Magical miniature conifers

Speaking of fairies, have you ever thought about planting a garden specifically for them? I really hadn’t given it a thought before, but many people have. Fairy Gardens have become increasingly popular over the past few years. Since they are often filled with dwarf and miniature conifers, I certainly do understand the appeal!

I have given thought to a different type of miniature fantasy garden. You may recall my interest in creating a Railway Garden. After seeing the huge display in the Chicago Botanic Gardens are few years ago, I think I became overwhelmed with the amount of work a quality railway garden would entail. I may be more suited to inviting the fairies to come to my garden.

Kids love to discover new things in the garden. Why not create a garden specifically to attract the magical beings of an active imagination?

I’ve done a little research on the internet and have discovered quite a number of miniature accessories to include in a fairy garden. From little houses to fences, walkways, benches – just about anything you might think the fairies might enjoy in their own special garden. For me though, the most important factor would be the choice of miniature conifers to ornament their space.

From what I have seen, a fairy garden may be just about any size – from a small container garden to a larger trough or box to a small section of the landscape. The important thing is to include plants that the little people are drawn to. (And who wouldn’t be drawn to dwarf and miniature conifers?)

I’ve put together a list of little conifers that you are sure to find in small containers that are perfectly scaled to a fairy garden. Depending on their rate of growth in your climate, some may require a little pruning to encourage them to remain in the proper scale, but that is half the fun of a whimsical garden like this. (I’ll even include a couple non-conifers on this list.)

Abies balsamea ‘Piccolo’
Abies koreana ‘Cis’
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Gemstone’
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Gnome’
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Butter Ball’
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Golden Pin Cushion’
Cotoneaster microphyllus ‘Cooperi’
Ilex crenata ‘Dwarf Pagoda’
Juniperus communis ‘Miniature’
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Blue Pygmy’
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’
Picea abies ‘Jessy’
Picea abies ‘Thumbelina’
Picea glauca ‘Elf’
Picea glauca ‘Hobbit’
Picea glauca ‘Jean’s Dilly’
Picea glauca ‘Pixie’
Picea glauca ‘Pixie Dust’
Pinus mugo ‘Michelle’
Pinus mugo ‘Short Needle’
Tsuga canadensis ‘Cole’s Prostrate’
Tsuga canadensis ‘Jervis’
Tsuga canadensis ‘Moon Frost’

Come to think of it, my entire garden may be a giant-sized fairy garden! That might explain the behavior of my young friend as described last time.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Gnomes and fairies: clap your hands if you believe

I believe that there is a very fine line between a vivid imagination and reality. As we get older, that fine line broadens until we get to a certain stage in life when it seems to dissolve away completely.

For example, the conifer kids came by for a visit the other day. They are a very nice young couple with a six-year-old son. You may remember that I mentioned this little fella in a post a while back – he wondered where the gnomes lived in my garden. They have visited a few times since that initial visit and every time they are here, their little boy wanders off on his own in the garden. One time we found him laying down on his stomach, knees bent and feet bobbing about in the air, talking with my miniature Picea glauca ‘Elf’. When I asked if he was talking to my plants he laughed, called me silly, and said that plants don’t talk. Then he jumped up and ran off as if he were chasing a butterfly. His parents and I exchanged glances and continued our conversation. Kids have vivid imaginations, right?

With a name like, Picea glauca ‘Elf’, it’s no wonder some folks have vivid imaginations while visiting the conifer garden.

Several years ago my wife and I traveled 45 miles south to where my grandmother had lived most of her life – well, most of mine anyway. She was nearly 100 years old at the time and we had almost convinced her that it was time to sell her home and move into a very nice place that could provide her the additional care she needed. We were sitting out on her back patio, in the shade of her giant oak tree one summer’s afternoon. I knew that convincing her that moving away from her home and garden would be very difficult. We had been gently hinting at this for several years and she was a very strong-willed and independent woman. After listening to some of the wonderful stories of her past, we were sitting quietly and her attention seemed to be focused on something in the direction of the old Tsuga canadensis ‘Jervis’I had planted as a birthday gift for her many years ago.

She nodded her head and then turned to me and said, “I’ll go anywhere you think is best so long as my friends can come too.”

Thinking that she was referring to some of her favorite plants, I told her that they were too large to dig but we could plant some new containers for her to keep on the small deck of her new place.

She looked at me as if I was crazy and said, “Not the plants, silly, the fairies.”

My wife and I looked at each other, smiled and told her that of course they would be welcome to go with her.

My conifer garden has always seemed to attract all kinds of small critters. We share this home with quite an assortment of  birds, squirrels, assorted insects, the neighbor’s cat and… well… I’ll leave that to your imagination.

Ed-
Conifer Lover