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Do you want to know which small plants work best in fairy gardens? If you’ve been considering creating a miniature fairy garden, you definitely want to know what the best plants and flowers are to use in it.
Miniature gardens are another name for fairy gardens, and it’s true that the tiny size of these plots makes them ideal for just the tiniest plants. Their scaled-down buildings, little garden plants, and fairy sculptures add a magical element to your landscape.
Asparagus Fern, Spikemoss, Miniature Daisy, Polka-Dot Plant, Gray Lavender Cotton, Mexican Heather, Golden Japanese Stonecrop, Blue Moneywort, Fuschia Begonia, Elfin Thyme, Variegated Artillery Plant, and Dwarf Umbrella Plant are among the best miniature plants for fairy gardens that we’ll be discussing in this article.
Let’s get started!
Best Miniature Plants For Fairy Gardens
1. Fern Asparagus
The asparagus fern can get rather big and bushy, but regular trimming will keep it in check to stay the size of a fairy garden.
This plant thrives in pots with healthy, well-draining potting soil and is recognized by its feathery green foliage. It is comparatively simple to maintain indoors.
Frequent misting will help revitalize this sturdy plant when it’s looking a little down, as it excels in indirect light and a somewhat humid atmosphere. This plant looks good in any environment, whether on the floor, desk, or hanging basket!
2. Spikemoss
Spikemoss, also known as club moss, are very simple vascular plants rather than true mosses. They are related to the fern family and are found in fern environments.
This little fern does well in a terrarium with a lot of moisture. Once grown, it can produce a dense carpet of green leaves despite its extremely slow growth, which makes it one of the best miniature plants for fairy gardens.
3. Miniature Daisy
Miniature daisies look and feel much like their full-sized counterparts, but they only reach a height of 2 inches. Even in clay soil, which is difficult to grow in, they will spread out like weeds. In areas with warm winters, it is evergreen.
This is great for growing in alpine containers or troughs and may self-seed in cooler climates.
This is a full-shade plant that does not require a lot of water and cannot tolerate direct sunlight. The daisy is one of the most dependable and best miniature plants for fairy gardens.
4. Polka Dot Plant
A polka-dot plant is an excellent option if you like the idea of bringing vibrantly colored foliage into your landscape. These small plants come in a wide range of colors, from green and white to pink and green.
Since they can reach heights of 2–3 feet, they are best used in more expansive fairy gardens or placed in the far reaches of a garden. Small flowers may emerge at any time during the summer; however, their flowers are typically fleeting and difficult to spot.
These are good indoor plants or shaded outdoor plants that require frequent watering and rich soil with adequate drainage. The polka-dot plant is one of the best miniature plants for fairy gardens.
5. Gray, lavender, and cotton
This Mediterranean plant’s fragrant beige and green foliage is well-suited to being trimmed and shaped, making it an excellent choice for a pixie garden.
Gray lavender cotton has beautiful yellow flowers in the middle of summer, despite the plant’s misleading common name.
This perennial, once established, can withstand long periods without water. Gray lavender cotton is one of the best miniature plants for fairy gardens.
6. Mexican Heather
Native to Mexico, Mexican Heather is a tiny shrub with a lovely, bluish-purple flower cluster that may be kept pruned to a manageable size.
From summer till frost, a multi-stemmed shrub up to 3 feet tall and 4 feet broad bears little trumpet-shaped blooms with six spreading petals, typically lavender, and green sepal tubes, even made into a topiary if desired.
Mexican heather will continue to bloom with regular watering and direct sunlight. It works well in an outdoor fairy garden since it can withstand heat.
7. Golden Japanese Stonecrop
The golden Japanese stonecrop grows rapidly and requires little attention once established. It can grow amid your other little garden plants to provide a carpet-like covering.
It’s an excellent plant to use as an accent in tiny combination pot cultures due to its miniature stature and vivid, golden-yellow foliage. The plant’s enormous clusters of blossoms provide a stunning appearance. It prefers soft morning or evening sunlight.
Although it can handle hot temperatures and withstand drought, the scorching midday sun will beat it down.
8. Blue Moneywort (Lindernia grandiflora)
A native of the southeastern United States, blue moneywort is a lovely flowering ground cover. Because it only gets as tall as 2 to 3 inches, it’s ideal for smaller-scale fairy gardens.
Although it is only hardy in zones 7–11, it can be grown successfully in containers with regular, thorough watering. It clearly prefers moist soil as a pond layout!
Another plant that will spread out and eventually spill over the container’s sides is this one. It is simple to divide if it spirals out of control.
9. Begonia fuschia
This fuchsia begonia has gorgeous little glossy foliage stacked along its sweeping branches, and at the tips of those leaves are clusters of rose blooms. Since the Victorian era, it has been cultivated for its unexpected beauty in containers on the patio.
To ensure survival through the winter, bring animals indoors when temperatures drop. This little begonia could easily be mistaken for a fuschia, but it is in fact a begonia. Dry out slightly between waterings, and give it morning sun but afternoon shade.
One of the best miniature plants for fairy gardens is the fuschia begonia. With the help of this plant, your gardens will radiate with the beauty of the sun.
10. Elfin thyme
Elfin thyme is a dwarf cultivar that is used more as a decorative ground cover than a flavoring agent. It spreads from 0 to 1.5 feet and only reaches a height of 2 to 3 inches.
Favorable conditions include plentiful hours of direct sunlight and well-drained sandy loam or rocky soil. During the summer, little pink tubular flowers appear, attracting beneficial insects like bees.
To remove an excess of woody stems, trim as necessary. Elfin thyme grows best outside and has a very low carpet of incredibly small green leaves.
11. Variegated Artillery Plant
Because they are a short-lived evergreen perennial, these tropical species can be found outdoors all year in Zones 10-11.
It can also be cultivated as an annual outside in any climate or as an indoor houseplant everywhere. Ideal for moist terrariums or fairy gardens, this pilea has to have its tips pinched occasionally to maintain its modest size. Also, look for the version with plain green leaves.
12. Dwarf Umbrella Plant (Schefflera)
If you’re starting out with bonsai, Schefflera is a good plant to start with. Water completely only after the earth has become extremely dry. To form the plant, pinch the leaf tips.
Your fairy gardens may benefit from the dwarf umbrella plant. It is also considered among the best small plants for fairy gardens.
The umbrella plant is actually a multi-trunk tree that can grow to more than 16 meters tall when grown outside. It needs to be trimmed and topped occasionally so that it doesn’t get too big for a home setting.
13. Ripple Peperomia
Peperomia caperata, more often known as ripple peperomia, is a species of peperomia. Heavily veined, ruffled, dark green leaves in the shape of a heart.
These plants are closely related to the black pepper plant, Piper nigrum, and look quite similar to it. The plant’s wavy leaves are what give the species the name “caperata.” With a height of only 5–6 inches and colors of maroon or green, this little plant makes a lovely addition to a terrarium.Â
The soil should be evenly distributed and moist. The peperomia is one of the best miniature plants for fairy gardens and one of the easiest houseplants to grow. Under some shade, the small plant thrives. It requires only minimal upkeep and uses only a small amount of water.
14. Bugleweed
It is found all over Asia and Europe but is predominantly found in North America.
The flowers of this perennial flowering species are a rich purple-blue, and they bloom anywhere from May to September, with the seeds maturing in July or August.
This leafy groundcover plant produces flower stalks topped with profound flowers each spring. You shouldn’t place this plant next to your grass since it can spread.
In regions with chilly winters, it goes dormant.
15. Golden Monterey Cypress
This velvety-feeling dwarf cypress needs full sun to turn a beautiful golden color, but it doesn’t have to be very hot for this to happen.
This delicate plant does best in milder climates, with an ideal temperature range of 60–65 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s best to wait until the soil is almost dry before watering.
16. Mini African violet
Mini African violets are a miniature version of the ever-popular African violet, which is cherished for its brilliant blossoms and soft, furry foliage.
Have you heard that smaller versions are also available? Tiny African violets rarely reach a diameter of more than 4 to 6 inches and remain significantly smaller than ordinary violets.
Minis, like regular African violets, thrive in specially formulated African violet soil. These plants are sensitive to leaf soaking, which can lead to mold and leaf spot, so watering them carefully is essential.
Another gorgeous little plant for your fairy garden is this one.
17. Zebra Haworthia
The zebra haworthia is a fantastic option for anyone seeking an exotic plant for their indoor fairy garden. Its distinctively striped leaves and short stature make spotting this plant in any garden easy.
This plant does best in cactus soil that drains well and only needs to be watered occasionally, like most succulents and cacti.
Conclusion
Although it goes well with other succulents, you should usually avoid combining it with other plants that aren’t succulents.
The popularity of fairy gardens has been rising for some time, and it’s easy to see why: cultivating one of these charming little plant landscapes is a lot of fun.
The above assortment of compact flowers and shrubs is sure to excite your creativity as you arrange the layout of your very own miniature garden, whether you’re planting it in a pot indoors or placing it in the corner of your yard outdoors.