A Rustic Garden Blog

There are several ways to plant your wrought iron widow boxes and garden containers that allow proper drainage for beautiful healthy flowers.  My favorite method is by using sphagnum moss as a liner inside the wrought iron planters.  The sphagnum moss has a very natural look and your flowers will love it too.  Simply soak the moss in water before you line your wire baskets and watch your flowers bloom.

I have always used cocoa liners in the past.  Last year we found this high quality moss and we were thrilled with the difference.  When lining a planter basket with larger openings you can stretch saran wrap around the basket.  Once it is planted you can let it set up over night and then remove.

For another economical option you can use a dark colored burlap fabric found at your local fabric store.  You can just tuck it around the container for a great rustic look.

If you haven’t spent much time around barns, you may or may not be aware of what a barn star is. But if you have been exposed to farm and barn life, it’s more than likely that you’ve come across these decorative and interesting products. Barn stars are objects that come in a wide variety of sizes and decoration. Whether painted or made of cast iron, they are used to decorate a barn. However, they add no structural value to the building.

Rather, they are often considered to be lucky. In this way, they are somewhat akin to hanging a horseshoe in your home or over any given doorway. Common among German-American communities, some believe these barn stars are used as the particular mark or hallmark of a particular builder. Because they don’t add any structural support or integrity to the building, they are often added after the fact of construction.

We found out first hand that our Wrought Iron Fencing works well to enclose a fishpond. My husband was standing right next to my 2-year-old granddaughter when she went in headfirst! She was not in the water but a second when he pulled her out by her feet. That was scary!

Since that day we have had our small hoop and spear wrought iron fencing around the pond and it looks great.

Most of A Rustic Garden fencing orders is for enclosing yards to keep dogs and children safe. This picture is our 3’ tall interlocking fence that a customer used around his fishpond. There is  a matching iron gate in this application to access the pond area.

We are now handling 5’ tall fencing for those needing to enclose swimming pools. Other uses for fencing are deterring deer and other animals. Once we even furnished fencing to keep in a turtle. I should add that the antique fencing design also looks wonderful.

When you decide to purchase a large garden planter you are making an investment that will add to your landscape for decades.  Setting up the new centerpiece of your yard properly will ensure it remains intact for a lifetime. 

A large garden urn that could weigh 500 lbs or more creates quite a footprint.  It is often best to pour a small square concrete foundation to prevent sinking during the wet seasons.  During this process many homeowners choose to anchor their cast iron urn as well.  By setting a threaded steel rod in the center of the concrete pad you will be able tighten a washer and nut down through the drainage hole.  This will keep your investment in place and sitting level.

Many of our customers choose wrought iron fencing and gates because of the vintage look and durability of the material.  Our fencing is easy to install because it does not require posts.  It can be an easy do-it-yourself project that can often be completed in one day. 

We are now offering 1.5″ steel posts that can make your gateway more of a permanent structure.  Many people are also setting posts at each end of their fencing run.  The steel posts can be an excellent accent piece and will add stability to any area of your fencing project. 

Installing a wrought iron arbor gate can also add a distinctive look to your fencing project.  We can now set posts on each side of the arbor gate that will bracket to your fencing run and add stability to your gateway.