garden decorations?

[greenoak]

what kind of garden decorations might you be looking for when you go out garden shopping? urns, pots, big iron, gazing globes, fences, cement, birdhouses, porch signs, sundials, arbors, iron rabbits, iron fairies, ? did you buy any of these last year? did you see anything cool that you want to buy for your garden , besides plants?

im ordering for my store and want to get just what my nice gardeners want...
..thanks...
.ann
www.greenoakantiques.com

[pacificstar]

A gardener over here............Oh I love all the items you mentioned. You know what I loved the most? I have those ititals big letters like a "K". This one nursery has a wonderful garden shop connected to it and they have all the alphaphet in these different texture peices, mine is like rusted metal. Last year I bought some neat candle holders and some rusted metal shells that I placed on my dining table. The candle holder I bought was from Restoration Hardware along with corrandiating pillows, you can check out their site for ideas. The shells were from Tommy Bahamma. I love my oblisek my hubby bought for me a few years ago, its large about 6 feet and I will plant sweet peas on it or just leave it as an accent piece. I'm looking for large glaced pots right now.

[cheapdiva]

We have a walled in brick paver garden . . . very little goes into the ground. So I love unusual tall pieces I can put in pots so like P.Star I can have viney things that grow up. I bought enameled torches dirt cheap when I worked for Pottery Barn and we have 6 of them out there . . . great for evening entertaining. On our fence we have pots attached for planting - oh, I just want it to be warm again - not for another 4 months:(
Like Memmey, this site is an ADDICTION . . . I need to go to work.

[dedavis]

I'm a minimalist when it comes to garden decorating...I don't care for things that distract from the colors and textures of plants, although I use rocks and gravel. I hide small whimsical stuff like a plaque a student gave me, and a hypertufa bowl with beach glass. I'd love to have a bird bath, and I like the look of bamboo or willow structures.

Just yesterday I was out trying to decide where the snow is going to melt first so I can watch for the appearance of those little green shoots...it's going to be awhile. Sigh.

[Chyna]

I do themes. But more or less the entire thing is more whimsical with a frog prince, fairies, dragons, kid with his dog. My bird bath has the coy fish on the base that I want to paint as well as the flower bath. However concrete paint being as expensive as it is I don't know when that will happen. Lots of hardscape with stone pavers and rock walls and roses. Everywhere you look is roses.

goes with the Briar Rose Cottage thing. ;)

[Memmey]

My customer Miss Justine a wonderful mentor and lovely southern lady. Her clothes in her closet are all exactly spaced 1 and one half inches apart and you can see your self in her furniture. She gave me my first demitasse spoons and fragile pale pink sherry glasses(men drink port not ladies she said). So that is to tell you how she is , well she came in my front yard under the trees and pronounced it OK and reminded me not to put too many YaYa's around. lol. The concept of a mentor only works if you have a dummy like me to guide around. She's great, she will neva eva be anything but a southern girl cher`.


I paint some things with buttermilk mixed with green algae moss for the patina or sponge them with OD green paint. I don't care for the grey of concrete too much. But what do I know:eek: I'm just winging it.

[greenoak]

one thing im trying to find is a cement guy who could incorporate natural rocks into birdbaths and planters....ive seen old ones and they are so wonderful..i would want native rock....you could put your initials in it.......i would love this in my garden..and maybe to sell......
besides plants, things i have bought or made for my garden is mostly arbors to walk thru and for the roses and clematis ..., urns , planters and birdbaths, a run of antique iron fence, and benches..and birdhouses..i have chimes too and a big cement cherub....but the garden is huge and they arent all in a cluster together.....i have way too big a garden, we laid it out and put lattice and arborvitas around it and laid crush rock paths down the sides when we built our house, its a big rectangle , over 200 ft long .......its so tempting in spring , then i cant take care of it right later, dh mows but then its all my job... and it kind of goes wild....this year im going to try and think more about ground covers.and things that can just take over, like phlox late with larkspur early.......
ann

[Lynzee]

Hey Ann! Nice to see you back. I was looking at your website not too long ago...again wishing I was closer!

I am always looking for urns (the bigger the better!), arbors, benches, small tables, fencing, old doors and windows, old headboards or footboards, and anything tall and unusual that I can use as a trellis for vines. I typically use more large "structural" pieces instead of small decorative pieces and I'll take metal or wood.

This may not be the kind of thing you're looking for, but I'm also always looking for old china plates with a floral pattern. I use them as borders around my flower beds.

Hope you have a great season!

Lynz

[greenoak]

hi lynzee..your garden sounds fun....would love to see....ive seen the plate thing in some english garden pictures, they just go bonkers over there....i have a book of eccentric english gardens....... it would be easy to find the plates!!! and chipped ones are about free...... would love to make a big collage planter of broken china and misc, like they did in victorian times....
ann

[Lynzee]

Oh! Just thought of some others! When we lived in NY I bought an old bathtub at a flea market. It made a great planter and a beautiful centerpiece for my garden. I've also used old gas grills, an old pedestal sink, an old satellite dish and even a pink toilet as planters. I also love using old chairs, too--either to set a pot on or to remove the seat, staple wire mesh on, cover with moss and dirt and plant. The way I see it, if it's unusual and it will hold dirt and allow for drainage, it's a planter. :D

The china collage planter sounds beautiful. I may have to try that! :D

[Memmey]

My good friend and I made stepping stones last summer. Her husband rented a cement mixer from Lowes and when he finnished his project he helped us. We mixed portland cement and gravel. We put plastic garbage bags down and them glopped some cement on top and shaped it with our hands. I made big hearts..big. When it dried the plastic made the underside smooth and flat. They turned out so much better than the store bought ones and alot bigger. The only problem is you don't want to put your hands in portland cement, We did and wish we hadn't. Wear gloves. The top layer of our skin on our hands peeled off and feel strange.

[primrosecottage]

I'm always looking for old ironstone containers for using in the garden.

[Memmey]

I collect white ironstone and it's getting harder and harder to find affordable pieces it seems to me. One of your pictures looks like a railroad dishes pitcher, is it? I used to buy pitchers for $10.00 and now they are always way more. Yard sales ,when they don't know what they have it's sad to say, is the most economical place to look. I guess I'm so paticular about my vintage pieces that I'm always a little scarey to put them on my porch table but I bought some cheap fake ones that look like the real thing and if they get bumped I won't die. There is a close-out store here called Marshall's it's like T.J.Maxx and they have some for cheap and actually they are very pretty. Reproductions:)

[primrosecottage]

I collect white ironstone and it's getting harder and harder to find affordable pieces it seems to me. One of your pictures looks like a railroad dishes pitcher, is it? I used to buy pitchers for $10.00 and now they are always way more. Yard sales ,when they don't know what they have it's sad to say, is the most economical place to look. I guess I'm so paticular about my vintage pieces that I'm always a little scarey to put them on my porch table but I bought some cheap fake ones that look like the real thing and if they get bumped I won't die. There is a close-out store here called Marshall's it's like T.J.Maxx and they have some for cheap and actually they are very pretty. Reproductions:)

Morning!

That is a Meakin English pitcher, most of my old ironstone are all English pieces. Again, like my fire king novella post:0 I began my collection of white English ironstone in this case when I was 12 and I commented on a pitcher of my grandmas and she gave it to me! Over the years I've been able to add to that collection again while they were still affordable. I've gotten lots of pitchers at garage/estate sales over the years as they were being overlooked for other current trends. Along with the jadite fire king, I just think that crisp white of English ironstone looks so fresh & clean!

[Memmey]

ME TOO.. I don't know why I hold such an affection for it. I got an a pitcher kick and as you say at the time they were not so so expensive and I collected about 15 of them, and if you have seen my other thread I went nuts with white tureens. I just love it. So here's the deal when Martha starts showing things then you can forget getting any more deals. Right now clear Wexford design glassware and dishes are still afforable. Their clear and really thick and sturdy which as you know is a good thing lol in ironstone. The cut designs remind me of pressed glass. I predict it to be very collectable one day. It will never compete with your other pieces because it's clear. I have one son and what's he gonna do with all ths stuff when I'm gone? If you see me in the obits get to my house fast..going once going twice..sold to the lady in the corner...lol



By the way did you ever read why ironstone came to be?

[pacificstar]

Primrose, I just loved your hydranges. I just bought some white ones for my mantle. I know bought them huh? Well, the garden is looking kinda sad right now, just trying to get thru winter to spring.