Nice or naff outdoor stuff

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Wrought iron bird feeder. Actually has bird seed in it as well.

Bug hotel. With (hopefully) leaf cutter bees sleeping snugly behind the plugs I watched their mums carefully build last summer.

White fairy lights.

A slate slab that a miniature cherry in a big pot sits on. The ex cats are underneath it, just where they would sit to enjoy the first sunlight of the afternoon. Surrounded by cowslips at the moment.

Two recliners

One bench made from spare wood and two buckets for legs.

One Ikea lantern which looks very pretty combined with the fairy lights.

Everything else is plant related. At some point, I'll probably try and get in looking a bit more reasonable - I had an enjoyable evening burning off the old prunings from the rambling rose tonight. OH was most impressed with my hard work when he got in from work to find me watching over the bonfire. He hasn't twigged that this means he's going to be mowing the lawn this weekend now it's not got a giant mound of vegetation stacked up in the middle of it anymore.

There is no space for plastic meerkats, 'amusing' statues or anything else in my garden. And I know that my shed is a shed - I don't need a sign to tell me that it's a shed.

kingfisherblue

GlasweJen wrote: »

KFB I'm so glad your garden is getting done. I remembered you mentioned the grant last year and it's nice to see things progressing

Thanks Jen. The volunteers are coming mid May to transform the garden. In the meantime, my ex is going to paint the guttering and door on the garage this weekend.


My son is so excited, and I'm really grateful that the charity are coming to do this for him. He'll have plug plants to start with, as it is later in the season by then. In the meantime, he has grown cress from seed. He's also grown lobelia, dwarf marigolds and chives from seed, but one of them failed (they were pound shop packs). Unfortunately, he mixed up the labels whilst tidying up (put the four labels into a single pile!), and we're not sure yet which one has failed and which have been successful. Still, it was a learning experience for him.


OP - sorry to hijack your thread. It's really interesting hearing about what others have in their gardens, although I have to admit that I'm not keen on plastic meerkats either!

Slinky

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

And I know that my shed is a shed - I don't need a sign to tell me that it's a shed.

Our shed has a house number sign on it that bears no resemblance to the house number we live in. We bought it on holiday in Italy for our previous house and liked it so much we didn't want to leave it behind (the number was also on the door of the previous house so it's not like we left them without a number). I'm sure anybody else thinks we're mad, but we don't care.

barbiedoll

We've got a green and white striped shed, which (almost) blends in tastefully with the weeds that are taking over my border at the moment.

We've got a nice brick wall at the house end of the garden, which is painted light blue and I've got palms and other pots along the wall, along with some hanging baskets. I don't bother with plastic animals, I've always got a garden full of cats, both my own and the neighbouring ones. As I type, I have a lovely white cat sitting on the shed roof, and a black one on the wall. I can't bear wind chimes, they set my teeth on edge.

I bought an incredibly life-like garden pig for my mum at Christmas. He looks a bit lonesome at the moment so we've promised her another one for her birthday. She's also got a goose, an owl and a couple of hedgehogs. I wouldn't mind, but they've all got names!
:rotfl::rotfl:

By the way, garden decorations are only naff when they're in your neighbour's garden. When they're in yours, they're incredibly tasteful and entirely suited to the surroundings!

DKLS

One of my old neighbours had wind chimes, they drove me nuts, so when they were on holiday there was a terrible storm and they blew away. Oddly the next storm took the replacement chimes as well.

pollypenny

We have wind chimes, but the neighbours can't hear them.

We also have a bird bath, a Buddha which reminds me of OH, a bird house on a tree, various bird feeders and a smiling sun face on the side of the house.

Oh, and a washing line.

Errata

My garden has two midget gnomes (dressed as Santa's helpers), a Buddha (just in case), a rusty tin dickie bird on a two foot spike (it's meant to be rusty), a solar light on a spike (bought in a fit of madness), a home made insect/bug house (a gift from an OAP), and there could be a dinosaur at the wild bit at the bottom chasing hedgehogs and toads for all I know.
And after reading this "When they're in yours, they're incredibly tasteful and entirely suited to the surroundings!" the solar light is going in the bin:D

Georgiegirl256

When speaking to my Mam earlier, she informed me that my Aunty has bought me one of those hanging glass bottles that you put a tea light in! I actually really like the look of them, so am very pleased!

Looks like my garden is getting a bit of an update too!

stiltwalker

I've always been in favour of gardens with gardeny, planty type things in them however this year we have been turning our back garden into a sensory garden (on the cheap) for our two children who have disabilities and I've surprised myself by how much I love it. Given that they are both young and have visual impairments we have quite a lot of brightly coloured stuff, the wall art on the fences, some lovely metal flowers from B&M (designed as stakes for borders but I've attached to fence with cable clips as they'd just get pulled up and thrown) which look amazing and have the added wonderfulness of allowing our son to positively demonstrate for the first time that he knows his colours as when asked he'll shuffle over and pat the requested colour!!!


We also have lights (although given that the kids are mostly in bed for 6.30 I think I'm just indulging myself here lol), coloured windsocks, a decorative cartwheel attached to the banister on the edge of the decking as a ships wheel and then of course we needed a jolly roger flag!


We've avoided anything that makes a noise without intent so as not to have constant irritating tinkles from windchimes and annoy the neighbours (plus it's not my favourite!) but my dad has made a big outdoor xylophone that makes a very pleasing and not too loud noise. We've also got the usual sand/water/small trampoline and nest swing as the kids can't manage a normal swing. We also have a range of planters with textured and scented plants and one that is just different stones and shells, like a rockery with no plants. I've just had a large length od tumble drier hose arrive and the next project is to attach that to the fence in wiggles to roll balls down, also need some drain pipe for that too.


It is a big back garden, I hasten to add - we haven't got all this crammed into a little yard! We are keeping an eye on what works well and what the children engage with best and will be modifying and updating as appropriate, but since we started with the first nice weather at Easter, we have spent so much time outside and the kids have got so much from it already that it has been well worth it.

Elsewhere

I love wind chimes - luckily out neighbours are too far away to hear them.

We also have a built-in paddling pool (it is an ancient and very strong fibreglass fish pond) which will need a lick of blue paint now we have finally become grandparents and a tree house (also needs renovation).

One solitary solar light in the form of a small rock. A couple of chairs and tables, bird feeder, bird bath and about a dozen large model snails made from various materials.

The snails have slimed their way out of the house where we have a collection of about 200 snail ornaments (mostly glass) and one glass slug.