Garden Art and lore: How to make a Faerie Chair

Focal points in a garden add to the interest and personality of a garden or yard. One interesting and popular garden art piece is the Faerie Chair
photo credit: David Masters

Begin by finding an old wooden chair. Garage sales, auctions and along the roadside on garbage day are good places to search. My last chair was from a curbside and it had such character. It’s time to gather the rest of the materials you will need.

Supplies:

Chicken wire
Staple gun
Wire cutters
Sphagnum moss
Potting soil
Green sheet moss
Curly branches
Special herb plants for the Faeries

Garden lore of the faeries and the flowers they use

Lady’s Mantle
This plant is used because faerie lore says that the Faeries can shower with the dewdrops. (The dewdrops from this perennial keep away wrinkles. This is very important for someone as old as the Faeries.)

Lavender
The clan likes to have parties and lavender infused wine is one of their favorites. (Lore says it promotes pure knowledge!) Lavender plants are where the Faeries drape their clothes to dry and the lavender scent perfumes the air so there is no stress.

Thyme
The Faeries build their homes under the mounds of thyme.

Rosemary
Rosemary is good for the memory! For a unique look use the trailing variety and it will cascade down over the side of the chair.
photo credit: Retromoderns

Boxwood
Boxwood can be clipped into a topiary tree and decorated. It adds a special touch to any Faerie garden. The small leaf boxwood would be the best to use.

Sweet Woodruff
The whirly white blossoms of the sweet woodruff reflect the moonlight adding a deeper dimension to the arrangement.

Woolly Lambs Ear

Now comes the fun part! Putting it all together.

This is a somewhat messy project so it’s best to have a place to work outside. A porch or garage would work nicely.

Cut 2 squares of chicken wire 12 inches wider than the opening of the chair seat. Staple the chicken wire to the sides and form the excess wire into a pouch. Double the staples to insure the pouch is secure and will hold the additional weight of the added plants and soil.

Line the bottom of the chicken wire pouch with wet sphagnum moss until a two-inch base covers the mesh. Fill in the pouch with a good potting soil amended with compost or well-rotted manure. Finish off the planting area by bringing the soil up to the level of the top of the seat.

Gently remove the herb plants from their pots and start planting them in the soil. Remember to keep taller growing plants at the back and the shorter plants to the front. Water well and cover the soil around the plants with the green sheet moss.

The curly branches should be twisted down a leg of the chair. They say faeries will use the branches to climb.

Add a decorative stool or small table and a few teacups and you will have a unique look. Inviting to all; including Faeries.