STYLE : GARDENS : Pixies in the Posies

To the average gardener, the idea that fairies have invaded the back yard and are camped out in the coral bells might seem preposterous. If the Wee Ones are really there, why don’t they weed the tomatoes or squash some aphids to convince all of us doubting Thomases?

The reason, says landscape designer Ivy Reid, is simple: “They’re shy.”

Reid, who lives in Pacific Palisades and has a number of ersatz fairies in her garden, speaks of a time when human beings were more in sync with nature and often saw the little folk. “As we started disturbing nature and insulting fairies, they disappeared. They won’t come out unless they know they’re safe.”

To encourage them in her own flower beds, Reid supplies bell-like blooms, such as foxglove and datura, which they reportedly like to creep inside. She offers thimbles of brandy--another fairy favorite--and a full complement of their beloved lavenders. As a further lure, she sets up scenes of twig-and-dried-flower fairies--handmade by Debbie and Mike Schramer of Tacoma, Wash., and available at the Enchanted Cottage in Pacific Palisades--lounging on petals and swinging from vines.

While Reid’s awareness of the enchanted world began during childhood, it wasn’t until a year ago, when she began to paint in her garden, that she actually felt the fairies’ presence. “You have to be very still,” she explains, “very open and receptive.”

She admits that, for some people, the very thought is out of the question. But increasingly, she sees special fairy plots taking shape in friends’ gardens and reports that her own clients have been asking for them.

For such fairy-watchers, the best times to spot the little guys are apparently moonlit nights or early mornings, when their help is needed to feed plants, color flowers and generally boost nature’s bounty. Says Reid: “We may not know it, but we couldn’t garden without them.”