Fairy garden

This is not a paper crafting project for a change. I did make many of the elements in this project but used a different medium. I have 3 grandchildren and I wanted to make something interesting for them in the garden. What better than a fairy garden?

 I had started working on it,  in pottery classes, about 18 months ago. I made two fairy houses, some toadstools and a table and stools.  That's as far as I got.

I already have a few broken garden pots that I  used up as a form of decoration/ animal home. It looked  as if the pots were half buried.   I have had a robin nest inside one in the past but it hasn't been used in the last few years. That part of the garden has been taken over by ivy and the pot was almost invisible and I had almost forgotten about it.
Someone posted a photo, of a fairy garden, on a friend's Facebook timeline and that reminded me of the items I already had to make one and it spurred me on to get this finished before the grandchildren become too old to enjoy it.

Yesterday, I went shopping with my daughter and bought a few items like mini windmills, clear gems, metal flower and mini solar powered lights etc. They were very cheap because it was a shop where most things costs a pound. I think I spent £5. I also bought a tray of begonias and two alpine plants from a local nursery then picked out a couple of small plants already in my garden e.g thyme.

I came home and immediately set to work........... I rescued the broken flower pots and  pieces and placed it in the bottom corner of my decking, below some steps.  Its in a sheltered by sunny spot. I filled it with compost placing the pieces in a way that retained the soil. I positioned the pottery pieces and kept rearranging them until I was happy with the layout. I then planted the begonias and alpine plants and then added everything else.The windmills give some movement in the breeze whilst the mini solar lights change colour and add interest in the dark.

 I will have to add more plants as and when I find suitable perennial ones to replace the begonias when they die off in the autumn. I am waiting for a mini picket fence and some butterflies, that I ordered online, to arrive but I'll only add them if they look ok.

I am pleased to have finally finished the garden at this stage. It'll be interesting to see how the plants develop and change the look of the garden.

My last job will be to tidy up the surrounding grass or place a slab under the pot to make it look presentable.
I hope the grandchildren will like it!