An eye for variety, detail

With a name like “fairy gardening,” someone unfamiliar with the hobby might assume it’s all about pixies, elves, dragons and other fantasy critters. In reality, there are multiple worlds available to retailers and their customers looking to invest in the up-and-coming gardening genre.

From folklore cottages to western desert landscapes and life-like mini-villages, fairy gardening creates opportunities to build any type of imaginative setting the retail garden center customer desires. This is why Becki Miller, manager of The Watering Can in Centerville, Ind., looks for a wide variety of mini-gardening figurines and structures when she’s buying new product for her store.

“I try to keep something for everyone,” Miller says. “I have a beach theme, zen garden stuff, I have saloon and country, I have a wide variety. I also try to have different scale, from the little [figures] to the bigger ones, because some people put it outside underneath a tree.”

Although fairy gardeners have access to many styles of figurines and accessories, old-world-style cottages and whimsical characters remain among the most popular genres.

Miller says she is able to stock such a varied selection of fairy garden products thanks in large part to the unexpected rise in popularity of the hobby. While many local competitors of The Watering Can offer fairy gardening items as seasonal offerings, Miller can stock them year-round.

“It just took off,” Miller says of the fairy gardening trend. “I’ve expanded my fairy garden area probably three times, now I have a permanent area.”

The importance of variety in product extends beyond theme, Miller says. When stocking her fairy gardening section, she also branches out with different sizes, colors and levels of detail and realism.

“I’ve got houses, but then I’ve got some that are more realistic, like homes, some that have brighter colors,” Miller says. “We have a wide variety, I think, for everyone because everybody’s taste is so different. So, that’s really what I look for, something that I can offer to everyone that might come in.”

Miller also likes to stock artificial plants for customers who aren’t as confident in their growing abilities but still want to experience fairy gardening.

“’Well, I don’t have a green thumb,’” Miller says she occasionally hears from customers. “You can always use artificial … there are just so many options.”

Keeping the customer in mind is the first step when purchasing new fairy gardening stock, Miller says. Whether a line of products is intended for children or adults, boys or girls, a wide variety of styles and shapes ensures that anyone who visits the store can find what they’re looking for.

“We have a lot of mothers and daughters, but we also have a lot of grandmothers and granddaughters, so I try to make sure I have things that little girls will like,” Miller says. “Not only little girls, but little boys; I have castles and dragons. It’s kind of for anybody, really.”