Make a DIY fairy garden out of a tree stump. There are many ways to make a fairy garden tree stump. Below we share how to make a DIY fairy garden in a tree stump with a stone stack planter.
Make a fairy garden tree stump! This nature-scaped fairy garden tutorial offers a fun way to make a fairy garden with natural items found in your yard or garden, such as an old tree stump or tree, and/or garden stones.
Miniature gardens like this DIY fairy garden in a tree stump, offer a magical play space for both children and adults to develop the imagination. Small gardens are also wonderful outdoor sensory play areas for children to learn about plant care, and develop the sensory system.
Related: How to Make a Fairy Garden Step by Step Tutorial
Related: DIY Outdoor Art Table and Mud Kitchen
How to Make a Fairy Garden in a Tree Stump with a Stone Container
Make a DIY fairy garden out of an old tree stump! There are as many ways to make a fairy garden tree stump as there are tree stumps.
This tree stump fairy garden has a beautiful beginning and a very sad ending filled with hope. My brother created this fairy garden out of an old stump, and some garden rocks that he dug up in my mother’s backyard.
Unfortunately, a wildfire known as the Campfire, burned the entire town of Paradise, CA down on November 8, 2018… and it took this miniature tree stump garden with it.
The good news is that it is regenerating, even though it has been completely abandoned, and is growing again sending its own message of hope, magic, and renewal each time we visit our family property.
Related: How to Make a Fairy Garden
DIY Fairy Garden Tree Stump Supplies
- Tree Stump
- Potting soil
and/or compost - Peat moss
- Small fairy garden plants and flowers from your local nursery.
- Gardening Trowel
- Fairy garden accessories and or small children’s toys: Fairies, gnomes, wizards, fairy houses, and other fairy garden accessories and miniatures.
- Stones, pebbles, glass gems, sea glass, wood slices, sand, moss, etc.
and/or 
Related: Fairy House Painted Rocks
Tree Stump DIY Fairy Garden Step by Step Tutorial
Learn how to make a miniature garden in or near a tree stump with this step by step DIY fairy garden tutorial.
Unfortunately, we do not have any before pictures of this tree stump garden because they were burned in the wildfire that also burned down this fairy garden. The only pictures that we still have of our fairy garden tree stump are the photos that I took with my cell phone a few days after my brother made it.
It took me a long time to write about this DIY fairy garden because of the tragedy that overtook it just a few short months after it was made. You can see a picture of our family property after the fire HERE.
I took these photos after my daughter completed adding fairy garden accessories to it. Instead of fairies, she chose to add a few simple animal toys
and a small toy tractor
to the fairy tree stump that my brother made.
Step 1 – Envision the Fairy Garden Tree Stump
Every tree stump is different, and therefore every fairy garden tree stump will be made differently. Spend some time looking at the tree stump and imagining how you would like it to look.
Think of the old stump like a cloud in the sky. What fairy garden do you see made around, on top of, or within it? Visualize how you would like your fairy garden tree stump to look and then collect your supplies and create your DIY fairy garden around the tree to match your visualization of it.
Related: How to Grow a Sunflower House
Step 2 – Gather Fairy Garden Supplies
Once you have decided on the type of garden that you would like to create next to the tree stump, gather the fairy garden supplies that you would like to use to make your miniature tree stump garden.
We recommend starting with just a few plants and accessories. In our experience, less is more and quality is more important than quantity. Material and “how to” suggestions can be found in the supply section above and in How to Make a Fairy Garden.
Step 3 – Make, Clear, or Build a Space to Grow a Fairy Garden on, in, or Next to a Tree Stump
As rare fig farmers, my mother and brother dug a lot of holes on our family property to plant a small fig orchard. As they did so, they dug up a lot of rocks on the property. They didn’t know what to do with them until the day my brother had a brilliant idea.
He decided to build a stone container, and turn the old rotting stump that they couldn’t remove into a fairy garden. He used the rocks he dug up to build a stone container to hold more soil next to the old tree stump to make more room for plants, fairies, and gnomes to find a home.
In doing so, he solved not one, but two problems in my mother’s backyard. What do we do with all these rocks, and, what do we do with that old stump in the yard? Make a fairy garden in a tree stump with a stone container!
How to Make a Stone Container Near a Tree Stump
- Starting at the base, stack river rock or garden stones in a circular formation, layer by layer, to make a container to hold more soil for the tree stump fairy garden.
- Add soil and water a little bit at a time to the stone container.
- The layers of soil and water will slide in between the balanced rocks and help solidify the rock structure similar to the way that an adobe house uses mud.
or 
in a circular formation, layer by layer, to make a container to hold more soil for the tree stump fairy garden.
Related: Rock Balancing Stone Stacking Art
Step 4 – Add Soil Mix to Miniature Tree Stump Garden
The dirt in your yard is dead, while the soil is rich and alive. We recommend creating a mixture of organic potting soil, peat moss, and compost to add to your fairy garden to help the fairy garden plants grow.
My brother added his homemade soil mix into the hole and crevices of the tree stump, and, to the stone stacked container that he created near the tree stump.
Related: Composting at Home: What, Why, and How to Compost
Step 5 – Plant Fairy Garden Plants
Plant a few small fairy garden plants in the organic soil that you have added to the container or space that you have created or cleared in or around the tree stump. Make sure you leave plenty of room to add fairy garden accessories and create scenes. Pop over to have a look at how to make a fairy garden for more information.
Step 6 – Add Fairy Garden Accessories to Complete Fairy Tree Stump Garden
Instead of adding fairies to our fairy garden tree stump, our daughter chose to add a few toy turtles
, a lizard
, some simple woodland animal toys and a small toy tractor to the DIY fairy garden that my brother made.
DIY Miniature Tree Stump Garden
Make a miniature fairy garden out of an old tree stump in your yard or garden. Fairy gardens are fun for both children and adults to make.
They also make wonderful outdoor sensory play spaces for children. Click on the link to learn more about how to make a DIY fairy Garden!
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
More Ways to Learn in the Garden
More DIY Outdoor Play Areas for Kids
- How to Make an Outdoor Chalkboard
- DIY Outdoor Art Table and Mud Kitchen
- Best Backyard Sandboxes for Kids
- How to Grow a Sunflower House
- Best Sand and Water Tables
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