A fairy garden pot is a fun project we did outside together with the whole family.
I love that I get to relive my favorite childhood activities with my kids.
Making a fairy garden was one of my favorite things to do when I played outside.
(Who else grew up in the nineties and was constantly being shoved out the door to play in the backyard??)
Only I didn’t call it a fairy garden. I called it “making houses” or something lame like that.
An Impromptu Project
This fairy garden pot was kind of a spur of the moment thing, and also it was an unusually hot day, so please excuse our sweaty faces and wilted flowers.
While cleaning out the garage this past weekend, I found a broken clay pot.
Normally I would be sad about its broken state and just toss it out.
That day, I was thrilled.
You see, I recently saw a tutorial on Pinterest on how to make a fairy garden with a broken clay pot.
I don’t really like buying things to break them, so I was like ehh, we’ll save this idea for another day.
So when I found the *already * broken pot, I couldn’t help but celebrate.
Elena and I have made little fairy gardens before, in Grandma’s backyard and in ours using sticks, rocks, and all kinds of flowers and weeds.
Making one in a pot was our first time.
Here’s how I did it.
How to Make a Fairy Garden Pot
For this backyard craft we used:
- broken clay pot (approximately 12″ diameter)
- potting soil
- small rocks or gravel
- found natural materials, such as pretty rocks, sticks, acorns, moss, and assorted weeds *ahem* I mean, flowers
1. Break the pot
My clay pot is just a regular old clay pot, about 12 inches in diameter. I wouldn’t go any smaller than that. This one was almost too small.
Gently break your pot in half, making sure to leave the base of the pot intact.
I would stuff a towel in the pot and use a rubber mallet to break it.
Save the broken pieces.
2. Prepare the Base
Arrange the broken pieces to create levels in the pot.
I put my tallest piece in the back and a shorter piece in the front.
I also tried to create a zig-zag effect by putting the higher ends of the pieces on opposite sides.
While I did the grown-up stuff (breaking the pot and preparing the base), Ben and the girls collected rocks and washed them.
Some of the rocks went into the bottom of the pot to help hold the pieces in place and help with drainage.
3. Fill with soil
Use a garden spade to fill each area with soil.
The soil will help secure the pieces as well.
4. Plant and Decorate
Armed with a garden spade and small bucket, the girls and I scoured the yard for pretty things to plant and decorate the fairy garden with.
Our yard is not a perfect, lush lawn of grass, and that worked out in our favor today.
We found plenty of pretty weeds and a nice patch of moss to fill up our pot.
(I also secretly planted flower seeds later when the girls had gone to bed. I’m hoping these seeds will sprout in and bloom in a few weeks and surprise Elena!)
We also found interesting rocks, acorns, and sticks.
I helped Elena place the plants, and she finished decorating with the “hardscaping” (rocks, sticks, and acorns).
I stuck the tiny broken pot pieces down the side of the garden to create steps.
5. Water and play
Once all the plants are in, water everything thoroughly. You can use a mister if you planted sparsely and you don’t want the soil to move around.
Elena got her little peg dolls out and played a bit before it was time to head back inside.
Will You Make a Fairy Garden Pot?
Ben and I spent a great morning doing this project with the girls, and I love how it turned out.
Foraging for materials for the garden in our backyard was the best part!
The girls and I collect rocks from everywhere to use in different projects like building rock names, making silly snakes, and making weather forecasting stones.
Our daughter Elena especially loves visiting her fairy garden and redecorating every time we go outside.
Is this a project you’d enjoy doing with your kids?
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