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After a season away, the fairy garden outside the Wauwatosa Public Library has returned.

Librarian Sue Marshall will tell children the fairies moved to Florida for the winter, but behind the magic, the garden was taken down for preservation during the season’s harsh weather.

Back for its second year, the garden has undergone a few upgrades, with the help of the Wauwatosa Forestry Department. City landscape architect Stephanie Wilson designed a schematic map for planting. The department also installed a berm and various plants.

“(Wilson) designed a map of where the plants would go, and which plants would lend themselves to look like fairy plants or magical-looking plants,” Marshall said.

The fairy garden has been a dream for Marshall and fellow librarian Jo-Anne Keller. The two teamed up, using their shared love of gardening and imagination to create the garden for the first time in summer 2018.

The garden can be best seen from a floor-to-ceiling window in the children's section of the library, where story time is often held. 

The display includes statues of fairies, fairy houses, a mini gravel walkway and various plants and flowers. Although they have bought some items, Marshall said the librarians make an effort to use natural or homemade decorations.

'The power of imagination'

Marshall emphasized the importance of cultivating imagination in the minds of developing children. The garden is a wonderful aid in fostering that sense of creativity, she said.

“We just think the power of the imagination is so strong at this age, and it’s nice to help develop those skills at a young age because it’s harder when they get older,” Marshall said. “Their imaginations just go wild. It really helps to have something like the garden, where there’s a little mystery in there.”

The garden is effective in pulling children away from screens and toward nature as well, Marshall said.

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“We think that it’s really important to not always have everything on a screen. Screens are great, but we like to balance that out,” she said.

Wildlife is also attracted to the area, Marshall said, including a neighborhood squirrel, geese and ducks.

“I think it’s really fun because the kids are directed away from their computers and whatever else they’re doing to look outside and see nature and how it changes,” Marshall said.

The librarians are looking forward to doing a craft day in the future, where children can create their own items to place in the garden.

Contact Jenny Whidden at jwhidden@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @jennyruthh.

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