Posts Tagged ‘Garden Decor’

Getting Silly: Our 5 Favorite Whimsical Garden Decor Pieces!

November 8th, 2009

Garden decor doesn’t have to be just about rustic benches, iron wrought furniture, or old fashioned wind chimes. Oh, those items are indeed lovely, and many have been used in my garden throughout the years. But I certainly don’t limit myself to just the serious side of decoration. No, no, no! Part of the fun of this hobby is the silliness and child-like playfulness you get to a part of using funny garden decor items in the garden.

You know what I’m talking about – like the “fat lady bending over” wooden plaque.

That was a joke! That wasn’t even funny when it came out in 1983, and it’s certainly not funny in 2010…

So what are some rad, silly garden decor items you can – nay, should – use in your home garden?

1. Metal Bugs. Who among us can hold a smile when set down face to face to a two foot giant metal grasshopper in the garden? OK, I admit – that actually sounds a little scary. So now imagine that the metal grasshopper is blue and yellow and has big happy puppy dog eyes and a smile across his face. Or think of a happy little lady bug, chillin’ above ground, with metal whiskers. And let’s not forget out free Mr. Bumble Bee, flying around (in place) looking as pleased as can be around all those flowers. Metal bugs for the garden are great!

2. Pink Flamingos. This is not going to be on the top of everyones list, but, for a list of silly and fun garden decor items, I think it’s merits itself in at #2. For if a big pink flamingo in the garden is not silly, then what is, my friend?

Warning: The potential for tacky garden decor just doubled. Be wary of how you incorporate pink flamingos into the garden! You’ve been warned.

3. Tree Art. You’ve probably seen these clever buggers before and had yourself a good chuckle. I’m talking about the tree art pieces that create a face on the tree by attaching to the bark two eyes and a mouth. Or, other tree art pieces create the trick of a cartoon-like bird having gone through the tree, by attacking the legs to the back, the winds to the side, and the head on the other side of the legs. Funny stuff! These are one of my favorite decor items to get a laugh from visitors!

4. Geeky Beaks. Geeky beaks are a line of whimsical garden decor items by Exhart. Made of metal, these garden birds will delight any garden’s mood! If you’ve not seen them, it can be hard to describe, so just imagine a silly, happy, bird goofin’ off in your garden, ready to make you smile. Note that some Geeky Beaks also stand tall at an impressive 64″ inches! This is an item that you truly need to see to believe.

5. Clever Plaques and Signs. This category is a little hard to include on the list, since it refers to possibly any and all garden signs and plaques. Nevertheless, a clever slogan or saying on a sign put in the garden can be quite the crowd pleaser. One of my favorite examples is a garden sign that stands only a few inches from the ground it’s jutting out of, with a simple two announcement on in: “Grow Dammit!”

Enough said!

Solar Powered Garden Decor

November 6th, 2009

It’d be a little ironic if I asked you to ‘go green’ by using solar powered garden decor items for your garden. Isn’t the garden green enough?

OH – you mean the other kind of green – that kind that has to do with responsible energy use, recycling, and doing small but substantial steps that will help ensure the dirt and the air are healthy for generations to come? Well in that case…

Solar powered garden decor is right up your alley! It’s an idea whose time has come. And surely it seems obvious from the start; here we have items whose sole purpose is to sit outside under the sun all day and look good. Why on earth would we need to use power from an electrical socket to keep them running? Why not instead harvest the energy from the sun that is already pointing right at it?

And let’s not forget one huge bonus point every gardener I know likes about solar powered items for their garden: you don’t have to deal with an ugly power cord! Those power cords are like 50 foot snakes, winding around the whole garden in order to get to the power socket that’s usually somewhat far away.

Solared powered garden decor and other garden items simplify all these problems. By harvesting the energy of the sun on their own, once you buy them, you need only to put them out in the garden and the rest takes care of itself.

What are some popular solar powered items on the market these days for going green? Let’s take a look at a few.

1. Solar Water Fountains. Solar water fountains make for the most popular items of all the solar powered garden pieces. Water fountains are a wonderful addition to any garden anyway. Getting rid of the problems inherent on how to power an items outside that sits on the earth itself that’s not usually close in any way, shape, or form, to an electrical socket – well, let’s just say, it surely helped push the solar water fountain to the top of the list of popular decor items!

2. Solar Garden Lights. Now some might say that lights for the garden don’t really count as garden decor. I disagree. Functional items can absolutely be part of your garden decor. This is true for lights because the lights are designed with integration in mind. You can find various styles to match your gardens themes and tastes. Solar garden lights are no different, offering different designs for you to choose from to find the best that fits in with your garden.

Did I mention how clever it is that solar powered garden lights exist and you can easily buy them now?

3. Solar Wind Chimes Wind chimes have always been a classic garden item. They look nice and make wonderful, relaxing sounds, pulsating with the wind of the earth itself. What could be nicer? Solar wind chimes usually don’t use the solar energy to move the chimes in place of the wind. Instead, the solar energy is used to spice up the chime itself, such as adding colors to the chime. For example, a popular solar wind chime uses the suns energy to power LED’s which reflect from the chime outwards, creating dazzling light shows.

Solar garden decor items are only going to become more widely available. Most importantly, they will also continue to drop in price as companies pick up on the demand for these items and new technologies allow for the inexpensive harvesting of solar energy.

For a hobby that is green by nature, solar powered garden decor is a most welcome addition to my garden.