10 Best Places for Cheap Fairy Garden Supplies | Fairy Garden DIY (2024)

If you’re ready to get building your fairy garden, you’ll want to know where to buy cheap fairy garden supplies

I’ll be honest, fairy gardening is a hobby that you can really run away with the budget! I sometimes get carried away when it comes to purchasing fairy garden supplies because I “can write off all my expenses through the website” LOL.

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One of the great things about fairy gardening is that some of the cheapest supplies lend themselves to making the CUTEST DIY fairy garden accessories! (Like free things you can find in your backyard, or dirt cheap stuff from the dollar store!)

I’ve become an expert at knowing where to purchase fairy garden supplies cheap.

Here’s my favorite places to find everything you’ll need to make a fairy garden

(This list encompasses all the places I look for supplies to make my fairy gardens. If just want to purchase fairy garden accessories that are pre-made, obviously you’ll skip your own back yard, your junk draw, and garage sales, but everywhere else on the list is good for cheap fairy garden accessories that you don’t make yourself.)

1) Your Own Backyard

Obviously, the CHEAPEST fairy garden supplies are the ones you don’t pay anything for!

My absolute favorite place to find the cheapest materials for building fairy garden accessories is nature. (I also prefer the look of “natural” materials to purchased ones – like the fairies collected these things themselves!)

Here’s some examples of free fairy garden building materials you can find in your backyard:

  • sticks
  • rocks
  • leaves
  • acorns
  • moss
  • seeds
  • bark

Here’s a number of fairy accessories that I built almost entirely with materials collected from my backyard.

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2) Your Junk Drawer

Everyone has a junk drawer – right?

You never know what’s inside there that might prove useful to the fairies – mine had a few champagne bottle tops kicking around in it for YEARS! (Literally, years. From before I had kids.)

This past winter we made a patio set with our champagne bottle tops! (Yes, I did buy another bottle of champagne and drink it just to get one more top and the cork hahaha.)

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3) Garage Sales + Thrift Stores

Keep your eyes open for treasures that you won’t find anywhere else…

Garage sales and thrift stores are a great place to find unique containers for fairy gardens. (I got the cute tea cup for my teacup garden at a thrift store!)

One thing to watch for is old tea collectible figurines called “Wade Whimsies” (like these). These make a super cute addition to any fairy garden, and they are pretty plentiful so most people don’t ask too much money for them!

4) The Dollar Store

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The dollar store is the next cheapest place to get fairy supplies, (regardless of if you want to DIY your entire garden and all it’s décor or if you want to buy ready-made accessories) and most towns have multiple dollar stores!

If you go to Dollar Tree in the spring, they often bring in cheap fairy garden accessories for less than 2 bucks each (if you don’t want to build your own).

This summer we got a number of cute little houses, a tiny red truck, some hedgehogs on a teeter-totter, and a tiny bridge for less than 10 dollars total!

The dollar store is also my go to place for buying craft supplies to DIY my own accessories – things like:

  • popsicle sticks (there are SO many popsicle stick fairy garden accessories to make)
  • glue (hot glue, super glue etc)
  • dried moss
  • buttons (these make cute roofing material for fairy houses)
  • aquarium rocks

5) Amazon has loads of cheap fairy garden supplies

It’s amazing what you can get on Amazon – it’s probably the best place to buy fairy garden supplies!

Sometimes it’s cheaper to purchase fairy garden supplies online than it is to by them in a store front (just like anything, I guess).

You can order all kinds of adorable pre-made fairy garden accessories on Amazon like:

Amazon is also a really great place to get craft supplies like polymer clay; for making polymer clay fairy garden accessories yourself!

6) Michaels Craft Store

Michaels has absolutely awesome craft supplies to make your own fairy garden décor, but they also have a special dollhouse miniatures section where I get a TON of cute things that I just couldn’t ever make.

I never expected Michaels to be a CHEAP place to buy fairy garden accessories, so that was pretty surprising to me, but this tiny book and this tiny bucket (pictured next to a marble for scale) are great examples – they were about a dollar each, and I just couldn’t make these things that cheap – esp. when you factor in the time it would take to make them!

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7) Etsy is amazing for fairy garden supplies

It’s true that you can buy some less-than-cheap fairy garden accessories on Etsy, but look around because you can also get some AMAZING deals on unique one of a kind fairy garden accessories there too!

Etsy is also the place where I’ve found some of the more unusual craft supplies for making my own fairy accessories, like dried gourds and giant pinecones! For example, if you want to pull them apart to make a roof for your fairy house, like I did with this one:

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8) Independent Online Shops

I’m actually always surprised at how some of these shops can make a living because their fairy garden supplies are really affordable!

If you’re wondering where to buy fairy garden items, fairygardenstore.com and factorydirectcraft.com are both places to look for cheap fairy garden accessories online.

9) The Fish Aquarium Section at Walmart

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So many of the cute fish tank decor items available at Walmart (or I imagine also Target or your local pet shop) are PERFECT as fairy garden supplies.

There are plenty of faux plants (that’ll hold up just fine in wet or cold climates!) and you can even get tiny houses or treasure chests or rocks!

Wouldn’t this “fish tree house” make an amazing fairy house?

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10) The Garden Center

Obviously, if you’re using real plants in your fairy garden, you ‘ll need plants and dirt.

Not surprisingly, I also often find other fairy garden décor that works in my gardens, like this huge cute green mushroom I got at the garden center earlier this year:

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I also pick up a lot of my unique containers for my gardens at the garden center! If you know you are going to be making fairy gardens, go at the end of the season when they run their clearance sales.

Where’s your favorite place to get inexpensive fairy garden supplies?

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10 Best Places for Cheap Fairy Garden Supplies | Fairy Garden DIY (2024)

FAQs

Where do people put fairy gardens? ›

All you need for an indoor fairy garden is a pot or planter, some small plants, garden or potting soil and whimsical accessories. Fairy gardens are also ideal for outdoor nooks, flower beds and borders, outdoor containers and even children's wagons, carts or wheelbarrows.

What is a fairy garden called? ›

The fairy garden craze is sweeping the nation and for good reason. Fairy gardens, also known as miniature gardens, are popular with people of all ages. Miniature gardening can be enjoyed by anyone, even by apartment dwellers and those without yards.

What size planter for fairy garden? ›

Depending on how large your garden will be will determine the size of pot to use. I find that a 10-12+ inch pot is a good average size to start with. You want to try and stick to plants that have similar requirements such as the amount of light and water they need.

What to put in the bottom of a fairy garden? ›

Many fairy gardens use planters, terra cotta pots, or galvanized buckets as their base, but anything that holds dirt will do. (Preferably it would be something with drainage holes in the bottom, to prevent your plants from getting waterlogged.)

What are the rules for fairy gardens? ›

RULES OF THUMB
  • Don't use iron or nickel in the fairy garden as they will repel your fairies.
  • Fairies appreciate when you recycle, compost and garden organically.
  • Perfect playmates for fairies are fireflies, ladybugs and butterflies.
  • Fairies have an affection for honey, sugar and sweet cakes.

Which two things do most fairy gardens have? ›

“The basic elements of a fairy garden are miniature plants, fairies and their friends [like dogs, cats and ducks] and accessories,” says Bawden-Davis. “Accessories run the gamut, from tiny watering pails to little rakes and hoes to birdbaths, benches, gazebos and gazing globes.

What does a fairy garden symbolize? ›

In literature and art, garden fairies serve as powerful symbols of innocence, wonder, and the magic of the natural world. Their presence in stories and paintings often evokes a sense of nostalgia for childhood, when the boundary between reality and imagination was more fluid.

Do you use real plants in a fairy garden? ›

The best plants for a fairy garden are fairy-sized, so think miniature alpines, mosses and flowers. Fairy Gardening is such a fun hobby and one you can enjoy with kids too, but it's really important to select the right plants when starting off.

Do fairies like mirrors? ›

Shiny things—fairies love to look at their reflection, so include shiny things like a mirror or a dish of water in your garden design.

Are fairy gardens still popular in 2024? ›

But hear us out. Large houseplants are going to remain incredibly popular but so are miniature indoor gardens. Add some whimsy to your home with terrariums, bonsai, or even fairy gardens. Terrariums will be especially popular this year for this trend and we have everything you need to get started!

Are fairy gardens good luck? ›

It is said that with a fairy garden one has good luck. Perhaps this is why it has become such a popular pastime that people just can't resist. There are many websites and stores offering almost anything anyone could imagine to keep expanding their fantasy gardens.

What kind of dirt to use in a fairy garden? ›

For most types of fairy gardens a standard soil recipe is two parts commercial soil, one part peat moss or compost.

How do you make a fairy garden for beginners? ›

Add soil or sand, and build your garden using found objects such as pine cones, sticks and stones, or miniature decorative items you've made or purchased at a craft store. Stick with a certain theme, such as a cottage garden, the beach or the woodlands—or not!

Do fairy gardens need sunlight? ›

A fairy garden is actually a great option to place in hard to grow areas. Other than some small garden plants, most items that make up a fairy garden will be things that don't need to worry about direct sunlight or good soil.

What can I use instead of soil in fairy garden? ›

Papercrete for Fairy Gardens. Many of you may have heard of hypertufa, a mixture comprised usually of perlite, sand, peat moss and portland cement.

How do you make a fairy garden pathway? ›

For example, if you want to form a natural stone walkway, fill the edged area with sand, and pat it down (I like to use a small piece of wood for this step.) On top of the sand, place stones to cover the area for the pathway, fill in the spaces with the mini path and patio mix, and pat it down again.

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