Hi GPODers!
The start of the gardening season brings more than just the awakening of dormant plants and the emergence of new flowers; it also summons garden guests that fill your landscape with non-plant life. Some visitors are common in every garden (birds, bugs, and mammals small and large), but other landscapes are visited by creatures of a more whimsical sort. Belle Steadman’s garden in Salem, Massachusetts, aptly named Bellehaven, was shared by Elise Scanlan a couple of years ago (Bellehaven’s Fairyland) after she attended a tea party in the garden. Today, Belle is sharing her own photos that showcase the smaller garden guests who often explore and play among the shady corners and colorful plantings in Bellehaven.
You might remember the write-up of our garden when the seniors came to visit for Tea with Fairies. I love to add fairy nooks to my garden, and I also love to entertain outdoors. To make sure that my garden does not look tacky and seems to be overrun by little fairy things, I followed the saying “there are fairies at the bottom of our garden,” and built fairy nooks underneath my plantings. Not only do I have fun creating and getting lost in that garden, I also find it rewarding to share the beauty of it. And when kids come to visit, they earn their fairy wings and wands. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures of Bellehaven.
– Belle Steadman, Salem, Massachusetts
A beautiful moment in the garden…
Zephyr, the old maple tree that keeps the small garden shady, has fairies living in it.
A flower shop on what was a birdbath before. . . . Don’t worry, the birds have plenty to drink from the little pond.
A hidden door
A peek at Bellehaven’s little pond, with lots of fairies and mermaids lounging around the cool waters
Belle fills every nook and cranny of the garden with trinkets that create moments of magic.
I created moss-covered pathways…
A garden should have a water element. In this postage-stamp garden, I have a little one where mermaids and fairies enjoy the water.
The little fairy kids have fun discovering fairy nooks and villages under all the plantings.
There are tons of treasures and fairy-friendly plants for young visitors to enjoy.
A tea for two can fix any woes.
Thank you so much for sharing these festive photos of your garden with us, Belle! Your whimsical landscape is clearly a joy for small and large fairies alike.
What kind of visitors do you enjoy hosting in your garden? Do you find the most joy in tiny hands digging in the dirt, or with the winged creatures that bring a calming buzz and beautiful song to your space? Let us know in the comments, or consider sharing photos of your garden and the guests it attracts. Follow the directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, fill out the Garden Photo of the Day Submission Form.
You can also send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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