Rainy Days in the Miniature Garden

Splish, splash, it is time for rainy fun in the garden! When winter has rolled up the last of its snowy flakes and blown the cold chill for good, the fairies are ready to make way for spring. Of course, along with the warm sunshine and the first flowers come the drips and drops of rain. There is nothing quite like a warm downpour on a sunny day, especially when followed up by a colorful rainbow. Looking back, rainy days were some of my favorite slices of childhood. Do you remember tugging on your boots and squishing around in the mud puddles? Lately, I have been dreaming of recreating those memories in the fairy garden. A few ideas have been “precipitating” for a while. Read on to discover how you can bring some rainy fun to your miniature garden.

For gardeners, rain is a joyous sight. It means you can skip filling up the watering can, and instead watch from your window as water soaks the soil and the fairy garden plants receive a much-needed drink. But what of the fairies that live beneath the miniature plants? For those with wings, rain can put a damper on any flying. Fairies have to find their wellies, pop open their umbrellas, and travel around the fairy garden on foot! Down there, they might see some rabbits running for shelter under a covered porch, gnomes popping out of hidden holes in the miniature trees, and pixies peeking out of fairy house windows. The luckiest fairies sport tiny raincoats and push each other around in wagons, happy to have a “day off” from fairy chores.

In my rainy-day miniature garden, I will set some boots and raincoats by the front door of the fairy cottage, just in case. Umbrellas on picks will decorate parts of the fairy garden, creating little islands of safety where garden residents can huddle whenever the weather turns wet. And, as much as I loved jumping in puddles as a child, I will invest in some carefully-placed stepping stones that stretch between the fairy cottages, secret hideouts, and other miniature garden areas. That way, my garden residents can avoid plunking themselves down in mud puddles and slipping in the wet grass.

Of course, there are plenty of spring days when the miniature plants do not drip with rain and the grass in the garden is dry. To create a rainy effect in the fairy garden on even the sunniest days, I recommend looking into some sparkling glass pebbles. Light blue pebbles with the right amount of shine can create the look of a river or pond that is being pummeled with raindrops. Other miniature accessories, like a rain barrel, rain boots, and umbrellas can help set the scene. No fairy garden is complete without some hideouts under the miniature plants and trees. Construct a hidden seating area under the branches of a miniature plant. When it rains, fairies and other wee folk will have a place to stay warm and dry.

Last, but certainly not least, is the rainbow. My rain-themed garden would not be complete without some rainbow decorations to remind visitors that the sun always shines after the storm. After I have turned my miniature garden into a rainy-day escape, all I have to do is listen close for the sounds of fairies singing “Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day…” Close your eyes, open your ears, and you will surely hear it too.

Happy Gardening!