Fairy Garden and it's Progress

A few weeks ago, Sister started begging me to help her make a fairy garden. One of her little friends had made one, and she loved the idea.

I ignored her pleas for a few days because we were about to dive deep into Memory Masters for school and I didn't want to add anything to my plate. Plus, I thought if I ignored her, she would soon forget.

But she was persistent, and she didn't forget.

So I started looking at Pinterest because that's where you go to find ALL inspiration for anything!

By the way, where did we go for ideas before Pinterest? 

I saw some really cute ideas, but those little stinkers can get expensive.

I decided on a budget for her. 

I told her she had $20 to spend on accessories and plants. We obviously went over budget, but not by much. I think we ended up spending around $30 total.

 

We started at Hobby Lobby. She picked out the arbor, fence, bridge, and bench from there. In case you go looking for fairy garden items from HL, it's in the wedding section...not the garden section where we first started our search.

After we left HL, we hit the Dollar Tree. We got the sand for the path, and the rocks for the "creek."

Our last stop led us to Lowes, where we purchased the plants. 

When I was searching online for ideas, I watched a video that talked about scale. It was really informative and something I would have never thought to consider. 

So as we were making all of our purchases, we tried to keep that in mind. 

We looked for a fairy house, but they were all so expensive. When we arrived home, we looked around for anything that we could use. We found this little bird house that Sister had painted for her Fairy Tea Party

It fit the space perfectly, and saved a few extra dollars.

Something to remember when planting a Fairy Garden, or any garden for that matter, make sure to pay attention to the sun exposure the plants need. 

We had the planter at our back door. There is plenty of morning sunlight, but as the day went by, the covered porch blocked the sun, and the plants weren't thriving.

I moved it to the flower bed just off of the patio, and after a good rain, and plenty of sunshine, the plants took off!

 There's a big difference, right?

I've kind of caught the fairy garden bug now. 

I really want one with a water feature, and I want a fairy house like the one pictured below. Isn't it so sweet?

 

(click the picture to see price)

 I can just picture a water fall behind it. I have lots of stones left over from Sister's fairy garden. I just need a water pump, like the one pictured.

 

(click picture to see price) 

So have you caught the Fairy Garden bug yet? I would love to see what you've come up with! Make sure to share your fairy garden pictures on my Facebook page.

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Growing a Vegetable Garden

 This time of year, everyone begins to think of planting. Whether it be flowers, vegetables, or both, we all long for something pretty to look at after the long, cold, grey winter.

I decided this year that I wanted another try at vegetable gardening. I am really good about starting a garden. I get excited about all of the vegetables that will be sitting on my table during the summer, and how proud I will be to serve my family foods that I have raised myself.

Then reality sets in.  

I forget about my garden. 

I forget that the plants get thirsty. I forget that the weeds need to be pulled. I forget that the ground needs fertilizer and that the plants need help keeping the bugs away. 

Another excuse I always use is it just gets plain hot here in Alabama. Nasty, humid hot, where you can almost cut the air with a knife.

I mean, who wants to go outside and sweat to death for a little ole tomato?

 Obviously not me.

 However, I am trying to turn over a new leaf. 

Plus, hubby said I wouldn't be able to keep it alive, so now it's personal. I refuse to be defeated.

This garden will survive and I will be eating vegetables from it in about 90 days, give or take.

 Hubby built these raised beds for me a few years ago. Every year I have the best intentions of growing food...but it hasn't really happened yet. I know for a fact that I can successfully grow weeds in it, though.

 It took me two hours of digging to clear out all of the weeds. I was so exhausted after that. I am so thankful for grocery stores!!

So what am I growing(besides weeds)?

-pickling cucumbers

-tomatoes

-squash

-zucchini

-cabbage

-lettuce

-carrots

-basil

-rosemary

-thyme

-jalapenos

-habeneros

There is no rhyme or reason to my selection. I ran to Lowes one day and that was what caught my eye. I normally buy all of my vegetables for canning from the Mennonites in Kentucky. So, these veggies are just to get a feel for gardening. That way, when the apocalypse hits, I will know how to keep us alive a little longer!!

I will post progress pictures as the garden gets bigger. Help me stay accountable, y'all! I can't let hubby be right on this one!!!

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