Fairy garden

[Bucks2015]

My daughter is having a fairy themed birthday party soon. She loves gardening and I was thinking that we could make fairy gardens as an activity instead of a party bag. The bit I’m struggling with is what plants they could put in. I’d probably need to get shallow plastic/terracotta dishes for them to use otherwise it will get too pricey but I’m concerned that this won’t be suitable for most types of plant. I was thinking about getting some flower seeds, moss, thyme and potentially a strawberry plant.

Can anyone offer any advice?

Moss...you can gather it in damp woodland areas....but don't take it all from one spot...or you'll disturb the natural balance too much. Store it in a plastic container and keep it sprayed with water until you need to use it.

When you prep the terracotta dishes for the kids, just fill them three quarters full with earth and spray it so it stays damp...then when they're making them, show them how to put a piece of moss down on the earth by gently pushing it where they want it and then arranging other things around it.

You can fill it out with things like a pinecone, shells and pebbles, some little fake mushrooms, tiny chairs or benches....dried seed pods, acorns, twigs that look like trees.

I know the idea of a garden full of miniature plants is lovely but they'd be a bit expensive...here in Australia, we use succulents as they grow like weeds. You could see if you can get anything like that?

I'd get turf.

Or a roll of plastic grass from amazon.

Thank you. Moss is a good idea but I think it’s illegal to pick it here from wild so I’ll see if I can buy some.

I’ve found somewhere I can get 12 strawberry plug plants for around £7. Here: www.thompson-morgan.com/p/strawberry-cambridge-favourite-mid-season/cww3182TM

Would these work or would it be too shallow?

Store it in a plastic container and keep it sprayed with water until you need to use it. but don't put a lid on the container, else you run the risk of the moss growing mould.

Soleirolia soleirolii "mind your own business" - small creeping plant, useful to stand in for grass. Carrot tops and parsnip tops can stand in for ferns and palms and grow very quickly.

Can't help.
But what a lovely idea!

Plastic grass 😂 Sorry Ohio but that spectacularly misses the point of a fairy garden....they're meant to be 'real'...as in...live plants growing there.