Build a Fairy Garden From an Old Pot!

fairy garden pot

What looks like a run-of-the-mill flower pot is actually an expansive estate… for fairies, that is. Fairy gardens are guaranteed to enchant the littles, but we know more than a few grown-ups who love them too. Bring on the magic!

Fairy Garden

Level: Easy

What You Need

  • Terracotta pot and dish
  • Box cutter or knife
  • Plastic wrap
  • Rubber mallet
  • Paper towel
  • Potting soil
  • Gravel or small rocks
  • Larger decorative stones
  • Sedum mat
  • Scotch moss
  • Décor pieces like a fairy house, bench, mushrooms and a gnome
  • Instructions

    1. Prep the Pot

    Use a box cutter or sharp knife to score the terracotta pot where you want the break to happen. This step is so important — if you don’t outline the break first, your pot can shatter haphazardly and make it difficult (if not impossible) to use.

    2. Wrap It

    Cover the pot in plastic wrap. This makes sure fragments don’t scatter everywhere when it’s broken.

    3. Hammer Time

    Put on some safety glasses and gloves, and then swing your rubber mallet into the center of the scored area. The pot should shatter cleanly. Remove the plastic wrap and place the terracotta shards off to the side. (Don’t throw them away — you’ll use the pieces as part of the fairy garden design).

    4. Fill the Pot

    Place a paper towel over the drainage hole to prevent the soil from falling out. Place the pot over the terracotta dish and start filling both with soil.

    As the soil piles up, layer in the broken terracotta pieces to make little steps. Fill each layer with soil as you work to pack the assembly into place.

    5. Decorate!

    At the highest point of the soil, add some small rocks and place your fairy house on top.

    Cover the soil with sedum mat and sheet moss until the soil in both the dish and pot is well covered in greenery. You can also add more small rocks to make a little fairy path.

    If you’ve got gnomes, mushrooms, critters or other details, add ’em now and you’re done!

    Share tips, start a discussion or ask one of our experts or other students a question.

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    10 Responses to “Build a Fairy Garden From an Old Pot!”

    1. Lori

      I love it!

    2. Cheryl

      This is so cute . I cant wait to break up a flower pot now. Got knombs already to go. Thanks.

    3. Rod Russell

      I have just decided to try making a fairy garden, it’s another way I can display my succulents found your website it has been extremely helpful thanks a lot

    4. Linda Holmes

      Questions: never made one before, is this an outdoor or indoor design? Does it need to be watered? Where do I get the sedum mat and scotch moss? In the woods, I have 200 acres I could probably find something? Thank you, Linda

    5. Donna

      I've made these before but didn't know the scoring trick... Thanks for that, bet my next one is much easier ;)

    6. nancy new

      I love to build one of these.

    7. Nira Ramachandran

      It's beautiful and so easy to create.

    8. cathy mcarty

      I love this , I dont want to lose contact withyou this is genius!!

    9. Marie Caruso

      Would love to do this

    10. Mary

      I'd like them to build with my great grandchildren