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. How long is that going on?
The 20th Annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is actually one of the longest running flower and garden festivals, running for 75 days until May 19th in Lake Buena Vista. We are offering inspiring talks and displays, themed gardens and topiaries that are lit for evening viewing, seminars, learning how to make Fairy Gardens with kids, and a Flower Power Concert Series.
5) Dr. Chris, where can viewers go to get additional information?
For more information you want to go check out the Miracle-Gro Facebook page and see The Grow Project. There is a lot of inspiration there. You can find some creative things. You can figure out how to make your own Fairy Garden and then post the results there and show everyone what you’ve done. You can also visit EpcotInBloom.com for more information on the festival, or you can go to Gardeniers.com where we have all of these wonderful projects that have been inspired by the festival here, including the Fairy Gardens for kids.