Backyard Living Guru

One of the advantages to having spring take an interminable time coming (there HAS to be an advantage or the anxious gardener would go nuts!) is that without all the greenery we can see exactly what needs painting and repair. The roses have been pruned back and it’s clear that the arbor needs a new coat of paint, and the little stone benches tucked around the property have begun to peel. And after five years, the gargoyle lamppost is starting to chip. And I’ve GOT to do something about all the odds and ends of mismatched pots scattered around the house and yard.

Take a step and make note of what you need to improve and you can spend your fall enjoying the labors of your summer garden decor planning.

Metal garden stakes are one of the easies ways to enhance your garden décor, and they come in all kinds of shapes, some of the most popular are birds or other animals. There are all kinds of creatures you can choose to decorate your garden these days, from gargoyles to butterflies to fairies. If you wish to show your sense of humor when decorating your yard, you can choose signs and stepping stones with sayings that will do that.

While flowers and other flora come in and out of bloom, these pieces of garden décor add beauty any time of the year. These pieces can also add a certain idiosyncratic flare that plants can’t. Many of the figurines and stakes available for placement in your garden illustrate a healthy sense of whimsy all on their own.

Windchimes go back in history almost 5,000 years and are thought to be one of the world’s first known musical instruments. Primitive windchimes have been discovered at archeological sites in Southeast Asia and are thought to date about 3000 B.C.  At that time, they were usually made of bone, bamboo or other wood, stone or shells, and were believed to ward off evil spirits. Indonesian digs indicate that farmers were using windchimes and other sound-producing wind instruments to scare birds and other animals from their crops and predict wind and weather patterns during ancient times.  By 2000 B.C., windchimes had been independently developed along the Mediterranean Sea and in ancient Egypt, where they had been cast in bronze. Ancient Celtic tribes used them to intimidate enemies by making wooded areas appear haunted. Windchimes were also useful for ancient people who lived on or around the sea, as they were believed to provide evidence of impending storms and the possibility of choppy water. Around 1100 B.C., the Chinese created a bell that didn’t have a clapper, known as a yong-zhong and used in their spiritual rituals. Following the yong-zhong, the Chinese developed a form of the modern wind bell called the feng-ling. The feng-ling was hung from the eaves of Chinese shrines, temples, pagodas and caves, believed to be a positive religious talisman that would attract benevolent spirits.  The usage of a version of the feng-ling spread from China to Japan and eventually to the Western world, when Asian art, design and philosophy began to influence tastes in Europe and the United States.

Over time, the secular world began the frequent use of windchimes as home and garden decor–sometimes to scare away negative supernatural influence, but often because the sounds prove soothing, calming, or somehow pleasant.

In the past few months, my husband and I have been remodeling and improving our home in the hopes of selling it. We had attempted to do the very same thing around this time last year, but the housing bubble burst and the economy forced us to change course. This time we’re determined to make the house as desirable to potential buyers as possible. As much as interior design and amenities matter, I realized that the exterior of the home must look good for people to even set foot through the front door.

We began with a small landscaping job in the backyard and garden area, then bought solar lighting to highlight the new dimension and depth of the space even at night. To spruce things up even further, I found some decorative garden stakes that truly complemented the flora I had planted earlier in the year. At this rate, we should be bringing potential buyers to the property in droves.

Every day there are many negative events in the daily news and stress in our lives.  Making or buying garden décor will help to counterbalance these. A whimsical wind chime, a decorative stake, a garden statue or a birdhouse gives us something pleasant focus on when the stress starts mounting up. 

Garden accents help a person to create meaning and inspiration in their lives as they put time and effort into their lawns and gardens in such a way to reflect their deepest thoughts and feelings

Your Garden Decor is only limited by your imagination. As an ardent potter, I have many beautiful vessesl that don’t make it to the final finished stage without a mishap. Sometimes the casserole lid is glazed on tight, or the piece develops a crack in the firing.  I decided to create a ‘Garden of Injured Pots’.

I can use some of the cracked vessels as flower pots - one holds my gazing ball. The shallow containers become birdfeeders - or should I say ’squirrel’ since they are so easily accessable to the little critters. So let your imagination soar, and make your garden a reflection of your personality!

Along with your birdfeeders, Suet is an important winter food for birds. It provides the fat and energy they need to survive the cold weather.  Suet can be purchased raw from a butcher.

To render suet, finely chop it and heat in a large pan over medium heat until it liquefies. Strain through fine cheesecloth into a bowl and let cool until it hardens. Heat and strain suet one more time to ensure that it will cake properly when mixed with birdseed.

Mix together 5 pounds mixed wild birdseed, 2 pounds rendered suet, 1 pound dried cranberries and 1 pound raw peanuts (shelled).  Firmly pack mixture into plastic containers, placing a loop of twine down the center of each container, for hanging.  Freeze until hard (minimum of 2 hours to overnight). Unmold and hang each using twine loops.

When you think of lawn décor, do you think of gnomes and birdbaths?  Garden décor can contain a wide variety, from birdhouses and birdfeeders to wind chimes and banners.

Your own personal touch in your yard and garden will highlight natures beauty while adding flavor to you overall garden design.

When my wife and I relocated from midtown Manhattan to a rustic cabin in upstate New York, we were seeking a lifestyle change. At first the culture shock was almost too much to bear. We had to go without many of the cultural touchstones and conveniences that had characterized most of our lives. No more quick trips to Whole Foods or daily walks through Central Park for us.

In time we came to embrace the peace and solitude that country life has to offer. I began taking our dog for romps through the thick undergrowth in the forest, and my wife put up a few decorative wooden birdhouses. Right around twilight, it’s relaxing to sit out on the back stoop and watch the colorful winged critters flocking to their food. At this point, I can’t imagine returning to the hustle and bustle of city living.

Fall is well under way in many parts of America, and bird lovers of the Midwest and Northeast are probably longing for those boon days of summer. When the sun is shining, the birds are out in full force. Although some of your feathered friends will fly south in winter no matter what you do, others simply require some coaxing. Your ability to attract certain birds to the feeder depends on the foods you offer.

Seeds will only carry you so far. There’s certainly nothing wrong with luring those familiar chickadees, cardinals and jays, but if you want to bring in the exotic fliers, you’ll need to go the extra mile. Suet, or rendered animal fat, is considered a delicacy by woodpeckers and sapsuckers. You can place a block of fat in a specialized cage right near your existing wild bird feeders. Be sure to stay close by with a trusty pair of binoculars as you’ll want to see the action up close.