Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Garden Accents

While we were on mini-break we did some shopping.  And not just of the new socks and trousers kind.  I suppose some would call it Antiquing, Junking, or Thrifting.  We simply find second hand stores, yard sales, and antique shops and peruse.  The area from Peggy's Cove to Lunenberg is full of this type of shopping.  It's a leisurely type of activity.  You don't generally know what you're looking for.  You just wait for something to jump up and catch your eye.  Like this.

I wasn't looking for a jug but I couldn't take my eyes off it each time I walked by so it came home with me.  This type of shopping suits us really well because it generally matches our budget (minimal) and our home (old).  I also like it because many of the objects can be used in the garden without worrying about how much money I spent on them.  If this Welcome sign accidentally spends a winter in the snow and becomes tattered I won't be stressing over the $1 that I paid for it.

Some items are out of season when I find them, like these hanging baskets.  I'm not going to put up baskets this late in the summer but at a dollar each I wasn't going to pass them up.  I'll be prepared when next spring rolls around.







Some items require a little imagination.  I look at this old milk bucket and think about using it as a cheery display of bright red geraniums on the front step. 

This wine rack was missing it's connecting pieces but I think it could be a lovely trellis for nasturtiums to hang off of.

Another place we like to haunt are auctions.  I bought this wonderful specimen at an auction a month or so ago.

I saw it and just knew it was perfect for the garden.  I haven't a clue what it is and nobody else seems to know either.  I still haven't quite figured out how I'll use it but I have a good feeling about this piece.

So keep an eye on my garden photos in the future.  You never know in what shape or form one of these items might turn up!

5 comments:

Jennifer said...

Its my favorite drive- Halifax to Lunenberg- especially if you take the old highway that is sometimes inches from the coast line. Lunenberg is such a pretty town isn't it. Mahone Bay is pretty too.
Great finds! I love your plans to put nasturtiums in the old bucket. That will look great! (I suggest putting an inch or so of pebbles at the bottom for drainage.) The hanging basket is also nice. I have a few similar ones into which I put those readily available coconut liners and I have to warn you that I found water runs through them like a sieve. Next year I am going to add an additional lining of landscape cloth (at Canadian Tire). Who has time to water hanging baskets every two minutes? I especially like your last find. Was it an umbrella stand maybe?

Deborah at Kilbourne Grove said...

Score! I especially love the jug in your first photo, what great lines.
I was reading Jennifers comment about the hanging baskets drying out. Sometimes, at the flower shop, we would line them with sheet moss and a black plastic garbage bag, just punching a few holes in for drainage. It stops them from drying out so much, just keep an eye on them, you don't want a swamp!

Marguerite said...

Jennifer and Deborah, thanks for the info on the hanging baskets and liners. I've used coconut fibre before but since we lived in such a shaded area I didn't have to worry too much about watering containers. I suspect things will be a lot different this time around so I'll have to play with this.

Jennifer, we guessed an umbrella stand as well! However, there's no holes in the bottom or cup for water to drain into so I'm not sure. Jody also suggested a container for fireplace tools. It's made of cast iron and incredibly heavy so it could hold a lot of things without falling over or budging an inch. The mystery continues.

Anonymous said...

Great finds! Love that jug, and my vote is for an umbrella stand.

Melanie J Watts said...

What fun, I love this type of shopping too. Looks like you got some great stuff.