Using Project Management to Transform My Yard into a Whimsical Fairy Garden
As a project manager, I specialize in addressing key challenges such as scope definition, budget management, and timeline coordination. I want to share how these project management practices can be effectively applied to a real-world project. By transforming an overgrown corner of my yard into a whimsical fairy garden, I navigated the challenges of cost, scope, and time, demonstrating the practical application of my skills.
In the spring of 2020, I discovered an HGTV article with instructions for building a “magical backyard fairy ring” (link). At that time, I was balancing remote work, full-time parenting, and teaching my son his kindergarten lessons. The idea of creating a "magical backyard fairy ring" was very appealing during this “stay at home” phase of life. The idea of creating a fairy garden stayed with me for the next few years. We had an overgrown corner of our yard that I was eager to clear out. In 2023, I finally cleaned the space by transplanting some ferns and removing overcrowded daylilies and weeds. In the spring of 2024, I planned to reseed the area with grass until I spotted fairy garden houses and figurines at a local discount store.
I approach many aspects of my life as projects, including this fairy garden. A project is defined as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result” (PMI, 2008a, p. 5). This means that a project must have defined start and end points, and the result of the project work must be something unique. In the context of gardening, planning and converting a space in a backyard to a garden is a project, whereas regularly watering and weeding the garden is not. At this point in my fairy garden project, it was time to employ my project management skills.
Project management involves planning, organizing, and managing a project to achieve its goals. Three key aspects of project management are cost, scope, and time, which form the project management triangle.
Cost: I had spent about $15 on supplies so far. Based on online prices, I knew this project would fit within the budget I typically allocated for spring planting. Therefore, I didn’t set a specific budget but monitored expenses closely to ensure they remained reasonable.
Scope: I found further inspiration by searching for fairy garden pictures on social media. The photos helped me define the scope of the fairy garden, which included six fairy houses, connecting pathways, living flowers and succulents, small fairy or gnome figurines, and a fence to separate the fairy garden from the rest of the yard.
Time: It was Friday afternoon, and we did not have many plans for Saturday. I reasoned that I could finish the project within two days. However, we had plans with family on Sunday afternoon, so I would likely finish the project on Monday or Tuesday.
Early Saturday morning, my daughter and I headed out to buy supplies. Picking out houses and small figures was easy because I had a vision of where they would go. We also bought patio pavers, flowers, succulents, pebbles, glass gems, a 12” x 12” moss mat, and a small fence to place around the border of the fairy garden. Back at home, I set to work placing paving stones to use as foundations for the fairy houses. I planted the flowers and succulents. With my daughter helping, we started to lay down the glass gems and pebbles to make pathways between the houses. We quickly ran out of pathway supplies. I moved on to cutting the moss mat into smaller pieces and tacking it down around the houses to give the appearance of grass.
By noon, we had made more progress than anticipated. I stepped back to survey the progress. There was more bare dirt than I had anticipated. I was at a decision point: what should I do to cover the bare dirt? Should I wait to see how the plants fill in the space? Should I buy ground cover plants? More pebbles or moss mats? I noticed some fairy gardens used artificial turf. Should I use that? I compared costs and considered the time involved. If I ordered artificial turf, it would take several days to arrive, delaying my timeline. Even if I drove to the nearest store, it would take time to measure and cut the turf, and I might have to redo some of the work already completed.
Outlining the pros and cons for each potential decision allowed me to weigh my options and make a decision. Reflecting on my original planning, finishing the project quickly was of the most importance to me. Therefore, I eliminated the artificial turf option. I did not want to leave bare dirt and wait for plants to fill in, as this would leave the project looking unfinished. I decided to purchase an additional moss mat and more pebbles.
Saturday afternoon, I went to the hardware store to get more garden stakes and to the craft store to purchase the other supplies. By Saturday evening, I had placed down the second moss mat and finished most of the pathways between houses. Unfortunately, I had miscalculated and ran out of moss mat before covering all the bare soil. Because of our plans on Sunday afternoon, I didn’t do any work on Sunday. Monday morning I made one last trip to the craft store to purchase a third moss mat, with which I was able to complete the fairy garden. I am proud of the garden and pleased with the touch of whimsy it adds to our backyard.
As a reflective person by nature, I regularly contemplate past events, considering what I could have done differently or better. At the end of projects involving a team, I typically hold a lessons learned session to discuss what went, what didn’t go well, and how things could be improved upon in future projects. Lessons learned meetings are typically held a few weeks after a project is complete in order to give the time to reflect and understand if expectations were really met. Even though the fairy garden was a small project, and I did most of the work by myself, I took time to reflect on lessons learned from the project.
Overall, the finished garden met my expectations.
The number of houses and figurines was just the right amount for the size of the space.
The garden is low maintenance. I’ve weeded once in the 6 weeks since finishing the project. We’ve had more than a few rainstorms with high winds and there hasn’t been any damage.
My time estimate of 2 days was a good one. If I had two full days to fully dedicate to the fairy garden, I would have finished within that time frame.
A few things I would have done differently:
I would have looked at artificial turf options at the home improvement store on my first visit.
On my first shopping trip, I was trying to be budget-conscious and buy the minimal amount of supplies needed. If I had to do it again, I would have purchased an excess of supplies to avoid multiple trips back to the store, which slowed down the work. If I had purchased more in the beginning, I could have returned any unopened supplies after the project was done.
If the fairy garden had been larger in scale, I would have more thoroughly planned the budget by researching prices to prepare an itemized list of expenses. After creating an activity list, the activities would have been planned by day or week and mapped in a Gantt chart. Project risks, such as rain affecting the ability to complete activities, would have been documented. The probability and severity of each risk would have been considered, with mitigation plans made for any high risks. This information would have been documented in a project charter so that anyone else involved in the project could review it to ensure alignment on project goals. In a project charter, I also include a list of team members with their roles and responsibilities.
I apply project management tools and practices in a manner appropriate for the size and scope of the project, leveraging a range of methodologies to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. Whether it involves detailed budget planning, rigorous risk management, or comprehensive activity scheduling, I tailor my approach to align with the specific requirements and constraints of each project. This ensures that resources are used optimally, timelines are adhered to, and project goals are met, regardless of the project's scale. The fairy garden project was small in scale and scope, yet it serves as a practical demonstration of my project management skills. By effectively managing scope, cost, and time, and navigating challenges and delays, I delivered a successful project. These skills are not limited to gardening projects; they are applicable to a wide range of projects, from corporate initiatives to personal endeavors. Whether it involves defining clear objectives, managing timelines or budgets, my project management expertise can drive success and deliver quality results in any context.
