The Backstory: How I Landed in my “Magic Fairy Garden”
My husband and I went through the drama - bordering on trauma - of house hunting in the crazy 2021-2022 market. As city dwellers for over a decade, we originally thought we wanted a waterfront condo in Miami… and over the months (almost full year) of our search with a very limited budget in an epically and historically insane market, that dream evolved. To a single family house. WAY out of the city. We wanted our own space, with parking and our own 4 walls for the first time in our adult lives. And a more mellow vibe than we could find in Miami. Even if it meant a longer commute.
There was one common thread that ran through our hunt for our home from beginning to end. We cared more about the outdoor space than the indoor space. The original thought was to have a place to paddleboard where we could drop our boards in and be out in nature in no time. But that shifted to a willingness to make a short drive to the water in exchange for a private space where we could create the tropical garden of our dreams without an HOA to answer to.
We wound up in a home that’s quaint and super 1950’s inside… with what looks like a fairy garden out back. While I thought I wanted updated, I suddenly didn’t care at all about the fact that we had original jalousie windows or terrazzo flooring because when I stood under the Spanish Moss… I felt magic. I KNEW this was the one. And then a butterfly came and landed on my hand. It felt like a sign from the universe solidifying the vibes I was already feeling.
So here I am, a complete newbie gardener, with a garden way outside of my ability level. I love it deeply. I feel it’s magic. And I know I have A LOT to learn to keep it thriving. I’ll be documenting it here if you’d like to learn along with me or even just laugh at me playing in the dirt while I attempt to develop a green thumb.