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We
planted this garden on the Spring Equinox - March 21st - the first
day of Spring. The days will get longer and warmer from this time
on but it is before the leaves on the trees come out and put all the
woodland flowers in too much shade. You could plant this garden anytime
from late Aug - early October or from February to late March. Your
woodland garden will look its best from April - early June.
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1.
Setting up
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Choose the right spot for your woodland fairy garden. This must be
in the shade (or at least not in full sun) but not wet all the time.
Add some old logs* or twigs (collected from your nearest park) that
will gradually rot. This makes a great home for lots of small beasts
for birds to eat and helps makes the plants feel as if they are in
a real wood and may produce some great fairy fungi later on.
If you have trees in your garden -- then plant underneath them. Trees
that create good conditions for wild woodland flowers include Birch,
Alder, Rowan, Hawthorn, Aspen and Crab Apple. In big gardens there
might be Oak, Beech, Ash, Hornbeam, Elm, Wild Cherry or White Willow.
For containers or window boxes
Remember never to use compost with peat in it, as this is taken from
old bogs that are home for lots of small creatures. We think the fairies
would be upset about this - especially the Irish ones. Also make sure
you don't buy wooden boxes made of wood from really old forests. To
be safe use wood with the FSC stamp on it - or use something else
like clay or an old recycled plastic pot. |
2.
Build a Fairy House
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Why not make a house for visiting fairies? We have made ours from
small sticks before we added the plants and then covered it with ivy.
Make your house as big or little as you like- you could use all sorts
of materials from egg boxes to old pots. |
3.
Add
your plants
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Dig
holes big enough for each plant and give them enough space as they
will all get bigger. It is a good idea to put taller plants at the
back so that they don't hide the little ones.
In
our garden we have planted:
Foxglove (Fairy's Glove or Fairy Bells) -very tall (1m+) with
long pink/ purple bell like flowers in May/ June
Herb Robert - medium height (50cm) with lots of small dark
pink flowers (May) and pretty leaves
Tutsan - medium shrub (1m) with yellow flowers in June
Red Campion - medium height (50cm) with small dark pink flowers
in May
Ferns - (medium size 30cm +) - Common Polypody, Lambs Tongue
and Ladder fern
Ramsons (Wild Garlic) - small (20cm) with ball shaped white
flowers that smell of garlic in May Wood
Anenome - small (15cm) with pretty white flowers (May) and
delicate green leaves
Bluebell - small (15cm) with fantastic purple/ blue bell-like
flowers on stalks - no woodland would be complete without them- flowers
in May
Lesser Periwinkle- small (10cm) and spreading with dramatic
mauve flowers in early Spring
Snowdrops- small (10cm) with lovely bell shaped white flowers
- often the first flowers you see in January
Common Violet- small (5cm) and spreading with lovely purple
flowers in early Spring
Primrose - small (5cm) with lovely scented pale yellow flowers
in early Spring
Sweet Woodruff - small (5cm) with tiny sweet smelling white
flowers
Other plants that we didn't have space for but would do just as well
include:
Lords and Ladies (Arum)- small dramatic plant with cream flowers
and bright orange berries
Greater Celandine- small with pretty yellow flowers in early
Spring
Wood Cranesbill- medium with lovely purple flowers in May-
June
White Deadnettle- small with white flowers from May onwards
Yellow Archangel - small with yellow flowers from May onwards
Red Deadnettle - small with red flowers from May onwards
Wild daffodil - small yellow trumpet shaped flowers in early
Spring
Solomons Seal - medium with arching stems of small white flowers
and very elegant leaves
Lily of the Valley - small with fantastic smelling small white
flowers in early Spring
Wild Strawberry - small with tiny white flowers in June and
later on tiny strawberries- great food for wildlife
Hedge Woundwort - tall with small dark red / purple flower
spikes
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4.Water
Well
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It
is very important to water your new plants very well as soon as they
have been planted as this gives them a really good start in their
new home. Make sure your woodland garden is kept damp (but not wet)
at all times especially if you are growing this in a container or
pot. Check at least once a week and more often in very hot weather.
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5.
Add your decorations
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We have made lots of glittery wands on sticks and added some old bits
of jewellery. We also put some pretty round pebbles in our fairy house
for them to sit on and a shell for a bed. Add whatever you like to
yours. Try using recycled materials wherever you can as it is free
and saves wasting materials you might otherwise throw away. |
6.
Keep looking out for those fairies!
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We will post up photos of our garden throughout the year so keep
checking this site to see how it is growing.
Good luck with your garden and if you can send us a picture of what
you create we will put it up on the site. Like wise if you have
any questions about your own gardens please contact us.
Send pictures or questions via email to fairygardens@fairylandtrust.org
or post them to Fairyland Trust PO Box 14, Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23
1WB.
* You may be able to get logs from friend's gardens, your local
Wildlife Trust, Tree Surgeon, Council, Forestry Commission or Country
Park.
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