The Not So Fun Side of Fairy Gardens

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Last Updated: December 18, 2019

The Not So Fun Side of Fairy Gardens

After the fairies pack up in the fall and leave, no one takes care of the grounds! So in the spring there is always a major clean up. Fairy Parks and Recreations (me) come in and clear all weeds and debris then Fairy Vdot (me again) makes needed repairs to all the pathways. The ponds get freshened up in preparation for the fairies springtime return also.

Winter takes it’s tole on the grounds and then the weeds start coming in early spring. Once they start, it’s never ending weed battle for the season. As much as I love my fairy gardens, there is a not so fun side to them!

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Weeds and Ground Cover

It’s a long process to get the fairy grounds in order. Weeds are perennial problem. Ground cover that has jumped the bed border has to be removed leaving holes in the moss that has to be replaced. All the while on your hands and knees doing this tedious work. You must be careful where you step as to not mess anything up in the tiny community. It is no doubt a pains taking process!

Clean the Pond

The pond has weeds in it not to mention stuff my dear grandson threw in there, bless his heart! As you will notice, the pond was drained and filled in with dirt then covered with aquarium rocks with flat, blue marbles that actually sparkle in the sun to make it look like real water. This is much easier that real water and all the nasty stuff that went with it. Nuff said about that! Now I gently pulled the weeds and removed the flat marbles so that a new, thin layer of aquarium rock can be placed on the pond. Any grungy flat marbles are cleaned and then all returned to the pond leaving it nice and fresh for the new fairy season. Those little buggers better appreciate all that is done for their return!

They even get a boat!

Pests Invade the Fairy Garden

Putting this ground cover was a mistake in the first place. It’s aggressive and has gone places I really didn’t want like the stream bed! Now small worms have infested it and eaten it to pieces! Since it needed to go anyway, Parks and Rec went ahead and removed it.

A new layer of moss takes it’s place in hopes to kill any that might think about returning. Although I need to go get a little more moss, it’s going to be a constant battle to kill the ground cover. Three weeks later, weeds are back in the creek bed and all over the grounds again!

Not One, but Two Fairy Gardens in the Yard

This one has been terribly over run with the ground cover. It all has to go and of course replanted somewhere it is welcome. The deer ate the bush to the left of the garden to a nub, so I took advantage of being able to see the whole thing, I whacked it back. In addition, this gives the fairies room to expand if they want. Good thing because they picked up a few new things over the winter!

After lots of work everything is nice and clean. All the goodies are placed back on the grounds for the little guys. Looks good, right?

Those pesky weeds are relentless for sure. All the buildings, yard toys and fairies were place and it looked so nice….fast forward 3 weeks. The bush over the main house enveloped the grounds and weeds galore. Here is The Not So Fun Side of Fairy Gardens.

Worth the Effort

So as the time for the fairies to return approaches, the grounds are clean and ready. Poof! (No way!) they are back and settled. Actually, the tub came out from under the bed and I unpacked it. I separated the accessories to like things, benches, signs, bridges etc and began placing the items. Finally the fun part! The wagon garden needed to be made up also. I kept a pile of things for it and places what I didn’t use back out in the other fairy gardens.

My Four Fairy Gardens

The wagon turned out so cute! So did all the other ones. The planter garden was my first and it changes a little each year. Harry stuck the clam shell in there and put the watering pail in it. I came along with some snail shells I found and placed them in there also. These things are fun for everyone! Little adjustments here and there and they are just Fine and dandy for the fairies!

Endless weeding. Ground cover control. Animals upsetting the grounds. All these things are the not so fun side of fairy gardens. I love them so I will continue maintaining them. Just be warned, as lovely as they can be, those fairy gardens are a pain to maintain!

Do you have have a fairy garden? I’d love to see them! Do you have any tips about how you maintain your gardens? Please share in the comments below.

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