Mother's Day Fairies

A belated Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Ever since I became a mom last year, Mother's Day is obviously a special day for me. This year was the first year I got a handmade gift from my daughter:

Too cute. The reading says "Mommy, I have a certain way of growing bigger each and every day. But my little hands and my special smile will stay in your heart a long, long while." Sounds cliche, but it really did bring a tear to my eye. 

When it comes to buying gifts for Mother's Day, it's a tough one - what do you get for the person that has literally given you life? Flowers are always a hit for Mother's Day, but I didn't want to spend money on cut flowers that would die a few days later.

A few weeks ago, Angie Mennen from Pathways to Perennials came on In the Know to talk about Spring Gardening. In one of her segments, she showed us how to make a fairy garden. Perfect. I was hooked. Fairy gardens are a new, trendy way of incorporating miniature plants and novelty items into your own garden. It's a nice DIY for moms and their daughters and something you can make a tradition out of. You can add fairies to your existing garden, or create a Fairy Garden planter, which is what I did.

I decided to make a fairy garden for my mom and mother-in-law, for my grandmother, and then I wanted one for myself, of course!

Using a planter I bought at HomeSense, I added an iron fairy from Pathways and 5 different perennials including periwinkle, stonecrop, a scotch moss, a verigated vine-type plant and another flowering miniature. I added some adorable little stones and faux crystals and voila! Adorable, isn't it?

At the end of the season, since these are all perennial plants, they can be transferred to the moms' larger gardens and we can build a new one together.

Needless to say, the moms loved them. I made them each a bit different, but there are so many ways to customize your own garden with different plants, blooms and accessories.

Next, I made one for my grandmother. Hers is a bit smaller, and instead of a fairy, I used a cherub. 

Lastly, here's my fairy garden. I bought a pedestal-type planter and a few accessories for my fairy (you know, in case she gets tired). She has a toadstool and a park bench, a little froggie friend and four plants of her own.  

I think I will definitely start this fairy garden tradition with Isabelle. Next year, we'll plant another set and eventually move the entire garden to the large garden and watch the plants and fairies grow! 

Mother's Day has now come and gone, but it's not too late to get your fairy garden started. Why not incorporate this spring DIY to your garden? What plants would you include?