Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Art In The Garden

I know I wrote a post on this about a year ago, but I feel it is important to revisit this area of gardening once again. 


I said I would never put a gazing ball in my garden, but when I saw this one at Home Goods, I thought this color was perfect for a subtle effect.


I have metal artwork all along the north side of my home.  It is narrow but interesting!

Plantings are a work of art and may be enough for you, but I view my garden as an extension of my home and try to enhance it as I would a room that is indoors.  My lot is small but I have approximately four outdoor rooms.


A rusted iron bench sits in the back garden.  I actually have sat here and contemplated what I am going to do next.


This is a cedar bench on that hot south side of my home, tropical plantings and raised bed.  I do not sit here too often because of the heat.

As you can see, this is not a bench for me, the children have taken this over with my Irish pots in the background.

Seating can be merely whimsical, does not actually have to be used to create an atmosphere.

I have to constantly remind myself not to overdo all of the decor in the garden, some seating, some obelisks. trellises, fence hangings, statuary and those things we don't know how to categorize.

Like a toad house!  I receive many garden gifts from my family and I just have to find a place for them in the garden.

An obelisk can just be a work of art, does not have to support a vine.

This obelisk is in the middle of a very full garden, has a smaller clematis growing on it.

This is an old metal indoor plant stand that I bought at an antique sale, does just fine outdoors with Betty Corning clematis.

Many of us purchase trellises to hold our vines but how often do we think of the fact that the trellis will not even show once the vine has become full grown.  Sometimes you can avert this problem by purchasing a much taller trellis or a trellis that has fancy work protruding out of the sides.

This is a very tall trellis and the top is never fully covered to that pretty scroll work shows all season.

A smaller iron trellis where the scroll work peeks out on the sides


Along the fence I like trellises that blend into the background, wired two narrow ones together to form a large enough support for Duchess Of Albany.

Of course nothing would be more inviting than having some decor on the patio!




I may get rid of those daisies, don't really go with my look!

My front garden is much more formal, decor absent except for this weathered concrete birdbath.