A Rustic Garden Blog

Early spring is generally my favorite time of year. While the flowering blooms of mid-to-late spring are gorgeous, the greens of early spring are incredibly lush. To add a pop of color to predominantly green flower beds I like to stick in a few cast iron garden stakes with colored glass tops.

In no particular order, I’ll place blue, green, orange, and red garden stake globes into the flower beds. I think the colorful stakes are a wonderful surprise. They also contrast quite nicely with the surrounding green; in fact, I think the stakes make the greenery look even more vibrant.

Our new candle chandeliers have arrived. All our lighting sells well but it is especially fun when brand new designed are completed and shipped to us. Truly they are gorgeous! I love the rustic white ones that are distressed to age the surface for a vintage, antique look.

Candlelight warms up your space and there is nothing better than relaxing with a glass of wine out on your patio in the evenings.

Cooler weather here in the middle of the United States brings out the pumpkins at the local produce markets. It is time to find your yard decorations. Many hand crafted folk art pieces are available  at A Rustic Garden and will bring a smile to people passing by.

Rustic garden fencing will accent your fall flowers and stay for the winter season that with follow. This is a great time to enjoy your outdoor patio and watch the colors change.

As a professional landscape architect, I do much more than decide what shrubbery goes where. I also do a lot of work with architectural elements. Backyard gardens can include a number of architectural structures, including gazebos, bridges, and walkways. My favorite element to add to a backyard garden oasis is an outdoor water fountain.

Outdoor garden fountains come in so many sizes, shapes and styles. From bamboo fountains in a minimalist feng shui garden to modern block fountains, there is always space for a beautiful, soothing water feature. The last job I completed, the owner chose a gorgeous stone finish wall fountain that really tied together the old-world garden feel we were going for. My next job is for an eco-conscious family, and I can’t wait to pitch a solar powered fountain to them.

A Rustic Garden has decided to take the PLUNGE. We are now offering 6′ tall connecting metal fencing. Our hoop and spear design will now be available in the taller sections to help our customers with their special needs. Wild deer are menace to many, causing so much damage to their tress, scrubs and landscaping. 6′ fencing is a great height for swimming pool surrounds. Keeping your children and animals safe will be easy with our handmade fence.

Our wrought iron fence is make right here in middle Illinois in a machine shop. Our craftsman are busy building a forms to help with the constructing process. Each hoop will be hand bent so 12′ lengths of solid steel are being cut and ready for the process. The parts are then gathered and assembled on the second form to be welded together.

This 6′ tall fence will need more support so a 3rd horizontal bar will be added. The 1.5″ posts will have the coordinating cast iron finial. Watch for more pictures as we complete this new fencing product.

My littler brother, Tommy, is always getting into some kind of trouble. Last week it was the kitchen sink; he dropped his Yoda action figure down the garbage disposal and then panicked. He knew that if anyone was to flip the switch, his prized Star Wars character would be ground up into un-repairable bits. He knew he was in a time crunch to rescue Yoda before mom found out her sink was clogged, and when he springs into to action spurred by frenzy, the result is always negative.

 He started by cramming a long wooden spoon down the sink in an attempt to pry out his action figure. No such luck; it only got worse when the spoon got stuck. He then filled the sink with dish soap thinking he could send both logged items into a slip-and-slide  course and that only resulted in a soapy bubble filled kitchen and an angry mom.

Today he left the garden fence wide open and let all kinds of wildlife – rabbits, deer, raccoons and possums – into our vegetable garden – well, it was a vegetable garden. There aren’t many veggies to speak of anymore. Bummer!

Rustic decor  has a natural look. Bringing in a touch of nature to your home and garden is called the lodge look. Lots of wooden beams and furniture not refined but constructed from tree trunks. The fabrics that coordinate would have a rough feel so picture  plaid woolen blankets and natural colored muslin fabrics.

The look might reflect the rough side but still comfort is the key to bringing the Colorado high country to your living space. Many cushions and pillows add color and the cozy warm touch to your home.

The simple things in life often bring the most joy!

Today I have been trimming the spend flowers from my flower beds. I hate to admit this but the weeds were way taller than the flowers in many places.  It rained often here in middle Illinois so most everything grew taller than ever.  There is always some bad with the good.

The good is being outside and creating beauty without spending very much. Most vines and flowers  spread after 2 or 3 years. You can split most plants and move them to help fill in an open space in another bed. Getting a plant  start from a friend or neighbor is also helpful.

As I am moving away out the dead flowers I reposition my containers filled with annuals to  a cleaned out area to add  color. It is also a good time to add some fall garden art  creating a new focal point to your landscape.

We are excited here at A Rustic Garden. Our new container of metal flower pots will arrive here in middle IL in a couple weeks. The phone is ringing every day with inquiries about our inventory on our web site.

Soon we will offer even more great cast iron urns for your home and garden.

It is definitely the season for planting flowers all over the United States. The phone calls keep coming in at A Rustic Garden requesting information about our most classic flower pots, the cast iron urns. These planters add so much character to your landscaping projects. Many decorators also use them as accent pieces inside the home.

The indestructible metal flower containers will last for ever unless someone steals them. It is sad but every year we have a few purchased from us to replace vessels that thieves swipe right out of their yards. No one will be taking this huge angle urn planter since it weighs 1500 lbs.