a brief history of the origins of fairy gardens

Doorway of my fairy cottage. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2019.

So, fairy gardens…Where did this charming gardening trend come from? 

I asked myself this very question as I worked on my annual spring gardening and faux floral projects. For the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with fairy houses and fairy gardens—both for indoor and outdoor use—but until now, it never occurred to me to consider the origins and the meaning behind the miniature garden trend. So I did a little digging (no pun intended), and here’s what I learned…

Image by Darwin Carozza from Adobe Stock.

Late 19th century garden trends

The seeds for the fairy garden idea—at least here in the US—seem to have started sometime in the late 1800s as an offshoot of the Japanese garden tradition of bonsai and miniature trees. The Victorians were fascinated with Japanese art, gardens, and culture and began using Japanese-influenced miniature trees in their garden landscapes. These were not yet what we would consider fairy gardens, but the notion of plants in miniature seems to have fascinated people from that time forward.

Image by josefklopacka from Adobe Stock.

A new garden idea in the mid-20th century

Fast forward to the mid-1900s, and a British nursery owner named Anne Ashberry and the fairy garden as we know it today start to take shape. Anne Ashberry’s idea was to create small gardens that could be easily looked after by people who lived in small spaces or by individuals with physical impairments. If you’ve never heard of Ms. Ashberry, read her inspirational story here. She became well known for her miniature gardens and window boxes with tiny landscaped worlds full of carefully researched flowers and soils. I don’t think they were considered fairy gardens just yet. These carefully manicured small-scale versions of our world—filled with miniature houses and formal gardens—were simply magical and sought after by the British royal family.

Image by photosforyou on Pixabay.

Folkloric influences

The current-day fairy theme has cultural ties to Germanic and Celtic (Irish) folklore. The underlying mythical belief is that fairies live in our gardens, and these fairies can either be mischievous or bring good luck, depending on how well they are respected and treated. According to popular belief, if you want to appeal to the fairies in your garden and get into their good graces, you must create an enticing world filled with flowers, comfortable places to live and shelter, and sparkly things. If you do this, fairies will move in, and your garden will thrive. There is also a tradition of placing fairy doors and tiny houses in the woods near trees. This attracts good fairies to the area and creates a sense of magic and wonders for the lucky person who happens to be passing by.

Image by jonnysek from Adobe Stock.

Image by joeycheung from Adobe Stock.

Miniature vs fairy

We should take a moment to understand the difference between “miniature” and “fairy” gardens. The terms “miniature garden” and “fairy garden” tend to be used interchangeably, and I guess there’s a logic to that, but I believe there is a distinct difference. Fairy gardens—to my way of thinking—are specifically about creating spaces for fairies and have their roots in folklore. Miniature gardens CAN be fairy gardens, but often they are just like model train landscaping—a mirror reflection of our world in miniature, which—in truth—can be just as enchanting!

My outdoor fairy garden featuring my handcrafted Fairy Cottage. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

Outdoor fairy garden with bridge featuring my handcrafted Fairy Cottage. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

Fairy gardens today

Today, miniature gardens (and fairy gardens) are often used to give children a place to stretch their imagination, but adults seem to be equally enthralled with them. (Take a look on Facebook if you don’t believe me!) It’s a fun hobby that some people take to incredible levels, creating miniature worlds full of minute details that capture your attention and make you smile. Creating an outdoor fairy garden is a fun way to “play” in the garden. It’s also a way to have a compact garden in small areas. (Remember Anne Ashberry?). You could even use faux plants for all-year use and less maintenance. I have been experimenting with indoor fairy gardens and faux florals to bring the outdoors inside. (I know...According to folklore, you are not supposed to invite fairies inside, but rules are meant to be broken, right?!) The most important thing when dealing with fairy gardens is creativity and imagination. Everything else is just confetti!

I am developing some ideas for new handcrafted wooden fairy houses for indoor fairy gardens. For more on this exciting new project, check out my new page on Di’s Studio Design website… 
https://disstudiodesigns.com/fairy-houses.html

Plants in my outdoor fairy garden. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

Faux roses in an indoor fairy garden with a handcrafted English Cottage. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021.

​Related blogs you may want to read:
My spring 2022 indoor fairy gardens
Spring makeover for my indoor fairy gardens
My outdoor fairy garden
My fairy house project

This article may contain a few items or commercial mentions, but I only used them for demonstration purposes only. I am not endorsing any particular product or receiving any monetary gain for this blog.