How to Choose a Fairy Garden Fence

When a fairy flutters down into your winter container garden, what does she see? Are there dozens of miniature plants sprouting up from the soil? Are there winding paths to follow—perhaps even one that leads to a fairy cottage? Maybe, if she is lucky, the visiting fairy will spot signposts and twinkling lights that will show her the way. These are just a few details that can make your winter container garden a more welcoming place for wee folk. One of my favorites, and today’s topic: the miniature garden fence.

Let me be clear. My own fairy garden can be a wild place! Winter flowering plants tower over miniature accessories and gnomes get lost in the pixie forest. But when it comes time to clean up my winter container garden and prepare it for warmer weather, I find that adding a few fences can help tie the entire look together. Whether I am separating my garden into specific sections or simply trying to keep trolls out of the veggie patch, a few extra feet of fencing can come in handy. Read on for my favorite types of fairy garden fences and how to use them to your advantage all year long.

1) White Picket Fence

When we think of vegetable gardens, family homes, and quaint neighborhoods, this classic fence style always comes to mind. It can be easy, though, to go overboard with the white picket fencing. That is why I reserve this type of fencing for one or two fairy cottage front yards. A little goes a long way when it comes to the bright white color and pointed tops.

DIY Tip: Create your own white picket fence using popsicle sticks, white string, white paint, and craft glue.

2) Twig Fence

Some winter container gardens have that DIY, made-by-hand look. And others have a magical, made-by-fairy-hands look! No matter which style you are going for, you can achieve it with rustic, twig-like fencing. These fences might be store-bought, but they appear as though the garden fairies have chopped down a few winter plants and secured their branches together with twine or fairy glue, creating an uneven, yet effective fence for the fairy garden.

DIY Tip: Create your own rustic fence using hot glue and repurposed twigs.

3) Rusty Fence

This type of fence screams “old English garden.” You can expect the garden hidden behind a rusty tin fence to be a secret hideaway for fairies, pixies, and other garden friends. When walking in these gardens, which are often decorated with tea tables and chairs, take care not to trip over any wandering vines, but do stop to smell the roses.

4) Black Wire Fence

Install a black wire fence in your winter container garden, and you will have the spookiest, scariest miniature garden on the block! During the autumn months, black wire fences and gates lend a dark and mysterious style to the fairy garden. DIY Tip: Create your own black wire fence using coated black craft wire and pliers.

5) Fences with Flair

We all want something that will make our fairy garden stand out. Fences can tighten up the style and create more put-together miniature gardens, but that does not make them boring! Consider decorating your fences with strings of twinkling lights for a nighttime garden, evergreen garland during the holiday season, and faux flower garland in early springtime. You could even try perching a bird on top of the fence or changing up the pathways and gates that provide direction. Fences should not make you feel “fenced in.” When thoughtfully placed, fences can open up new worlds full of possibilities for the miniature garden.

Happy Gardening!