HelpfulGardener.com

Last Friday night, winds blew my gazing ball off its stand and rolled it into a tree where it shattered into many pieces. Sort of surprised this didn't happen before now given the high winds that whip through this area.

I ran across a little website of a gardener who creates garden art and garden decorations. She has a husband who is into woodworking and he has a few garden related projects posted at their website too. What interested me most was a project they discussed where they turned a bowling ball into a gazing ball. Bowling balls weigh what? 10 lbs? 12 lbs? Having that kind of weight on a stand would sure help stop the winds from blowing it off and even if the winds did blow it off it isn’t going far and it won't shatter.

Here’s the “how toâ€

I am so sorry to hear about your gazing ball that broke - those can be pricey! I really enjoyed the garden craft ideas in the link you provided especially the garden totems and the tipsy pot directions. A lot of good winter project material here!

I don't have much garden art in my own garden but I have taken pictures of some things that have caught my eye as good idea while visiting other gardens.

There is a garden about an hour from me in the country that is chock full of kitchy home made garden decorations. Some of them date back to long ago (like the original outhouse and homesteaders front porch) and some of them are more contemporary. I was quite taken with the "bugs" that were all over the garden made from different kinds of light bulbs.

[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll267/lilyfantn/DSC_00322.jpg[/img]

My neighbor down the street turned a problem couple of stumps into a seat and a table with a chain saw and some chisels!

[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll267/lilyfantn/dsc_00873.jpg[/img]

That's a great solution! I love stumps in the garden. Last weekend, I purchased two bar-stool cushions for my stumps - now they're very comfortable. The elastic band stretches to fit over the top, and they don't move around.

I have a silly question to ask since there are so many new members and one of your names looks familiar to me. Last week some time I joined a plant co-op buying group because of an enabling new cyber buddy from here... stay away from her or she will cost you beau coup bucks ;) The co-op she connected me up with is- BnPCo-opBuying.

I have only posted twice and that was only to place an order and to post an add-on but I've been trying to read all the messages to get the hang of this co-op deal. Lots of people post links to sites under their names which is how I found that link above to the bowling ball craft projects. I don't have a website or a blog or anything and I'm not a member of any chats and such so I decided to start posting a link to The Helpful Gardener home page under my name. Did either of you come here because of that link I placed under my name? Just curious because that site gets thousands of reads to the digests they send out.

Now back to the garden art! Nobody was more sorry than me about that particular gazing ball. When I bought it, it appeared ordinary and was only around $29. The ball was clear glass with swirls of the palest green color. Very understated as far as gazing balls go. Several weeks after I bought it, I walked out to that area and noticed a glow. It was the gazing ball. Had no idea the swirls were glow in the dark. I had stuck that gazing ball next to a small pond. A small pond that I have walked right into twice in the dark. We're talking major mess as I go down under. I never walked into that pond accidentally again after I had the glowing gazing ball to steer me away. I'd like to find another one just like I had but realize the odds are not that great. Shame, I'll probably end up in the drink at least once this summer without that ball.

I don't have much garden art over here myself. Some concrete planters and birdbaths like most homeowners, concrete stepping stones, concrete urns, and a few sundials... no more gazing ball on a concrete pedestal for the time being. I like your bug art. That looks like a project my kids would really like. It's fun and silly and could liven a place up.

I like the idea of barstool cushions for tree stumps. Never thought of that but then I've never been all that creative. I've been taking stumps down to level with the ground and am afraid that I have lost my window of opportunity to create that type of garden art as there are no more large trees in need of being taken down. Boo hoo!

TheLorax wrote:Last week some time I joined a plant co-op buying group because of an enabling new cyber buddy from here... stay away from her or she will cost you beau coup bucks

Hey! I resemble that remark!!

Ahh, if it isn't the enabler herself making an appearance.

I'm looking for a piece of garden art to go in a space in my side yard, by the driveway. It's so hard to find something different, but decent. I guess I'll know it when I see it, eh?

Good post!

Thanks for posting that web site!!! I plan on spending ALOT of time at it, looking for new ideas. DH is a retired carpenter (not by choice ) and when he's not helping me with my nursery, he builds garden things to go along with my plants

Doggone it, I wish you lived closer. DH is not much of a carpenter, but I'm going to call on number 1 DS, who does some decent building. I want a butterfly house and found the plans for one. I think he can make me a couple a lot cheaper than the one's I've been looking at.

I had a sudden case of sticker shock!! LOL

Love that site! thanks for sharing! I am sooooo going to make the 'tipsy pots' project. I think it would make an amazing herb garden or even just for flowers.

Hey Grey and others,

I want this statue for my side yard-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bsanders/538987157/

And this one for the entrance to my driveway because I think it would make a statement about the people who live in our home-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimfrazier/46810978/

I knew they were exactly what I wanted when I saw the photographs and try as I might, I haven't been able to locate either one of these statues for sale for about 3 years and that's not for lack of trying. My guess is that if I ever do find them, I won't have enough money to buy one.

Here's another garden art site for concrete-
https://www.henristudio.com/home.html
I have a few Henri birdbaths. I like many of their designs because they are simple and earthy looking if concrete can be earthy. They're also affordable which helps out a lot these days.

Love the one earth tablet here-
https://www.dsgardenshop.com/storefront/customer/product.php?productid=16491&cat=332&page=1


Something else I like the looks of is bronze statuary. Too bad it's out of my price league.

I'd love to have a pair of these herons-
https://thegardengallery.biz/crane_fountains.htm
Shame they're around $2500. I'd pay $25 a piece but not $1250 a piece.

This owl does it for me too-
https://www.largeart.com/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=15

I received the two ravens pictured here as a gift a few years ago-
https://thebronzesculptures.com/bronzesculptures/animals-statues-c-35.html
They're very small (lifesize) so not a good value for the money my husband spent but I do love them.

I really love bronzes. They're bronze dove and bronze frog are really great but who can afford to have smalls around their yard that could be easily picked up and stolen.

I bought a new gazing ball. I found a glow in the dark one for only $25. I was pleased as all punch. The manufacturer is Echo Valley and I've got their glow in the dark Ocean Mist gazing ball. I know it sounds tacky but it doesn't look tacky at all, at least to me it doesn't.

I have only a few decorations--2 bird baths, one on the ground, and one on a pedastel (I know I spelled that wrong). one terra cotta frog that sits under a fern in the woodland garden, a little gray dragon in the rock garden, and one stained glass dragonfly on a stick that's serving as a holder for a plant tag. I also have 2 flat stones, one carved with "Tranquility", the other with "Harmony". I have some decorative glazed containers for plants. I'd like to get more garden art, but am currently hampered by living in a neighborhood where things in yards sometimes go missing. Our neighbor had several of his small yard lights stolen. In the back yard, I have 2 rambunctious German Shepherds to contend with. They've broken a few decorations. The ones I care about (the frog and dragon) are behind a dog-proof fence.

that tipsy pot idea is very neat..... I am wondering if it would be possible to arrange the kettles in such a way that they could be used as a water fall type decoration???? hmmm might have to figure that one out

Yes yes yes! I have seen pots arranged to create a waterfall. It can be done. If it can be done with pots, why not with kettles?

I have this girl in black. I brought her in last winter to keep her safe. Guess what/ I knocked her over and broke her wing. I have glued it back on but in the meanwhile I bought a new one. I thought she would be black, but I got a green one. I sent it back, and the dealer was very good about taking her back since she looked black in the photo I sent.

Too bad...the green isn't nearly as nice as the black...maybe next year. In the meantime the dealer sent me repair instructions so I've fixed the wing, and am going to paint it this week...

enjoy https://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/66bab055-57a9-410f-ad99-0ed2ef785661_4.jpg

I love the bronzes too....found a new shop in Joplin, Mo that has amazing sandstone sculptures. I bought a Lady Rose, head of a lady with roses entwined in her head, with a big hole for a pot or it could be used as a fountain topper...love it. She has a foxtail fern for her hair right now, I'll have to send photos. My newest obsession is the frog prince. I've been wanting a fountain, we have a waterfall and the birds love the water so much that I want to give them something else to enjoy. I saw this and I was hooked
https://www.bird-feeder-supply.com/det/Frog-Prince-Thinker-Fountain.html
...he's tiny, my plan is to run his hose down into the well of our waterfall and sit him on the rock to spit water into the waterfall. My mom sent me money for jewelry for Mother's Day, but I'm going to buy Prince Frog instead, as a fellow gardener, I know she'll understand completely!

That's sort of what my frog prince looks like only mine is more voluptuous and is on all fours with his lips puckered up. I don't think mine is a spitter though. I think it would be neat if he was. The frog you found appears to be a spitter which is more desirable to me at least.

I finally got my tipsy pot project done and I have to say am so pleased with it! I just love it!

[img]https://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/d3inks/garden002.jpg[/img]

I went with just flowers with the exception of a pot of chocolate mint. It was so easy to assemble and not very expensive. The bottom pot is a 12" inch pot. All the other are 10" I believe.

Daphne, How did you get inline photos to post? I've tried pasting the actual photo into a link and haven't had any success...what's your secret?
JP

Lorax, The frog prince is a spitter. I tried to order Saturday afternoon and realized for the first time that he doesn't come with a pump or hose, which ends up adding another 100 bucks....I think I'm going to have to wait, I've gone a little overboard this season and see if I can catch him on sale towards the end of summer. I'd love to see a photo of your prince.

JPlovesflowers wrote:Daphne, How did you get inline photos to post? I've tried pasting the actual photo into a link and haven't had any success...what's your secret?
JP

I upload to photobucket and then click the URL link there. then I hit Contol V and it pastes the link here. when you hit 'submit', the photo shows up..I hope I explained that well enough.

I've been clicking on the IMG link, which is what the instructions said in the forum. I'll have to try the url instead.
thanks,
JP

JPlovesflowers, if you love the frog... buy him. You can always hook up your own innards to make him spit for considerably less than $100 sometime in the future. The problem with items like this is that they generally aren't offered in the years to come and manufacturers release new designs. Seriously, if you love him, buy him and stick him out there anyway. He doesn't have to spit.

Good job Daphne! That looks really wonderful where you have positioned your stack.

I do love him, I don't know why, I just do. Maybe I'll buy him and see if I can pick up the pump at Walmart or Home Depot, surely it will be cheaper there. Thanks for the encouragement.

Very nice, Daphne!!

I've got my pots and hubby finally got the center rod. Now if only we'd put it together...


Thanks for showing us yours!

The Lorax,I was reading this thread..Very interesting If I say so myself,,But If you are still looking for bowling balls,,Call your bowling ally and just ask them if they have any they want to give away..I did Sat night and the ally has 5 of them,,I will pick up Tuesday before I head for Tx. to get my plants,,lol..The mosiac balls are so pretty,,Some people glued pennies on the ball,,Or broken mirrors,,or moud pauge,,Not hard,,Use the super strenght glue stuff..Linda

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