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|
Diana
Gardner
Williams
|
Designing
with
Antiques
and
Recyclables
in
the
Garden.
Let
your
garden
reflect
who
You
are
Have
you
ever
thought
about
incorporating
flea
market
finds
and
antique
treasures
into
your
garden?
If
you
have
a
unique
and
eclectic
design
style,
your
home
is
most
likely
already
filled
with
artifacts
and
treasures
that
at
one
time
spoke
to
you
and
said,
“Please
take
me
home”.
When
making
these
purchases
try
to
think
of
how
they
will
function
in
your
garden.
Can
you
utilize
the
piece
as
a
fountain
head,
focal
point,
or
part
of
a
garden
wall
or
roof?
Here
are
some
suggestions
on
how
to
artfully
incorporate
your
finds
within
your
garden.
Incorporate
your
treasures
with
flowering
plants,
evergreens,
brick
and
even
wood
to
increase
the
authenticity
of
the
entire
landscape
and
avoid
a
disjointed
cluttered
look.
If
antique
items
are
the
focal
point
of
your
garden,
other
elements
can
be
used
to
complement
them.
Typically,
antiques
placed
and
used
indoors
do
not
stand
by
themselves,
but
are
often
adorned
with
natural
elements
like
moss
or
dried
flower
arrangements.
The
objective
of
using
antiques
is
for
your
visitors
to
be
in
awe
of
your
garden
because
of
your
creativity
and
cleverness
in
turning
various
items
into
an
entire
landscape
composition.
You
can
take
different
purchased
antiques
and
create
a
unified
design
while
incorporating
plants
and
other
materials
which
represents
your
garden
as
a
whole.
There
should
always
be
an
element
that
harmonizes
the
entire
room.
Unifying
elements
in
your
home
are
your
paint
color,
the
moss
strategically
placed
around
several
of
your
accessories,
or
the
copper
hardware
throughout
the
room.
In
your
garden
elements
can
be
the
rust
color
brick,
the
cappuccino
stain
of
your
woodwork,
or
simply
the
use
of
pine
needle
mulch
throughout
your
garden.
Try
to
repeat
and/or
continue
some
of
your
special
elements,
creating
a
harmonious
landscape.
You
could
plant
the
same
type
of
annuals
in
close
proximity
to
your
treasures.
Two
popular
design
styles
we
will
discuss
are
“Old
World
Charm”
and
“Shabby
Chic”.
Using
the
same
principals
as
interior
design,
you
can
create
these
looks
for
you
exterior
landscape.
Some
ideas
for
creating
the
Shabby
Chic
garden
are:
•
Use
antique
door
knobs
as
finials
on
fence
posts,
pergolas,
or
as
a
water
hose
guide.
•
Find
patterned
dinner
plates
with
chips
and
cracks
at
yard
sales
or
thrift
stores
and
break
into
large
pieces
and
reassemble
them
into
mortar
to
create
stepping
stones.
•
Use
smaller
dinner
plate
pieces
to
create
a
mosaic
on
tabletops,
clay
pots
or
even
an
outdoor
fireplace.
•
Use
a
whiskey
barrel
as
a
tabletop
base,
to
store
a
water
hose
or
even
a
seat
with
custom
cushions.
•
The
barrel
can
also
be
used
as
a
self-contained
fountain
by
placing
a
pump
in
the
center,
or
to
use
as
a
planter
and
drill
holes
in
the
sides
for
your
cascading
plants.
•
Take
a
vintage
tea
cart,
wheel
barrel
or
wagon
and
place
colorful
annuals
in
them.
•
Showcase
your
treasure
by
placing
it
in
the
center
of
a
large
pot
and
plant
annuals
that
cascade.
You
could
then
position
the
pot
on
a
pedestal
and
direct
night
lighting
to
illuminate.
•
Hang
antique
serving
spoons
from
a
recycled
towel
rack
and
use
instead
of
trowels
for
your
smaller
gardening
projects.
European
countries
are
known
for
their
abundance
of
hardscape
materials
like
cobblestone
and
brick.
These
beautiful,
quaint
cityscapes
are
used
in
today’s
gardens
Some
ideas
to
create
Old
World
ambiance
are:
 |
|
A
salvaged
wrought
iron
fence
|
•
Adhere
antique
hardware
to
brick
or
stone
walls
to
hang
art
or
other
antiques.
For
example,
a
piece
of
wrought
iron
fence
can
be
positioned
on
a
wall
for
an
espaliered
plant.
•
Flank
an
entryway,
frame
a
view
or
construct
a
pergola
using
salvaged
columns.
•
Set
the
columns
as
a
base
for
your
favorite
climbing
vines.
Wrap
and
staple
wire
around
the
column
and
place
an
antique
birdhouse
on
top
as
the
finial.
•
Use
a
wrought
iron
fence
to
create
a
courtyard
separated
by
brick
or
stone
columns.
Shrubs
can
also
be
used.
•
If
you
only
have
one
piece
of
fencing,
have
it
mortared
into
a
brick
or
stone
seating
wall.
Plant
twining
vines
along
the
backside.
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|
Combined
with
bluestone
use
a
mismatched
mortared
brick
to
create
a
pergola.
A
homemade
chandelier
hangs
in
the
center.
|
.jpg) |
|
leftover
brick
from
house
construction
(turned
on
it's
side)
to
build
a
walk
|
•
Construct
walkways,
paths
or
fountains
from
salvaged
brick.
Plant
creeping
sedum
or
creeping
thyme
in
between
them
to
create
a
more
aged
feeling.
To
give
any
garden
style
a
bit
of
romance,
pick
up
an
old
wheel
or
metal
lampshade
skeleton
to
construct
a
chandelier.
Use
small
chain
or
wire
to
hang
the
glassware,
pieces
of
wind
chimes
or
beads.
Drape
pearl
necklaces
or
grapevines
the
hide
any
wire.
Hang
your
creation
over
a
tree
limb
or
attach
to
a
pergola.
I
hope
these
ideas
give
you
a
new
perspective
when
shopping
for
these
unique
treasures.
When
your
house
has
reached
its
capacity
for
showcasing
your
finds,
move
them
outside
for
all
to
enjoy.
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Diana
Gardner-Williams
is
a
Landscape
Designer.
Her
extensive
career
includes
greenhouse
management,
drafting,
plant
installation,
grading,
stone
and
brick
installation,
water
feature
installation
and
pergola
design
and
construction.
Her
passion
includes
developing
Memory
and
Reflective
Gardens
to
help
those
experiencing
illness
and/or
grieving
the
loss
of
a
loved
one.
