My wife and her sisters wanted to give another sister a special gift for her birthday. They started with this aqua colored ceramic ball and we got creative around it. Thanks to Driftwood Garden Center in Estero, FL for the fairy garden inspiration. Thanks also to Sundance Orchids and Bromeliads in Ft. Myers, FL for having such a huge collection of bromeliads to choose from.

Click on a photo for a better enlargement.

Cypress plank, ripped to make the sides.

More cypress planks for the base. Added log legs for drainage and to make it easier to move.

Fafard #3: pine bark, Canadian peat, perlite.

Design elements: ceramic ball, pond, dwarf Mondo grass, needlepoint ivy, pteris fern, various bromeliads, Mopani root, and fairies.

I screwed the tillandsia ball into the “tree” (an old pine root) and also anchored it from below.

First draft. Miniature limestone and shells as ground cover with fine pine needles in the back.

Fairies with their feet in the pond.

Snail shells added with a large one down in the grotto. Young Earth Stars (cryptanthus) in foreground.