The previous owner of our house was a collector of many things, among them was old farm implements and tools. When we purchased the property we inherited these items. They have been scattered about and moved around over the years we have been here, but I just recently decided to use some of them as garden art. To be honest, my decision was prompted by a spot I saw a couple of weeks ago on Central Texas Gardener [1]. They were featuring a Hill Country garden that included alot of garden art, some of which was old tools and farm implements. I got inspired and asked Ron to rustle up any artifacts that he could find laying around the property that looked interesting.
One of my favorite pieces is this old wheelbarrow. It has a huge hole rusted through the bed of the barrow, so I used a bit of pond liner with some holes cut into it for drainage to line the bed so it would hold dirt for planting. I have it filled with dirt and ready for planting.
Wheelbarrow in Courtyard Bed
Wheelbarrow in Courtyard Bed
I wasn’t sure if I would like the combination of Persian Carpet Zinnias and South African Pearl Daisies, but it is growing on me. I have them growing in a broken pot in the rock garden bed in the front courtyard, surrounded by large rocks, sedum, and thyme.
Daisies and Zinnias
Close Up of South African Pearl Daisy
The combination of the catnip plant next to the Korean licorice mint plant, although unplanned since the catnip was a volunteer, is also working for me. The bees and beneficial insects are highly attracted to the blooms on both of these plants.
Catnip and Korean Licorice Mint
And here are a few of the other interesting pieces that I have incorporated into the gardens.
Old Plow Blade
Cactus Garden Area
Still no rain here. Just trying to keep everything alive until we get a break in this nasty hot and dry spell.
12 Comments To "Texas Hill Country Garden Art"
#1 Comment By Bonnie On June 19, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
I love the garden art. It goes perfectly with your plants. Very cool! I’ll have to take a page from your book and incorporate some.
#2 Comment By lifeisan On June 19, 2008 @ 1:47 pm
I’m definitely having some fun with these funky pieces. They really do fit in well with the Southwest feel of our house and gardens. – Carol
#3 Comment By Annie in Austin On June 19, 2008 @ 8:02 pm
Hi Carol,
Just fixed the link for your new blog address – it looks great!
The old implements and broken pieces work well – and I like how they stand out against the surrounding countryside and cedars.
Have you planted something in the wheelbarrow that will trail down over the side? It’s kind of corny, but I love it when plants look like they’re trying to escape ;-]
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
#4 Comment By lifeisan On June 19, 2008 @ 8:51 pm
Hey Annie – thanks for updating my link. I can’t figure how how to redirect my old URL to my new one.
I haven’t planted anything in the wheelbarrow yet, but I had planned on having at least one trailing plant for sure. Got any suggestions? I kind of like corny.
🙂
Cheers – Carol
#5 Comment By bill / prairie point On June 22, 2008 @ 8:47 am
you know when i tried to go to your old URL this morning I got a warning message that it had been identified by Google as an “attack site.” My browser would not allow me to go there. It’s probably just a mistake but you might want to check it out.
#6 Comment By lifeisan On June 22, 2008 @ 10:36 am
Hi Bill, thanks for the heads-up. Not sure what would be causing that. I accessed the site with Firefox and Safari on my Mac after I read your comment, and I had no problem. I will do the same from my other Intel machines and IE to see if I can replicate your error.
But you could do me a favor and if you have a link to my blog, please update the URL to this site.
Thanks!
Carol
#7 Comment By Tango On July 2, 2008 @ 9:35 am
Great looking gardens. I am a big fan of “found object” art and those look so at home where they are that it looks like the gardens just grew up around them. If you ever decide to make your own, there’s a great group of garden artists who share their ideas here…
[4]
Thanks for sharing from another native Texian.
#8 Comment By Carol On July 2, 2008 @ 3:36 pm
Hi Tango, thanks for compliment. Always good to hear from another native Texan. Thanks for the link also. Art adds so much to a garden I think. – Carol
#9 Comment By Mercia On November 2, 2008 @ 10:03 am
Hi Carol
I love your garden art.
Regards
Mercia
South Africa
#10 Comment By Carol On November 2, 2008 @ 10:46 am
Hi Mercia, I’m pleased that someone from so far away finds my Texas hill country ‘art’ interesting. I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. It is a thrill for me when I get visitors from distant places. It gives me a sense of connection with my brothers and sisters in other countries.
Warm Regards,
Carol
#11 Comment By home improvement resource On March 16, 2009 @ 5:52 pm
I really liked your blog!
#12 Comment By Patio Heaters Store On September 24, 2009 @ 5:41 pm
Very beautiful garden, I love the rustic feel to it. I don’t know much about the combination of flowers, but it’s definitely visually appealing!