I’ve loved miniatures since I was a kid.  

One of my earliest DIY projects was building a dollhouse from a kit.  I spent hours and hours painting, assembling, and crafting tiny, little accessories.  I still have that dollhouse; in true DIY style, it’s still a work in progress.

My love of gardening also started when I was young.  I loved helping my mom put new plants in the ground each spring, and watching how they grew.  We had lots of edibles in our garden (including my absolute favorites, raspberries); even as a child, I could appreciate the satisfaction of eating something that I had planted.  (And to this day, there is very little that compares to eating fresh raspberries that are still warm from the sun.) [read more=”Read More” less=”Read Less”]

The increasing popularity of fairy gardens over the last couple of years is a match made in heaven of these two distinctive hobbies.   I love seeing all of the creative ideas that people have come up with to personalize their own fairy gardens, as well as the tiny, DIY accessories tucked in among tiny, fairy-sized plants.

Unfortunately, my three boys have little-to-no interest in anything related to fairies.   However, when I suggested that we plant a Leprechaun Garden, I found some willing and eager participants.  My thirteen year old said, “That’s actually kind of cool.”  I’m calling that a Mom Win.

How to Make a Leprechaun Garden

Supplies Needed:

• Planter or pot (mine is about 12″ in diameter)
• Potting soil
• “Tiny” Plants (I used Red Thyme, Alssum, and Spike Dracaena, found in the outdoor section of the home supply store)
• Rocks – spray-painted gold
• Small plastic cauldron (found at a party supply store)
• Any other accessories that you think a Leprechaun would like. I used some glass gems (leftover from a floral project) to create a path.

Let’s Get Started!

1. Start by adding a layer of potting soil in your planter or pot. You’ll want to add enough soil so that when you add the plants, the top of the root ball is about 1” below the top of the pot.
2. Figure out the best arrangement of the plants. If you leave the plants in their plastic pots to start, you can move them around and figure out what works best. A good rule of thumb to follow:
   • Taller plants (the “thrillers”) towards the back of the pot
   • Mid-height plants (the “fillers”) in the middle of the pot
   • Short plants that will grow over and down sides of the pot placed in the front (the “spillers”)

As you’re moving the plants around, keep in mind how any accessories will fit into the final arrangement.

3. Once you’ve figured out the best arrangement of your plants, remove each plant from it’s plastic pot, loosen the root ball a little and add it to the planter.  When all of the plants have been added, add more potting soil to fill in any holes.
4. Now it’s time to add accessories: I added a meandering garden path, made out of glass gems. All Leprechauns love a pot o’ gold, so I made sure to include a pot in our garden.

Your local craft store is a great place to find fun accessories for your Leprechaun garden! 

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