A Little Magic in the Garden

A display from one of the garden stores I visited.

It seems that the idea of creating a Fairy Garden is popular again this year, and no surprise since there is something about those itsy bitsy little worlds that catch the imagination even if you don't believe in fairies, per se. (Shhhh, don't let Tinkerbell hear that!)

Latest trend in gardening goes miniature was an article I came across that reports on some ways to make and use Fairy Gardens that are installed in containers, "They make good centerpieces for tables and are good garden decorations".

At first I thought a fairy garden would be something ideal for a project with children, and I still believe that, but like other miniatures, dollhouses, for example, some of us "girls" never quite grow up. We still like making and (secretly playing) with these enchanting,tiny gardens. Really, they are so much fun with the little furnishings, imaginative dwellings and the possibilities of creating your own homemade accessories out of acorn cups, bits of moss and twigs.

Of course, some people are too busy for all that.

But if you have a bit of time here and there, some imagination, and the desire to putter around in a miniature world, the Fairy garden might just provide the perfect little environment.

I wrote some pages on making these gardens, as well. You do want to visit them, don't you?

• How to Make a Fairy Garden 
• Fairy Garden Inspirations 
• Fairy Garden Accessories

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2011 written for Ilona's Garden Journal. An excellent blog.

A Robert Frost Sort of Evening

Looking for a Sunset Bird in Winter
by Robert Frost

The west was getting out of gold,
The breath of air had died of cold,
When shoeing home across the white,
I thought I saw a bird alight.
In summer when I passed the place
I had to stop and lift my face;
A bird with an angelic gift
Was singing in it sweet and swift.
No bird was singing in it now.
A single leaf was on a bough,
And that was all there was to see
In going twice around the tree.
From my advantage on a hill
I judged that such a crystal chill
Was only adding frost to snow
As gilt to gold that wouldn't show.
A brush had left a crooked stroke
Of what was either cloud or smoke
From north to south across the blue;
A piercing little star was through.
~~~~~~~~~//~~~~~~~~~~

 Goodbye and Keep Cold
 
THIS saying good-by on the edge of the dark
And cold to an orchard so young in the bark
Reminds me of all that can happen to harm
An orchard away at the end of the farm
All winter, cut off by a hill from the house.
I don’t want it girdled by rabbit and mouse,
I don’t want it dreamily nibbled for browse
By deer, and I don’t want it budded by grouse.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2011 written for Ilona's Garden Journal. An excellent blog.

Plotting out the Year

After doing some inspired thinking on why resolutions fail, I gathered the family members together for a beginning of 2012 planning session. Just a brainstorm and planning session which situated the family vacation times well out of the early garden season. I am so glad.

This year I believe I will succeed in the garden in a way that has eluded me for the past several years.

It is not that I haven't gardened, or even that it wasn't high on the priority list, because not only do I continue to love the garden, it truly is one of my most satisfying and overall beneficial activities. But when many family members moved many states away, it required that I contribute far more time traveling. This year, more of those plans are in months where absence from the garden won't be as critical.

One thing about gardening, as with raising children, is that you have to physically be there.
I plan to be here for the important early season this year.... now, just to get those all important plans going.

I will try to be successful with the food garden. Tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, sunflowers (for the birds), swiss chard, parsley, are all on the agenda.

And in the flower garden I am plotting to again make room for more annuals, while transplanting more things into the "prairie section' and the 'look-into garden'.

Annuals:

• Cosmos
• Marigolds
• Calendula
• Nigella

Those to start with, and I don't want to get too ambitious this year. My age has been telling on me and the lesson learned is to keep a check on grandiose plans. Good luck with that!

So there is the loose plot of the garden plan for this year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2011 written for Ilona's Garden Journal. An excellent blog.