What is a Faerie Garden?

The Fae

The Fae have a reputation for being sneaky and tricky. Like the Djinn, if you aren’t careful with your words when dealing with Fae, you’ll find yourself dealing with more than you bargained for. The veil between our world and the Fae world is thin at Beltane, allowing them to visit. If you want to show faeries, the most well-known of the Fae, that they are welcome without risking a debt you can’t pay, making a Faerie Garden is a great Beltane activity. A welcoming area just for them also keeps them from wandering about your home causing mischief and pocketing shiny things.

What is a Faerie Garden? What Do They Do?

Increasingly popular even with those that don’t practice Witchcraft, Faerie Gardens are small scenes designed to attract faeries (though they might attract other members of the Fae Folk, faeries are the goal and who most often arrive). Though mostly kept in outdoor areas for safety, if you are brave, you can create a miniature Faerie Garden in a pot and keep it inside (they may see this as an invitation into your home at large though, so be wary!). With plants and decorations chosen for how much faeries like them, Faerie Gardens are in and of themselves an offering to the faeries. A sign they are welcome and respected. Kids also love Faerie Gardens, so getting yours (if you have them) involved in the planning and assembly of your Faerie Garden is a great family activity.

These spaces provide a “home away from home” for the Fae when they come to our world for a visit. A place to rest, to gather, to celebrate, to have fun. Faeries are more likely to visit if you’ve created a space just for them.

The Fae in Wicca

You might be wondering, if the Fae are so mischievous and full of tricks, why would I invite them near me in the first place? First, they may be mischievous, but they are mostly benevolent. Most Fae don’t intend harm and aren’t evil. Second, as a Witch, you are more open to their energies and magick than others. Welcoming the Fae and offering them a section of your garden gives you the chance to work their magick into your spellwork and rituals. While still tricky and sly, faeries are more well-tempered than other Fae, so inviting them into your garden has more chance of going well than with other Fae Folk.

If you don’t have a previous relationship with faeries, building a Faerie Garden is a wonderful way to make an introduction and begin a bond. Getting the blessings of faeries will strengthen your magickal practice. You might notice spells working a little better or that you have a good mood that just can’t be shaken. You might notice small good fortunes happening more frequently. This would all come from getting the Faeries’ blessings.

There are many myths and legends about the Fae, and faeries in particular, in Witchcraft. There are sects of Wiccans whose practice revolves more around Fae Folk than it does deities. Once you have a bond with faeries, working objects they’ve blessed into nature spells or rituals that call upon the North or the land will strengthen their power.

Build a Faerie Garden

Now that you know what a Faerie Garden is and are ready to make one, how do you get started? Luckily, it is pretty easy. There’s no set of rules or standards for this. You can follow your whims and heart’s desires to build a garden that reflects who you are as a person and Witch.

The growing popularity of Faerie Gardens means there are kits available to help you construct yours. But you can do it piece by piece if you prefer!

First, choose a location. Will the garden be inside or outside? If inside, choose a place the faeries can easily access from outside but where they also can’t cause too much mischief. You might want to put some protective stones a little bit away from the garden to create a barrier from them entering your home further. If outside, you may want to choose a covered porch or under a large tree – somewhere your accessories won’t get too damaged by sun, wind, rain, and other elements.

Next, choose how big a space your Faerie Garden will fill. You can make one in a single pot, several pots, or skip pots and use a dedicated part of your yard to make a little village of sorts. If skipping pots and creating your garden using a natural area, choose wisely, as it will be difficult to relocate without angering the faeries you attract. Potted gardens are a little easier to move because they are self-contained.

Choose your accessories next. There are so many fun ways to create a space for Faeries! Doors you can add to tree trunks, colorful stones and rocks, and shiny baubles are great starting points. Miniatures, such as houses, benches, fountains, bridges, etc. are all perfect components for a Faerie Garden. You want items that are sized for them and you want it to feel like a little home.

The last pieces you need to gather before assembling are the plants. No Faerie Garden is complete without living plant life. The Fae love plants, so you want to choose some that will attract them. Succulents are a great choice because they are easy to care for and shouldn’t overtake the areas you’ve decorated for the faeries. If you want to include flowers, bluebell, vervain, and foxglove are not only beautiful, they are sure to attract and please faeries. Faeries care about nature, so flowers like honeysuckle that attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies are also great choices. If you are making an indoor Faerie Garden, thyme is a good choice because Faeries love it, but it will also protect you from their mischief. Another great choice for an indoor garden is the delicate and gorgeous orchid.

Once you’ve chosen your components, build your garden and wait for the faeries to arrive!