cover image Fairy Gardening: Creating Your Own Magical Miniature Garden

Fairy Gardening: Creating Your Own Magical Miniature Garden

Julie Bawden-Davis and Beverly Turner. Skyhorse (Norton, dist.), $16.95 (192p) ISBN 978-1-61608-833-0

For those who have always enjoyed the imaginative world of dollhouses, writer Bawden-Davis and garden designer Turner offer inspiration and instruction for creating miniature gardens. By combining bonsai trees, tiny plants, and dollhouse size props, readers can create an entire playful landscape within a single planter. Photographs, inspiration, and instruction are included for gardens that range from formal parterres and rustic retreats to fantastical fairylands and storybook dioramas. Because these are living gardens, not floral arrangements, cultivation guidance for readers who have never gardened on such a small scale is included. A chapter on miniature plants lists more than 100 ground covers, perennials, and bonsai-sized plants. Another chapter features ideas for holiday and seasonal tabletop gardens. Finally, the authors include a retail resource section with dozens of online sources for accessories and plants. With lots of simple projects and cheerful inspiration, this is a fun addition to the hobbyist world for the young and the young-at-heart. 75 color photographs. (Mar.)