The Fairy Garden features flowers once known as fairy caps, fairy petticoats, fairy thimbles and fairy cradles. Many of them were common to the Cottage Garden or Herb Garden. Indeed those very gardens conjure up visions of old-fashioned colors, sweet scents, and plants loved by bees and fairies.
Fairies like places to hide from human eyes, so any every fairy garden needs a house, rocks, and shrubby plants or ferns. They also like shiny things and a bit of water. Small wind chimes will draw fairies close. Many dwarf or alpine plants are ‘fairy-sized’ but there are also many herbs and flowers that are special to fairies.
| Common Name | Latin Name | Uses, Comments |
| cheddar pinks | Dianthus gratianopolitanus |
Flowers symbolize love; used by fairies to strengthen auras and renew one’s love of life. (Perennial) |
| columbine | Aquilegia canadense |
Flowers are used as fairy bonnets. (Perennial) |
| coral bells | Heuchera americana |
Flowers are used for fairy bells. (Perennial) |
| creeping savory |
Satureja spicigera | Fairies use leaves and blossoms to make morning tea. (Perennial) |
| dwarf sea thrift | Armeria juniperfolia | Fairies use the flowers for cushions. (Perennial) |
| elderberry | Sambucus canadensis | The queen of the elves lives under the elder roots; if you sit under an elder on mid-summer’s eve, you may see the king of the fairies and his court pass by. (Perennial) |
| flax | Linum usitatissimum | Fairies used leaves to spin and weave into their linens. (Perennial) |
| foxglove | Digitalis pupurea | Fairies use the flowers as hats and gloves; common English names include fairy gloves, fairy thimble and fairy cap. (Perennial) |
| harebell | Campanula rotundifolia | Flowers are used as fairy caps; used in fairy magic. (Perennial) |
| hens & chicks | Sempervivum spp. | Popular plant used in fairy gardens. (Perennial) |
| Irish moss | Sagina subulata | Fairies use the plant for their beds or fairy rings. (Perennial) |
| lavendar | Lavendula angustifolia |
Fairies dry their clothes on the stems and leaves. (Perennial) |
| lily of the valley | Convallaria majalis | The sweet white bells (flowers) ring when fairies sing. (Perennial) |
| pansy | Viola tricolor | Flowers are used by fairies in love potions; also known as Heartsease and Cupid’s flower. (Annual) |
| poppy | Papaver orientale | Flower petals are used to make fairy skirts; put poppy petals in a pillow to invite fairies into your dreams. (Perennial) |
| primrose | Primula veris | Flowers are used as fairy cups; grants fairies invisibility; eating them enables you to see fairies. (Perennial) |
| rosemary | Rosmarinus officinalis | The blossoms are fairy cradles and fairy children like to swing in the branches (A) |
| tulip | Tulipa | Flowers are used for fairy cradles. (P) |