Fairy gardens are a great way to add light and magic to your garden. You can either start with the fairies or the plants for fairy gardens. This article will go through some of the best plants for fairy gardens, and why some of them are perfect to create this magical world! You’ll find a comprehensive list of the best fairy garden plants including both succulents and other types of plants to add wonder to your garden and to create a small wonderland!
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Succulents
Succulents are great plants to have in a fairy garden for a few reasons. They come in many shapes, colors, and textures. Some flower as well, like jade plants (you can read about some other flowering succulents here). They also require minimal watering, and most remain fairly small, so they don’t overwhelm the other plants in your fairy garden. Succulents are also great for fairy gardens because they typically don’t have very large roots, so you can plant them in very shallow or different-shaped containers.
String of Buttons
Also known as crassula perforata, this succulent looks like it is made of buttons piled one on top of the other. These climb high into the sky, making them perfect for a small “button forest” in your fairy garden. These can grow really tall in a garden, so they will require occasional trimming unless you want them to tower over all of the other plants. When trimming, either put the tops in a new section of your fairy garden to grow, or give them to someone as a succulent gift (just plant them in the dirt 1-2 “buttons” down)!
Crassula Springtime
This stunning plant has petals that look like mini scoops. It also bursts into vibrant colors in the springtime and summer, with clusters of pink flowers. If this succulent is in an outdoor fairy garden, you’ll get bees and butterflies visiting this fairy garden when the flowers are in bloom.
Echeveria Doris Taylor
This little cactus sits in a pretty rose shape. In the spring, it will shoot up a tall flower stalk that blooms in brilliant orange hues. This magical transformation will add life and whimsy to your favorite container garden. (You can read more about this beautiful succulent in flowering succulents!)
Ruby Necklace
This little succulent is fantastic for cascading down the side of your container or steps. Place it next to a fairy house and these purple and red beany leaves will pop out beautiful little yellow flowers all year long. This could be perfect for flowing over one pot into the next for a larger potted fairy garden as well, hiding some of the pot behind this beautiful succulent.
String of Pearls
This succulent is another beautiful cascading succulent, that produces green leaves in the shape of pearls that hang along a central stem. The plant blooms from the middle to end of the summer. Surprisingly, the white flowers produce an aroma similar to cinnamon. This succulent can either be placed to the side to hang over the pot, or placed to act as a green waterfall in the middle of your fairy garden. This is a favorite of the fairy garden plants. Looking to have this separately? Read more about the string of pearls in hanging succulents.
Other Plants
You definitely don’t have to only use succulents as fairy garden plants. There are so many plants that go perfectly in fairy gardens. Here are some of the best non-succulents to add to your fairy garden.
Coleus
This versatile plant comes in a variety of colors, from light green and pink to a deep, dark red. For a spooky theme, the Black Dragon species is a dark bumpy leaf plant. This coleus variety will only grow a foot in each direction. The leaves are bubbly and rough similar to lava, providing a wonderful textural addition to your fairy container.
Mini Oakleaf Creeping Fig
For shady or moist areas, this plant will thrive well. Let this little beauty vine over miniature tree stumps to provide splendid cover for hidden treasures. Hide miniature frogs, butterflies, or gems under the branches of this foliage to add an additional element to your magical fairy garden.
Asparagus Ferns
The asparagus ferns are incredible plants for your fairy garden, acting as miniature trees. The bright yellow-green leaves are vibrant and fun when you mix them with dark red stalks and other dark plants. These ferns prefer indoor conditions, so only use them for indoor fairy gardens! Be careful when handling or watering to not to touch the leaves, as they will start to drop like needles.
Dwarf Arrowhead Plant
The miniature arrowhead plant is a wonderful leafy plant that you can tuck a fairy or gnome under. This is a higher maintenance plant to add to your fairy garden. The Spruce says this variety likes tropical conditions with temperatures at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and higher (so keep this plant to an indoor fairy garden if you don’t live somewhere it gets below 60!). It also needs regular moisture. You can have this plant growing in many fairy garden areas by taking cuttings of the dwarf arrowhead and starting them in water.
Golden Creeping Speedwell
As a vining plant, this variety will work well for covering larger areas of the pot, like between structures. Adding it in the front of rocks will soften the look and tone down the design of this fairy garden. This plant is great for containers in dry conditions once you get it going. This plant is very small, and will only grow to three inches tall.
Fuchsia Begonia
This tiny plant may confuse some because it looks like a fuchsia plant, but it’s really a miniature begonia. The incredible deep red stems and the earthy green leaves add variety and texture to a delicate garden design. These plants like to sunbathe in the mornings and avoid the heat of the day.
Elfin Thyme
No fairy garden is complete without a plant with tiny leaves. The Elfin thyme leaves are so small, they provide fantastic cover in these little gardens. The plant will vine out over rocks, stone walkways, the sides of bridges, and the bottoms of benches. In spring, the foliage will burst out in tiny dark pink blossoms. This thyme grows well in outside containers.
There are so many great fairy garden plant options, these are just a few. Some of the best characteristics of fairy garden plants include: being small, having small leaves/flowers, and being vibrant colors. A fairy garden is a place for small creatures to live, so try to keep all of the plants small sized to make the magic flow!
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