Maybe its the childlike nature coming out in adult gardeners, or maybe its the joyful expectation of spending more quality time with children or grandchildren. Whatever the reason, so-called fairy gardens are a hot trend in the gardening community these days.

Hidden under shrubs or stately trees in botanical landscapes and private gardens or displayed at garden centers or on tabletops in homes, fairy gardens are providing an escape into a miniature world.

Fairy gardens consist of small-scale structures, tiny accessories, and diminutive plants that offer a fun way to create little landscapes that reflect the atmosphere and charming beauty of life-size natural settings. Ideally, the minigardens are set in small, somewhat secluded parts of a garden, giving visitors the feeling that they have happened upon a magical place.

But just as many fairy gardens are planted in containers and proudly displayed on tabletops, windowsills, patios, or porches.

These gardens can be as large or as small as you wish, filled with fairy figurines, furniture, gazebos, bridges, food accouterments such as cupcakes or hamburgers, beach umbrellas, and more.

Gardeners who lean toward formal gardens might create something akin to the Kensington Palace Gardens in London or the gardens at Frances Palace of Versailles. Traditionalists might choose a woodland setting; others might opt for a house surrounded by floral abundance. In truth, except for cultural requirements for plants, rules are few when it comes to designing a fairy garden.

The popularity of fairy gardening has spawned a flourishing industry in accessories. Numerous catalogs, online sources, and garden centers offer everything from the tiniest flip-flops, cups, and saucers to arbors, gazebos, and ornate fences. You can find tiny chicken and duck figurines as well as campers, tents, and hammocks even tiny potted plants, barbecues, and lounge chairs. Or you can make many such items yourself. Use rocks for tables and chairs; make teapots and birdhouses from acorns, or trellises and fences from twigs.

But what really makes the fairy gardens shine are the plants. Just as in any garden setting, select plants whose needs align with your intended site: shade plants for low-light areas, sun plants for areas that get plenty of daylight. Additionally, the idea is to choose plants that are on the same scale as your accessories. That means small, slow-growing plants. Here are a few good choices: babys tears (Soleirolia), mosses (Sagina subulata), and woolly or elfin thyme for lawns; creeping fig (Ficus pumila), miniature ivies, and red-stem pilea (Pilea glauca) to climb arbors; and miniature daisy (Bellium minutum), herons bill (Erodium sps.), and Mexican heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia) for a dash of colorful blooms.

Youll also find good options among dwarf houseplants such as miniature African violets, succulents, and even slow-growing palms. Small-leafed basil, rosemary, and boxwood can be trimmed to resemble trees and shrubs, while dwarf and mini-conifers are ideal for the outdoor gardens.

If you are eager to flex your creative horticultural muscles without the labor-intensive work of preparing and caring for a large garden, fairy gardens may be for you.

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Heres a big botanical trend thats tiny

TIME Living Travel These Are the Worlds Most-Visited Castles Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany GL Archive / Alamy From Paris to Beijing, these historic castles and palaces draw millions of visitors for a glimpse of the lifestyles of the rich and famous

Imagine a castle: it probably looks a lot like Germanys Neuschwanstein Castle, the turreted inspiration for Walt Disneys Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Each year, more than 1.5 million travelers are inspired to make the steep walk or catch a horse-drawn carriage to reach this castle perched on a rocky outcropping in the Bavarian countryside.

People have always been interested in celebrities and powerful people and their homes, says Cordula Mauss, PR officer for the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces. Immediately after the death of Ludwig II in 1886, the first tourists came and wanted to see what their king had built as his private residence.

While castles, palaces, and chteaux naturally pique such curiosity, not all have Neuschwansteins European fairy-tale looks. Some of the worlds most-visited castles, found across Asia, feature red exteriors, pagodas, and gates.

Consider Bangkoks gold-spired Grand Palace, where Thai kings lived for 150 years, and where 8 million annual visitors now traipse through ornate rooms, manicured gardens, and temples, including one that houses a revered Buddha carved from a single block of jade.

Other longtime royal residences have been repurposed as museums. St. Petersburgs riverfront Winter Palace, for instance, is the sixth-most-visited castle, thanks to the appeal of masterworks by Titian and da Vinci along with lavish restored interiors, where Catherine the Great once held court.

Americas closest approximation is Californias Hearst Castle, though it fell short of our top 20 list with only 750,000 annual visitors. And while Windsor Castle squeaked in at No. 19, Buckingham Palace didnt make the grade (567,613 annual visitors), nor did Romanias Bran Castle (542,000) or a single Irish castle. Irelands most visited, Blarney Castle, welcomed 365,000 in 2013.

That said, there can be a downside to having too many visitorsthese are delicate, historic structures that have existed for hundreds of years, and some, like Neuschwanstein, limit the daily entries. But its hard to stem curiosity when it comes to the lives of the blue-blooded.

As Mauss puts it: Who didnt want to be a prince or a princess or at least a knight when he or she was a child?

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These Are the Worlds Most-Visited Castles

Those who attended the two-day Rhythm and Alps music festival in the Cardrona Valley went home yesterday morning having dodged at least one bullet.

No-one was very likely to have a case of sunburn from their time camping, drinking and listening to music, as the sun emerged properly only as patrons left the festival grounds on Robrosa Station.

The festival attracted a crowd of about 5000, about half last year's.

However, a passing parade of heavy rain showers, strong southerly winds and cold temperatures did not seem to affect the good mood of those spoken to by the Otago Daily Times.

Hannah Cleaver, of Auckland, said the weather was ''pretty average'' but she had enjoyed the festival, lamenting only the lack of a countdown to midnight.

Abbey Holloway, of Christchurch, said she was ''absolutely saturated'' on New Year's Eve and had a ''freezing'' night in her tent, but the rain did stop before midnight and she had a really good time.

Rory Hill, of Queenstown, said he did not suffer from the cold and the festival ''couldn't have been much better''.

Edward Williams, of Christchurch, was attending the festival for the second time and considered it ran more smoothly than last time. With a smaller crowd, it was ''a little bit less hectic but still heaps of fun''.

Kyle Howard, from Vancouver, said on New Year's Eve there were gazebos flying across the campsite in the wind.

''Everyone was still in high spirits, ready to face the elements, so it was very nice.''

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Weather fails to dent high spirits

Miami, Florida (PRWEB) January 01, 2015

Alumicenter, Inc is announcing that they are beginning the New Year with the ability to offer architects, general contractors, builders and home and business owners the Equinox Louvered Roof system. This roof system is ideal for coverings for patios, decks, spas, swimming pools, outdoor kitchens, BBQ areas, gazebos,courtyards, entryways and anywhere else where sun, light and weather control is desired. What is very important is that the Equinox Louvered Roof has been site-specific engineered for this particular area of the state.

Unlike the manual roll-out shades one might see on older homes and patios, Alumicenter Inc stresses that this is an adjustable roof that transforms from a solid covering to an open garden trellis or pergola style covering giving light, ventilation and views of the sky above. With the touch of a solar-powered button, Equinox gives complete flexibility of light and weather control needs for any outdoor living area year round.

Alumicenter Project Manager, Juan Cohen, said Equinox is truly an exciting product and one that has been needed in the South Florida area for years. Once installed it costs virtually nothing to operate because of the built-in solar power unit. It is so easy to use that it is appropriate for older citizens as well as those with physical disabilities. The roof is rain-sensored.

The Equinox Louvered Roof system will not compete with building designs. Whether blueprints or plans call for gable or pitched roof, bay windows or doors, or an angled roof or walls, a system can be engineered to suit the unique design. Applications Design possibilities are endless with multiple colors, materials, finishes and styles. These include aluminum, steel, wood, stucco and paint.

Cohen also said, This is a system that has to been seen to fully appreciate. It does not look like a cheap extension but rather an original piece of the design plan.

Those who want to see the Equinox Louvered Roof being offered by Alumicenter, Inc. should visit http://alumcenter.net/louvered-roof/

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Revolutionary energy-efficient adjustable patio roof is now available to homes and commercial buildings in Miami-Dade ...

Camp staff and police have been blamed for inflaming the massive New Year's Eve riot in Gisborne which ended in 63 arrests and 83 people being injured.

The large-scale disorder broke out across two campgrounds being used for the BW Summer Festival.

Police battled with the drunken mobs for three hours.

Officers were pelted with cans and other objects, vehicles were overturned, fights broke out, and several fires were lit.

"It was pure luck that someone didn't lose their life," said Tairawhiti area commander Inspector Sam Aberahama.

Videos have started to emerge that show the extent of the carnage.

Beer cans and other missiles are seen being thrown between groups across two campsites.

Festival goers can be seen sheltering under air mattresses to protect themselves.

One eyewitness took to online social forum Reddit to hit out at camp staff and police for their role in the escalating drama.

The poster, Heavy--Metal--Viking said small fires started getting lit at around 4pm and were dealt with by staff.

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63 arrests at New Year's Eve riot

Also featuring a 14-piece funk band, an all-vinyl soul and funk party and a subversive out-of-town punk band.

8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, at Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., Seattle; $20 (206-709-9442 or http://www.neumos.com). With Pillar Point, Manatee Commune, k o m o n o, Customs DJs

Seattle electro-pop quartet Beat Connection has a lot to look forward to in 2015, namely the release of its still-untitled second LP. The group is set to debut songs from that album at this show; promising local producer K o m o n o, who recently remixed BCsingle Another Go Round, is among the reasons to get there early.

(Grandstand Media & Management)

8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, at The Tractor Tavern, 5231 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle; $25 (206-789-3599 or http://www.tractortavern.com). With Gazebos, Corey J. Brewer

Compared to contemporaries like Fleet Foxes or The Head and The Heart, theres a foreboding undercurrent to The Cave Singers stripped-down folk music. Last year saw the rather unheralded release of fourth album Naomi, a brighter, higher-fidelity album produced by Phil Ek (Built to Spill, The Shins).

8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, at Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., Seattle; $30$35 (360-652-0444 or http://www.showboxpresents.com). With Two Story Zori, Lions Ambition

The four members of Californias Common Kings hail from various parts of the South PacificHawaii, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. The groups music is fittingly worldly and diverse, flitting between hook-minded pop rock, modern R&B and rootsy reggae.

8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, at Highline, 210 Broadway Ave E., Seattle; $20$25 (206-328-7837 or http://www.highlineseattle.com). With FANG, The Derelicts

Its a testament to how much Sub Pop has changed that its now releasing records by Shabazz Palaces and Washed Out rather than records like 1990s Blood Guts & Py by Chicago punk hellraisers The Dwarves. The band is known for its inspired live shows, crude lyrical themes and unprintable-in-the-Seattle-Times album art.

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Your New Year's Eve in Seattle music: Shabazz Palaces, Beat Connection and more

REDLANDS: Edwards Mansion marks 40 years of weddings EDWARDS MANSION

Where: 2064 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands

Anniversary promotions: Free wedding ceremony ($995 value) for brides and grooms who book receptions at Edwards Mansion in 2015. Free engagement photo taken at Edwards Mansion (by appointment) for brides and grooms who tour the mansion's complex in January and February. Copies of the mansion's orange muffin and orange pie recipes on request.

Information: 909-793-2031, edwardsmansion.com

REDLANDS A Victorian edifice that has launched many weddings is marking a 40th anniversary today.

Edwards Mansion opened as a restaurant Dec. 31, 1974. It was a project of the late Don Wilcott and is still run by his family as a private events venue.

The three-story, 14-room structure sits near the San Bernardino County Museum on the north side of Interstate 10. But it was erected in 1890 a few miles away, on Cajon Street south of the freeway near the city center.

It was built for citrus grower James S. Edwards, according to the Edwards Mansion website.

Sue Wilcott, Dons widow, said in a phone interview that she grew up across the street from the residence and marveled at its size. But it didnt become part of her life until Don bought the structure for $1 and moved it to orange groves across town for $60,000 in the summer of 1973.

Son Chris, who now runs the business, was 8 at the time and watched it being hauled on flatbeds through city streets after it was cut in two.

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REDLANDS: Edwards Mansion marks 40 years of weddings

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At FabFurnish.com, you never waste money rather you spend it for things that is worth the value. The products that we offer are undoubtedly the best in terms of both quality and appeal and we on no account ask for more. All our products, be it a plush bed, spacious cabinet, home furnishing can easily stand the test of time. We offer one year warranty on the complete collection of expensive furniture products. We can confidently bet that in the entire industry, you will not get such premium quality products at better and more lucrative prices. We not only understand the needs of our revered customers but also know how to value their hard earned money!

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Gazebos Online Buy Gazebos and Canopies Online in ...

The Amish built barns, sheds, garages, gazebos, horse barns, and run-in sheds from Brad's Barns enjoy a great reputation throughout the United States for their craftsmanship and design, structural integrity, and quality of materials. All of our structures are built with the highest attention to detail and it shows.If we don't have exactly what you want in stock, we can have it custom built for you. We can also design and custom build whatever structure you need on your property, from a potting shed to a two story multiple bay garage, or anything in between.

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Choose your Vinyl Siding Shed Click on each vinyl shed style below to learn more about prices, sizes, and standard features. Customize your colors, size and personal options in 3 Easy Steps to meet your needs. 3 Easy Steps to Ordering Your Shed

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Five Year Warranty included on all vinyl-siding sheds.

Please note: we are not responsible for errors due to technology or internet server issues or printing errors. If in doubt, please verify all pricing before placing your order.

*Due to the recent fluctuating fuel costs, shipping charges may vary. Upon your order confirmation, we will verify exact shipping costs with you.

Click on each vinyl shed style above to learn more about standard features and options. Customize your colors, size and personal options to meet your needs in 3 Easy Steps!

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