‘An opportunity to preserve wonder’: Fairy garden blooms at Cold Brook

Whimsy and imagination flourish along a side trail at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve. This special place is home to a fairy garden, populated by all sorts of delightful figurines and settings. It’s a place where children are free to play, rearrange the residents and let their creativity soar.

A peaceful gnome marks the entrance to the fairy garden, adjacent to the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve. 

Several years ago, the fairy garden was created by Dianne Wadsworth,  her son Ty, and a friend, Nancy Carroll. Wadsworth’s lovely backyard borders the fairy garden, and over time, a marvelous and playful village arose that accidentally migrated onto an “owners unknown” parcel.

“We have a storybook section, a school section, a playground section, dog section and a scary section with skeletons and that type of thing,” said Wadsworth.

The future looks bright for the fairies and their friends after Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) acquired the approximately 4,000 square-foot “owners unknown” parcel at a town land auction in March. The property is adjacent to HCT’s Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve and includes the fairy garden area.

HCT plans to rejuvenate the garden for programs led by teacher Andrea Higgins who has a gift for cultivating curiosity, creativity and imagination.

Children are free to rearrange the fairy garden to create new settings and new stories. Wadsworth, who visits the fairy garden often, said she is always delighted and surprised at the invention and reinvention that the space inspires.

California adventures

Now retired, Wadsworth was a former teacher at the Laurel School in Brewster. But in her earlier days, she had some interesting adventures in California.

Dianne Wadsworth, one of the creators of the fairy garden. 

“I was a teacher at a private school in Malibu,” she said. “I taught a lot of celebrities’ children in a canyon setting in Malibu. I taught Goldie Hawn’s child and Kris Kristofferson was a friend. It was a very rustic setting that used to be an old fire station.”

And that friendship with Kristofferson bloomed into a romance. “I almost married him,” said Wadsworth. “We dated and went out.”

Wadsworth said she would welcome fairy garden help from the Harwich Conservation Trust. “I don’t feel like bending down and picking things up and fixing things as much as I used to,” she said.

A bright fairy garden future

HCT naturalist and Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide Andrea Higgins is excited about creating programming centered on the fairy garden. And she has a special connection to Wadsworth, who taught her daughter in elementary school.

“I’m so excited that the fairy garden is going to be part of the Harwich Conservation Trust,” said Higgins. “I was thinking about HCT’s mission, ‘Preserve, Restore, Explore.’ And this is an opportunity to preserve wonder, to preserve imagination, to preserve childhood. This is an opportunity for whimsy and wonder and magic. And to have a space that children can return to, and then, someday, bring their children and grandchildren.”

Gnomes relax in the fairy garden. 

Popular Higgins programs that would seem a great fit for the fairy garden include “Newbies in Nature,” where caregivers and babies enjoy companionship, connection and the beautiful sense of wonder from the young ones as they discover the intriguing world around them.

Higgins also leads HCT-sponsored events with the Monomoy Regional School District’s SHORE (Students Have Opportunities for Recreation and Employment) program, for young adults ages 18-22, who face challenges with autism and intellectual challenges. The HCT programs take students on adventures of curiosity and discovery exploring local conservation lands, and the fairy garden could provide a creative addition to the Cold Brook Preserve experience.

Stay tuned for updates on fairy garden planning and guided family programs. HCT hopes to raise funds that can support hiring a landscape designer, creating a pollinator garden with native plants, and adding whimsical features that will foster more fairy garden magic.

The enchanting possibilities of the garden have already inspired Higgins to hit the library and check out books about fairies. And Higgins is also excited to continue the tradition of Wadsworth’s imaginative approach to education. “Dianne is truly a creative teacher and to be able to honor her and her creative path is such a gift,” said Higgins.

—HCT offers great guided programs year-round. To see the full calendar view of upcoming walks and events, click here.

—Sign up for HCT eNews, a great way to stay in the loop about exciting HCT events, guided walks and other interesting news.

—Your tax-deductible contributions help fulfill the mission of the Harwich Conservation Trust to preserve land that protects woods, water, wildlife and our shared quality of life. And your land-saving financial support helps us preserve beautiful properties that can become stellar trail destinations. Find out how to donate by clicking here.