The Magic Tree Box
Updated: Jul 11
This June for PRIDE MONTH, I wanted to highlight other folks on the LGBTQ+ spectrum who you can follow and support! I came across my friend Art / The Magic Tree Box on Instagram and became captivated by the whimsy and pride shown in his fairy gardens. We instantly clicked and bonded over our shared love of moss and lichen, fairy gardening as men, and how we overcome our insecurities in the hobby and enjoy it no matter what anyone thinks or says about it. So what if it's seen as "gay" or "girly" we enjoy it and it brings laughter and love and joy to our neighbors and local fairies alike. FairyFindrs, I invite you to come fly away with me as we learn more about this fascinating man and artist and how he use these natural elements to add magic to his very own creations! You can read more about the history of moss and lichen and modern uses on my blog here: Moss + Lichen.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your beginnings of interest in fairy tales and folklore? Tell us your Name, pronouns if you want, and how you got interested in miniatures and fairy gardens.
Answer: My name is Art, I have a degree in Computer Engineering and currently work as a software tester. I am a big computer and technical geek. I love electronic gadgets and video games. I love all disciplines of science. I approach most things in a very logical, non-creative way.
As a kid I loved fantasy movies and books like The Never Ending Story, Alice in Wonderland, Legend, The Goonies, Narnia, and The Dark Crystal.
As an adult, movies like The Lord of the Rings have really inspired my fairy garden. In fact, my primary vision was to create a miniature Shire.
I was not a very creative person growing up but I have always been obsessed with miniature scale versions of real-world environments. As a kid, I loved to arrange the pieces and farm animals in my tin-barn set over and over again. I could spend hours rearranging it and then more hours just looking at it, trying to decide how to make the scene more realistic. I also enjoyed building a scale ship model of the USS Constitution complete with sails, rigging, cannons and more.
(Jurassic Park-esque Dinosaur Garden terrarium created by Art is a way
that his love for miniature scenes and scale models has transformed
into the Fairy Garden and Terrarium hobbies)
My creative side really exploded and blossomed when I started my fairy garden. I had no intention of creating one but one day my husband saw a gnome door at the garden center. He didn’t know what it was or what it was for but thought is was really cute. So I bought it for him as a surprise. I didn’t really know what to do with it as we did not have any trees on our private property so I eventually put it on the big tree in front of our house.
(Preserved mosses in The Magic Tree Box fairy garden in Art's front yard)
I was a very uncomfortable about it because our neighborhood was a bit rough back then and it made me feel like I was making it too obvious that I was gay. I felt embarrassed, actually, so I figured I would see how my husband felt about it because he is usually very particular about his image and what other people think. I put it up when he was away for work so I could see his first reaction to it when he came home. To my surprise, he loved it and was not embarrassed at all about having it in front of our house in such a public place so I decided to leave it up.
I soon decided that it felt incomplete and out of place so I made a small pathway to it using white pea-gravel (see picture above). Then I added a white fairy fence and he rest is history. I really became obsessed with it once I found these really cool hobbit houses on Etsy.
Designing the landscape was very challenging and required a lot of thought and staging. I used rocks and boxes to simulate scale, height, and location of the houses in order to flesh out my design.
(Real mosses in a terrarium by Art)
I have found that working on my terrariums and fairy garden really help me to escape the stress and anxiety of my life. It is so mentally engaging that I have no room to think about anything and the time feels like it flies by very fast even though it is far from the truth. I can spend countless hours on them and never feel bad about it or think I wasted too much time. I find it to be incredibly rewarding.
My biggest challenge and proudest accomplishment is my working stream. I love to tell anyone who will listen about all the challenges I had and how the vision for it changed and evolved after many many hours of sweat and tears.
Seeing the joy it brings to people of all ages and backgrounds has been so wonderful. It makes me feel like I am able to awaken the imagination and child-like excitement in people of all ages; even the most masculine adult straight men.
(Image Left: Art prepping the base for one of his moss projects)
How do you source the moss and lichen you use in your creations? Do you find it elsewhere and transplant, grow it yourself from spores or existing mosses and lichens, or buy it?
Answer: I research online suppliers of live moss and lichen to be sure they are reputable and practice responsible sustainable harvesting. I sometimes harvest my own moss that I find in the gap of sidewalks or along fence lines or nestled in weed patches (gallery below from harvesting expeditions). I only harvest about 10-25% of the moss at any one location to ensure sustainability. I do not harvest moss from private property, parks, public areas or any other space that is ‘loved’ by someone. I only harvest lichen from broken dead branches of wood that I find around the city. Sometimes I can harvest some lichen from firewood that I buy.
(Slideshow Above: Moss and lichen cultivation scavenger hunts)
What unique characteristics and qualities do moss and lichen bring to your art and fairy gardens?
Answer: Moss looks great in a very small scale space such as a fairy garden or terrarium because of it’s low height and tiny stems. This enhances the magical element of a tiny world that your mind can escape into.
(Video Above shows micro terrariums by Art using real moss that he harvested)
Are there any particular artists or art movements that have influenced your approach to using moss and lichen and other natural resources in your creations?
Answer: Pictures and videos from the following Instagram accounts: ohsummossum, toyohidetanigawa, moss_connectgram, mossarium_kl, inmoss__
Can you describe the process of incorporating moss and lichen into your art pieces and fairy gardens?
Answer: When I collect wild moss, I soak it under water for a bit and then wash it very well under running water. This helps to remove unwanted insects, dirt, and other undesirable things like snails so that I do not introduce them into my terrariums.
(Cleaning and preparing harvested mosses for reuse for transplanting
into Art's terrariums and fairy garden creations)
What challenges or limitations have you encountered when working with moss and lichen?
Answer: I have a very hard time establishing moss and lichen in a new environment; regardless of whether I bought it or harvested it myself. The light, soil moisture, and humidity levels need to be very close to the environment the moss came from. It is very difficult to know what that was. With terrariums, it is difficult to compare the conditions of a terrarium to natural environmental conditions in order to be sure they are similar.
(Pictured above are three instances of mosses that were transplanted
and didn't survive, they are dead but still bring life and whimsy to the
fairy gardens, and a different range of colors too!)
Have you noticed any specific reactions or emotions from viewers when they see moss and lichen incorporated into your artwork and gardens?
Answer: Moss and lichen in my terrariums really catch people’s attention because they are not very common in terrariums. Something about them adds more realness; making the environment more like a natural environment.
(Various terrariums by Art ranging in size from Micro Terrariums to Giant Terrariums)
How do you take care of moss and lichen to ensure their longevity in your art and fairy gardens? Do you mainly work with living mosses or dried mosses or both?
Answer: Once moss or lichen is established in my terrariums, it is very low maintenance; requiring no pruning; no removal of dead leaves; and doesn’t have invasive roots. I have worked with both live mosses and preserved mosses. If I cannot get live moss to do well and last, I will sometimes use preserved moss sparingly to add some contrasting texture and height to the primary plants. The preserved moss does better if it is not in continuously wet soil. For many years, while I was trying to find ground covers that did well in my magic tree box, I would buy preserved sheet moss or fern in bulk. I would cut it to fit a space and pin it down with garden staples. It looked really good but only lasted a couple of months before getting brown and eventually starting to rot due to the routine watering and sunlight.
(Before and After - used artificial moss that comes in a roll.
Pinned it down using garden staples. Cut holes in it for the plants)
Are there specific types or species of moss and lichen that you prefer to work with? If so, why? (Provide any relevant pics if so)
Answer: Fern moss is my favorite choice in terrariums because it looks like a miniature bed of ferns you might come across on a forest floor. It also gives the environment a more tropical feel. I like all types though as each type has a unique visual appeal, texture and color. In my fairy garden, I use a ground cover called Irish Moss. It is not actually a type of moss but it is much easier to establish and maintain and looks a lot like moss.
How do you strike a balance between allowing the natural growth and development of moss and lichen, and shaping them according to your artistic vision?
Answer: I always let the moss get well-established before shaping it to my vision. This helps ensure it’s survivability and lets me see what areas of the space the moss thrives best in. It also helps me adapt my vision to reflect the natural growth patterns of that particular type of moss.
(Art was a guest speaker at a pre-school. He did a demonstration followed
by helping to inspire the kids while they built their own fairy houses)
What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are interested in incorporating moss and lichen into their own work?
Answer: Start off small until you find just the right moss for your environment. Don’t spend a lot of money buying a lot of different types until you learn how to successfully establish it in your environment.
Do you have any future plans or ideas for incorporating moss and lichen into your artwork and fairy gardens?
Answer: Not at the moment. Someday I want to make a wall art piece using preserved moss.
(Pictured Above are various creations made by Art / The Magic Tree Box throughout time)
Wow!!! What a beautiful and exhilarating interview! I truly learned a lot more about my friend Art and how he practices mindfullness and sustainability when harvesting moss from his natural surroundings for his beautiful moss projects. Feel free to reach out to him on his Instagram @the_magic_tree_box he is more than happy to talk and encourage others in this hobby!
FairyFindrs, Young and Old, Male, Female, or otherwise, this hobby is for YOU! We are inclusive and ready to accept those from all backgrounds and embrace the magical miniature worlds together!
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Please leave a comment or message below and let us know how YOU got started in your magical or fairy related artwork or creative avenues! We can’t wait to hear your stories!! If you want to be a part of the blog and do your own magical interview of your dreams. Please feel free to find all our links on our LinkTree or connect on our FairyFindr Website, OR email me at FairyFindr@gmail.com
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