A Rustic Garden Blog

More and more people have found how rewarding gardening can be. Creating an area in your landscape that attracts hummingbirds and becomes a relaxing, peaceful space for you and your family is important and really quite easy.

Garden art is a good place to begin. You can pick a trellis or window box that coordinates with you home then work out from that area with planing of annual and perinials to create your unique area.

Country  living is really all I know. Raised on our family farm in middle IL is all I know and it has help me find the direction for my own country decorating style.

I began buying and selling anitques  in the early 1980’s. Much of my business was refinishing antique oak furniture then selling them along with vintage quilts. After all these years my tastes has moved to selling country antiques and primitives many still in their original painted surface. It is easy to go to work every day when you love what you do.

It is amazing how the amount of light can create a calmer more serene feeling.  Evening hours are more enjoyable on the patio with a chandelier hanging with their candle lit. 

Did you know that there are battery candles that you can place in your wrought iron candle holder. They are rustic and even have a vintage look with a wax covering to mimic true candle light.

Lawn ornaments can function for several different uses. Looking Good is one of my top priorities for the garden decor that I use in my landscape. No doubt that these three topiaries fit that criteria.

 Strong, stable structures would be another. We want our investments to last for a number of years. 

Size is also important. I always recommend that my customers purchase a large size. Don’t underestimate your ability to grow vigorous flowers and vines.

Economics is very important these days. Finding all these important attributes is easy at A Rustic Garden.

In many parts of the United States the weather will soon warm up. Selecting just the right garden container to plant your colorful annuals can be confusing. Steve Griggs, ASLA Landscape Artistry Specialists created this stunning floral scene. 

For more Garden Designs  http://www.landdesignstudio.net/

Cast iron urns will last for generations without the weather deteriorating them. Their look has been modeled after antique examples from the late 1800’s. Functionality is also important so choose a garden planter that has plenty of depth to add rich potting soil. Maybe the most important thing is to make sure the vessel has a drain hole. Your plant’s roots need oxygen to survive so draining the water is very important. Your flowers and their roots will love you for it.

Safety is one of the main concerns when we homeowners are shopping for wrought iron fence to enclose their yard. Containing children and pets from roaming away is the priority.

You can have it all with solid steel interlocking fence. It compliments your landscaping without dominating it. The historical look works in every neighborhood and installation is easy.

For a diverse garden with lasting appeal, it’s important to incorporate all the elements. This includes the central elements of earth, wood, and water, as well as the less often integrated elements of stone, fire, and metal. While the vegetation in the garden takes care of the earth and wood, it’s also important to integrate water. This could include something like a fountain, or a garden pond. In terms of stone, a few assorted statuettes is an excellent idea, or a full stone fountain can also work well in the garden. Fire and vegetation often don’t mix well, but well tended fire pit can make a garden much more beautiful in the twilight hours, and also provide warmth. The fire pit can also serve as metal garden art, but be sure to consider other metal garden art like wildlife silhouettes and signs.

With these elements incorporated in the garden, it will be all the more beautiful and is sure to become one of the favorite places in the home. Make sure the garden looks as you would want it, otherwise, it just becomes someone else’s sweet escape!

We have been shopping for garden decor and found the neatest cast iron stepping stones to line your garden path.

A Rustic Garden keeps finding new and different metal garden art. Spring flowers will soon be popping though to add beautiful color throughout.

I never mind coming to work at A Rustic Garden, my garden and antique shop. It does seem like a long winter this year so if the Sun Shines and the temp is above 25 degrees then I am happy.

My friends ask me “what do you do?”  Well I sell unique garden decor! Would you believe we just shipped 165 wood step ladders painted bright yellow to the Brighton Company for display in their stores. Wooden antique ladders are our best wintertime selling items.

For many years  I have had 3 fish ponds in my flower gardens so keeping them going through the winter sometimes is a challenge.

This year I just did not take care of the fish ponds like I should have. I normally unhook the cast iron water fountains to have the water pumps blasting water against the side of the pond to keep open water for the fish to have oxygen.

I have this large spitting frog that recycles a stream of water into my fish pond. Since I did not unhook it my water splattering in the freezing weather it made a huge mound of ice that looked like a volcano.  The stream of moving water kept a hole in the center open and did not freeze.  Probably not the best thing but it sure made an interesting ice sculpture on my pond using a garden fountian.