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I love ornaments, objects and various artefacts in the garden. It always fascinates me to see what people like to put in their gardens, and I have had a great time browsing the garden ornament pictures on GoY. Ornaments give a whole extra dimension to a garden and I had a wander round mine just focusing on all the non-plant things I have collected over the years.

This area is my biggest garden ornament. The “window” hangs from the board at the top and the door is leaning against the wall. The window frame is backed by perspex and a piece of black weed control fabric. The door was rescued from a neighbour’s skip – it had a glass top panel which we replaced with hardboard. I “assembled” the area some years ago. The water feature to the right is a bit the worse for wear now – it’s a pebble pool structure, but above ground, with a small fountain (which the birds sometimes use as a shower!) I am mulling over what to do with it, but in all probability will leave it for the time being. Actually, the whole corner needs a bit of a tidy, but that will happen as I see to the containers. When the bluebells are finished, I’ll pull them up (though they’ll be back again next year, because I never get all the bulbs up.) The other clumps are the leaves of cyclamen coum, which are just beginning to die down. They do really well here. Because the rather large patio has an outbuilding on the far side, I wanted a courtyard effect by having something opposite. I am pleased with the result. Aslan, who has a partner – Rolf – at the bottom of the steps, really belongs to my daughter, but she hasn’t got a garden yet so the lions have lived with us for some time. When they go I shall miss them a lot, I fear!

The stepladders were made by my father-in-law 50 years ago. They are very heavy and we use aluminium steps now, but they are perfect for displaying pots in the summer. The trees are the remains of leylandii which I eventually had taken down last year. I used to have them taken down by a third every 5 years, but am glad they are now down (almost). It has made quite a difference to the amount of sun on the patio. The wisteria travelled from the house corner and covers the dead branches beautifully. And the trees provide a great home for all sorts of hanging things including, of course, a couple of hanging baskets!

These containers will be filled /added to at the end of the month. The solar lamp standards were a birthday present from my husband a few years ago, and the other bits have been collected at various times and places. The half barrel, which I have had for about 12 years is actually plastic. The birds drink from it and even bathe in it sometimes.

The forsythia in the top picture was originally a peastick for some everlasting sweet peas I tried. They didn’t live up to their name at all, but I do have a lovely forsythia!

Down in the wild area I put some paving stones in the spot that catches the last of the evening sun. I’d like to keep a seat down there, but several years ago, some youths came over the wall from the playing field and took a few things from the garden, including the seat. We found it smashed to smithereens in the woods – they didn’t even want it for sitting on! They also took the owl from the patio (it was further down the garden then). We got it back unbroken, but it had been given a silver chest and eyes! (The paint has worn off now) So all precious items are kept up by the house. (Two doors down had a full-sized trampoline removed – manhandled over a 6’ wall, but they got it back undamaged!) The “table” is a stepping stone on two redundant storage heater bricks – it’s just the right size for a bottle and two glasses!

The glass carboy came from a school fair.

This old baby bath doesn’t make a particularly picturesque pond, but the frogs love it!

The left hand door is for what the estate agents call the “gardener’s toilet” (very useful, actually!) and the right hand door is the garden shed for all the tools etc. The ivy on the left has been growing happily for 12 years in a large container, supported by a plastic trellis. It hides the dustbins and a big storebox.

More steps (the rest of the blue set on the patio) again great for pots. The clock on the wall has never worked because it’s too hot in the sun, but I like the look of it.
The keys are from the garden centre. The lion’s head came from Corbridge, Northumberland, one of my favourite places.

Writing this, and reading Scotsgran’s blog is making me itch to do my containers. I shan’t be able to resist much longer!

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Comments

 

Thanks for the tour, I love your interesting garden the door and window fooled me, achieving a natural look as you have is not easy.

7 May, 2012

 

Thanks for showing us around....love all your wee nik naks - it really makes your garden look 'lived in'...smashing!

7 May, 2012

 

Thats a very novel idea, I really thought the door was into a shed and the window was also part of it, I also like ornaments dotted about and suppose I do have a lot in various places, trouble with me, I have garden ones indoors as well, bought for the garden but kept indoors when I decide they are too nice to go out, lol....Thankyou for showing us around your garden....

7 May, 2012

 

Thank you for your comments. The door and the window even fooled my neighbour for a minute, DRC and Snoopdog, and it's the back of her shed! The garden is surely lived in, Scottish! We spend hours out there in the summer. I know what you mean about things bought for the garden, Lincslass (my family know what I like!) The trouble is when the reverse happens, and indoor things end up outside. I have quite a number of things that only go out from May to November!

8 May, 2012

 

I enjoyed the walk around your garden. It reminded me of the old curiosity shop! Lol. Can't you make your fence higher with perhaps trellising so that you can still see through it , but be more secure. I can't understand the kids nowadays. They don't seem to have anything better to do. Our house is in the middle of allotments. Although we are secure and have not had any trouble in the 13 years we've lived here, the allotments are often getting vandalised.

9 May, 2012

 

I do occasionally consider that, Rose, but fortunately, the trouble is rare. I like the "borrowed" view. Also, there are now a great many brambles, stingers and holly saplings just over the wall. There's an embankment down to the field, because there used to be a railway line along the bottom , taken up in the 60s. So it is increasingly difficult to get to the garden from the other side.

10 May, 2012

 

I think I would be sorry to lose the view as well. Perhaps when all these saplings grow, it will give you more protection. we have a mixed native hedge which is now about 7 foot high and is a mixture of black thorn , hawthorn and other pricklies, so this works for us.

10 May, 2012

 

Yes - I reckon it'll be pretty impenetrable before too long. There's never much of a problem in a poor summer, either. It's still too early in the season for evening visitors. Most of the kids who use the field for football in the evenings are no trouble at all. They have to climb over the school railings for access, but it seems a shame if the local children can't use the site. There's no other public field within walking distance.

11 May, 2012

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