It's that time of year again, the holidays are upon us and the excitement of decorating the house is here. If you're looking for a festive way to usher in the season, why not make a fairy garden for Thanksgiving? A fall themed mixture of live plants and fairy magic is a perfect way to liven up the house, adorn the center of the holiday table, or give as a hostess gift.
Ideas for a Thanksgiving Fairy Garden
If you already have a fairy garden, changing it over to a fall theme could be as easy as switching out a few of the fairy garden decorations. Making a new Thanksgiving fairy garden is a lot more fun though! To start, choose a vessel to house the fairy garden. Try these seasonal ideas to inspire your creativity:
- Cornucopia shaped basket – Use a coir planter liner, trimmed to fit.
- Clay or plastic pot – Creatively decorate it like a pilgrim's hat, decoupage with fall leaves or make it into a “turkey” using craft foam and feathers.
- Pumpkin – Use a child's treat basket, a hollow foam pumpkin, or opt for the real thing. Don't limit fall themed fairy gardens to the top of the pumpkin. Cut a hole in the side for an interior view of the fairy's house.
- Gourds – Choose a medium to large hard-shelled variety, like a birdhouse or apple gourd (Gourds must be cured by drying before using as a planter).
Next, choose several small plants to adorn the mini-thanksgiving garden. Try choosing flowers with fall colors like orange, yellow, and red. Here are some plant selections to consider:
- Air plant
- Baby Tears
- Cactus
- Echeveria
- Jade
- Kalanchoe
- Mum
- Ornamental Kale
- Pansy
- Portulaca
- Sedum
- Shamrock
- Snake Plant
- String of Pearls
- Wooly Thyme
Decorating Fall Themed Fairy Gardens
Once you have the planter and the plants, it's time to assemble your fairy garden. For Thanksgiving centerpiece décor, it's best to do this at least a week in advance of the big day. This gives the plants a chance to perk up after transplanting. Miniatures can be added after the plants are set in place. These themed suggestions may spark your imagination:
- Fall leaves – Use a leaf shaped paper punch to make authentic textured fall foliage from real leaves. Scatter these along a stone walkway leading to a fairy sized house.
- Homemade fairy house — Make doors, windows, and shutters from twigs or craft sticks and attach to a miniature pumpkin or small gourd.
- Harvest miniatures – Scout your local craft store for doll-house sized straw bales, pumpkins, ears of corn, and apples. Add a homemade scarecrow and don't forget a wheelbarrow or basket to hold the harvest.
- Fairy feast – Set up a mini garden or picnic table with all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings including a turkey, taters, and pie. Repurpose acorn caps as plates to give this Thanksgiving fairy garden a rustic feel.