I have always been fascinated by fairy gardens. As a child, I completely believed in fairies. I was convinced that they lived in nooks and crannies. They used buttercups to bathe in and spent afternoons napping under mushrooms. If there was a sparkle in a sunbeam, it was a fairy flitting by. If there was a light tinkling sound, it was their laughter. I believed in a world of magic.

As I grew up, I did not want to let go of that magic. I shared stories with my daughters of little woodland creatures. Fairy tales were a part of our nighttime rituals. As my daughters grew older, they may not have believed in magic and fairies, but they at least humored me.

I visited several small fairy and gnome gardens and paths. They intrigued me. The time and dedication it took to plan out a fairy village or gnome path was inspiring. There is even one a couple of towns over from me where they welcome people to walk the path and admire the decorations.

This made me think that it might be time to start my own fairy garden. I mentioned it to my family, and although they may have thought I was a little crazy, they were all on board. That Christmas, I received fairy and gnome items from pretty much every family member. I could not wait for spring!

Once the snow had melted and spring was well upon us, I started planning out my fairy garden. I had houses, a little pond, benches, bridges, and even a little Ferris wheel. I spent an entire afternoon one-weekend setting things up. I had the fairies all on one side, with a town center with a park. Over the bridge (which is guarded by a dragon) is the gnome village. They have a small pond with lily pads and houses that look like tree stumps. I just let my imagination run away from me as I created my own little world of magic.

I asked my daughter what she thought once it was all set up. Being a teenager at this point, she didn’t quite believe in magic anymore. She said that it looked like a 5-year-old had been playing outside and forgot to bring their toys in. I had to chuckle, because that is how I felt. The world I had been creating in my head for years was finally in front on me.

Each year, I add a new piece to my garden. Unfortunately, I usually have to remove a piece that has been damaged by the elements as well. None of this deters me, though. I feel like I have a magical little kingdom in my own yard. While this garden may not have many flowers (although there are a few mushrooms and succulents), the amount of joy it brings me is immeasurable. And after all, shouldn’t a garden bring joy first and foremost?