Image by Noupload from Pixabay

Chicago weather seems to finally think it’s just possible that it could be spring. Yes. We’re late to the game. But we usually are.

During the Stay-at-Home orders, a lot of us are finding different things we can do to keep creatively busy while still getting some fresh air and not exposing ourselves or our neighbors to potential infection. Yesterday, I started the process of my own personal project: building a fairy garden.

What is a Fairy Garden?

A fairy garden can really be any gathering spot where fairies may just want to gather. They include flowers, lush greenery, trees, bushes, lovely ground cover, and fairy houses, of course.

Why Grow One?

My personal inspiration for this fairy garden is two-fold. Last year, when we still lived in the city, I came across a neighbor’s amazing fairy garden just after moving into our new neighborhood. There were fairy houses, gorgeous flowers, stunning greenery, flourishing vegetable plants, and these beautiful, sparkling decoration items that simply made my heart sing.

I knew this was something I would emulate one day.

A few days ago, while researching for a client, I came across more inspiration. I found D.I.Y. instructions for making fairy houses of recycled objects like milk jugs, glass jars, pop bottles, and other objects that normally I would recycle or toss.

This sparked the memory of that solitary oasis in the middle of a noisy, unfamiliar neighborhood.

This had to be my project.

Now What?

So, yesterday I started gathering supplies. I saved some plastic bottles bound for the recycling bin. I visited Dollar Tree for some initial supplies. I looked through Freecycle posts for possible options. I dug through my storage bin to find gardening supplies and the hummingbird feeder I’d been meaning to put out for weeks.

The majority of my supplies, minus the upcoming fairy houses themselves.

Today, I finished preparations by finding more supplies around the house, finding inexpensive flowering plants, strawberry plants, and vegetable plants at WalMart and rounding out my assortment of planters with a last visit to Dollar Tree.

All the new plants, each under $3.00, save for the Foxglove (the tall one).

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see more posts on exactly how I’m putting together this miniature oasis on my balcony in the suburbs, from creation to the fairy houses to the magical mossy chandelier and more.