I really have no focal point in my garden, so I was going to add some sort of cottage-y garden decor. What would work in a really informal garden that has veggies and flowers side-by-side? It can't be too expensive. Tamara
Garden art/decor for cottage garden?
Great idea for a thread! I'm hoping folks will have a lot of good suggestions!
I like the look of even a couple of panels of picket fencing, to make a little corner or frame a focal point, like a cute birdhouse or a birdbath...
I think because of the casual look of cottage gardens, you can work all sort of fun objects and creative containers into your landscape for added interest. You can find smaller things at the dollar store even, like butterflies or flowers on a metal stake, and they are fun to tuck around. Cute signs could be easy DIY projects. I like to put things where you don't see them right away, but where they catch your eye as you walk around the garden, tucked beside a plant or beyond a curve in the path...
I just got Jim Long's "Making Bentwood Arbors..." which I'm very excited about. Amazon has it, and if you're lucky you can do it mostly with found materials. Well worth a look. I really like the look of wattles; I'm planning on putting some in some raised beds.
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Bentwood-Trellises-Arbors-Fences/dp/158017051X/ref=sr_1_1/002-2420567-2708069?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173462329&sr=1-1
Be careful about putting in a lot of little focal points. A birdbath in the center, or an arbor with a passiflora, or a fruit tree -- something to give some vertical interest is always nice. Do you have a picture, so we can just take over your garden? :p
lol All you'd see right now is some snow. I was thinking about doing Garden Gate's sandcast birdbath: http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/extras/53birdbath1.php. Whatcha think? I like these as well, but at $37 a pop, that's more than I can afford: http://www.gardengatestore.com/lights.html. I was thinking about looking at places like Marshall's and Big Lots since they sometimes get in expensive stuff that's been marked down substanitally. Speaking of which, I got 2 gorgeous glazed terra cotta pots (cobalt blue) today for only $3 a piece from a local discount store! Woo hoo! It's one of those places that gets a few things in, and never gets them again, so you have to grab it as soon as you see it. Hopefully, they will get more cool stuff in. Tamara
Birdbaths are great in a Cottage Garden...
Bird houses also fit in nicely, as previously mentioned...
Tamara~ Southernliving .com has a similar project out of hypertufa and they show you step by step,also check out the hypertufa forum and read the sticky and threads showing similar projects. Sorry, don't know how to do the hyperlinks yet. ;0) Also Kmart, was having a discount of birdbaths left over from last season this week, you could paint one. Just a little red cent.
Brigidlily, you've got a point... you don't want to overdo the little stuff... and you still need a major focal point or two to draw the eye. The cute little stuff can just be fun to half-hide here and there, but it's like adding glitter to your holiday display... a little (very little) goes a long way, and too much glitter detracts from the charm.
man I wish I'd kept this article I saw. You mound up some dirt and put an elephant ear on top of it, top side down. Then you pour concrete on it, about 1/2" to 1" thick, and when it dries you have a birdbath that looks like an elephant ear. It really was nice and would certainly be unique. It wasn't that hard if you're handy.
One thing I really like as vertical interest is teepees. You can pound three lengths of bamboo into the ground, then tie them together at the top. Depending on what you plant at the base you might need some netting around it, but I think they look nice.
You could always cement a couple of pots together to make a base, then set one of those cobalt blues on top of it for a birdbath.
Oh, another thought... I've seen people make great birdbaths by stacking a couple of pots like you mentioned (bottom one placed upside down, then one secured to it right side up to make a sort of hourglass shap) to form a pedastal base, and then they used a big pot saucer on the top to hold the water.
That's right, critter -- it can start to look junky very quickly. I really have to restrain myself!
Edited to say this was in response to critter's earlier one that was posted as I posted!
(critter and I would love to take over your garden...)
This message was edited Mar 9, 2007 2:32 PM
LOL, brigidlily, we really are thinking alike this afternoon!
Yeah, I need to get off and go work in the garden!
Gordon, loving your birdbath & birdhouse... together with the ideas about bentwood structures and teepees, that brings up another point... using "natural" materials somehow seems to me to fit the look of a cottage garden much better than lots of cutesy painted things... I drove past a place last summer that had a whole *herd* of brightly colored garden gnomes, plus pink flamingos, and all of them were prominantly displayed... I have no idea what plants were in the yard, LOL....
Critter, why didn't you stop by if you were in my neighborhood?! ;-) Surely, you are talking about my neighbor. The entire front "bed" is just full of tacky garden junk...if there are any plants there, I didn't see them. Then again, since most of the people on this street do NOTHING to improve their curb appeal, I guess it's nice that they are trying. Tamara
How about a bench ,very useful ,If working too hard, or just want to enjoy the garden.
What a fascinating thread - the bench idea is good -get some old bricks for each end to support a rustic piece of timber. ...I painted an old leather working boot of my husband's (no picture unfortunately ) you can put a plant pot inside it with whatever is in season -annuals or daffodils ....Also perhaps a tree stump -I could post you some if the customs would let me !.
Emelle.
I really like the idea of using natural materials. And my apple tree does need some serious pruning.... hmmmm. We shall see what I can come up with. Maybe some cool hypertufa thing as well. Tamara
What about an old chair painted a bright color with a plant on it. My sis gave me the basket for my b'day and I painted an old chair to match the color in the coleus.
Joy
The picture matches your name ,Joyous ! What a sweet ,happy corner !
Emelle.
Thanks Emelle how are you doing?
Pretty Chipper Ta ! Having a lovely Sunday lunch .
Emelle
We actually made it into the 40's F today!!! No sun but much warmer than it has been. Just finished our Saturday supper! How time flies.
I guess we better get back to the subject at hand..............sorry for the hijack!
Joy, I love that! Great idea! Tamara
I have a triangle shaped cottage garden and I was looking for a tall focal point, myself. I think I'm going to make a bamboo or bent twig teepee and plant some morning glories on it. I may make a birdbath. I have a few old wooden chairs that I have scattered through the woods with baskets of flowers set into the missing seats. I love the look myself, but I wish I would have planted some trailing plants in the pots. I put impatiens and forgot to water them half the time...poor things. Great thread!
Okay! My sweetie and I poached some saplings and I did it! I really like that book about bentwood arbors. This is NOT finished! It needs more crossties and I'm going to coil rope around the bright green stakes, but I think it's not bad for a first effort:
Not bad? It's wonderful!!! Good for you - can't wait to see the progress of that delightful area as things begin to bloom.
Thanks, murmur -- I took that this morning. It's raining and been in the high 70s/low 80s for a couple of weeks. I'm hoping this will fill in nicely. I plan to establish passifloras on the arch, which should shade the herbs and feed the Gulf Fritillaries.
That is so cool! Wish I could make something like that. Keep the pics coming! Tamara
I love it that everyone who lives here at DG can imagine how lovely the archway /arbor is going to look ,and no doubt will encourage others with ideas .A lady in the area here made one like that using the wire re inforcing mesh that is put in with concrete when it is poured ,and for the uprights had cheap steel rods covered with alkathene (plasticky stuff) pipe,which could be bent over .
Emelle.
That's looking good, brigidlily. : )
~Lucy
Thanks, everyone! It was not really that difficult, and someone on another thread (I wish I could remember which thread so I could give credit where credit is due) suggested it to begin with. If I can find it again, I will thank him/her properly!
Joy, painting the chair red was a stroke of genious! The white fence just makes the chair and the pot stand out.
Bridgi, I have to say I think you did a great job on the arbor too. You will definitely have to show us a picture later in the summer.
Someone mentioned a stump. I know I'm thinking of using a stump for one of my clematis to use to grow on. Until the clematis grows tall enough , I will put a pot on top of the stump with hanging plants. How tall you make that stump will decided if it is a focal point or not.
Brigid, were those fresh? If so, you might have a tree-arbor!! It's gonna be great.
QuillGrordon -- Great pic of the birdbath -- I really like the birdbath and birdhouse, both!
Joyous - Nice color for that little chair! How come everybody can find those things for sale at a decent price and when I find them, they're $100.00?
Bridgidlily -- Excellent job! It looks great now and I bet when it's filed with vines it will look dynomite!
I also bought a little walk in germinator greenhouse -- we put it up tonight. (Plastic & Portable, you store it away when the weather evens out). I has room for like 16 flats or somehting, so I am in hog heaven...or I was until a local pal told me she had one and it blew over, plants and all. :((((
I am having a fence/deck company out Thursday to give me a bid on a couple of pergolas at each doorway. Assuming I can afford them, I'm going to get it done right away. Here is the picture -- the house needs shutters or somehting, but there isn't room by the little bitty window (which I just realized isn't in the picture at all), and the full-length shutters where the slider is are pretty expensive. This picture isn't very good, but there will be one coming out over the Dutch door off to the right and one where the sliding glass door and steps are. The double window might get shutters. We'll see. :)
Suzy
I don't see shutters suzy, I see pergolas LOL. Is that a coal chute? There are still a few around here. Crossing my fingers that some of my daffs "hatch" soon, can't wait to share that with you!
QuillGordon ~ Fantastic pic of the birdbath, the birdhouse is pretty too. I have one with a little trellis attached. Needs a short vine, any suggestions?
Love the arbor brigidlily ~ I may have to check that book out LOL. I agree, too much junk looks tacky.
zone 5 girl ~ I get Garden Gate magazine too. I want to try the fountain you make with a cake-keeper. You use a bowl to make a depression, fill it with rocks, and a bubbler, voila! I figure that way nobody can drown in my water feature. It remains to be seen how many rocks get thrown/windows broken LOL.
I think there should be a little whimsy in every garden. :0)
Coal Chute? Naw, you silly girl! It's a Wizard of Oz door to the basement. Ya just throw the hoses down the steps in the fall and bring all your baby plants right up & out in the spring. And if you're out in the garden when the tornado comes, you open the door real quick and hope it doesn't fly off the hinges!
Suzy
PrairieGirl, I was contemplating that myself! But with 3 little boys, I think ANY water feature would just be far too tempting. ;-) Tamara
Pagancat, those saplings were cut maybe 3-4 hours before they were up. Do you really think they might take root? That would be a LITTLE scary as I don't know what kind of trees they are! I'll keep an eye on them and not let it get out of hand!
Quill, I love your birdbath and birdhouse!
Brigidlily, I love your idea. I wanted to do somthing similar in a circle with bricks or pavers. We had an above ground pool and took it out, now there is a circle area where I have started planting things. I just outlined my beds with old rocks and put a birdbath in the middle and some shepherd's hooks. A lady a few houses down took her pool out a few years ago and has planted roses around the circle, has put in a small pond, swing, seating areas. It is beautiful, one of the prettiest places on earth. Maybe she will let me take some pics!
Keep up the great work, you should be proud!
Susan