Ferreting around in salvage yards is a wonderfully absorbing way to spend an afternoon. It’s the thrill of the chase – the thought that you might find just the thing you’ve been looking for or, perhaps, something you didn’t even know you wanted or needed until now. And if you don’t have access to a yard, auction or flea market, there’s plenty of hunting to be done online, too. Prices can run from a few pounds to thousands, but you don’t need rare antique statuary to make an impact. When well-placed, old garden and agricultural tools, galvanized-metal laundry buckets and dolly tubs, rusty ironwork, old drain hoppers and kitchenalia can all be turned into decorative objects to bring a little theatre to your garden.
GROUPING SIMILAR OBJECTS IN CLUSTERS CAN MAKE A QUIRKY ‘SCULPTURE’. THE SHAPE AND PATINA OF THESE VINTAGE FUEL CANS HELPS TO CREATE THE ILLUSION THAT YOUR GARDEN HAS BEEN THERE FOR EVER – EVEN IF IT HASN’T
A VINTAGE GARDEN ROLLER CONJURES UP THE CHARM OF MR MCGREGOR’S GARDEN. UNLESS YOU HAVE A TRAILER, AIM TO TRACK ONE DOWN CLOSE TO HOME: THEY ARE RATHER TOO HEAVY TO TRANSPORT BY CAR. LOOK FOR ORIGINAL PAINTWORK AND HANDLE. IF THESE ARE INTACT, THEY ADD TO THE AUTHENTIC FEEL
KITCHENALIA, FROM TEAPOTS TO OLD SAUCEPANS, CAN MAKE CHARACTERFUL PLANTERS. THIS SMART ALUMINIUM JELLY MOULD IS NOW HOME TO AN Agave filifera, KNOWN AS A THREAD AGAVE BECAUSE ITS LEAVES ARE EDGED WITH LONG WHITE FIBRES
A PICTURE FRAME CAN BE TURNED INTO A VERTICAL PLANTER FOR SUCCULENTS. CREATE A PLYWOOD BOX BEHIND IT AND FILL WITH CACTI POTTING MIX AND SPHAGNUM MOSS. PLANT THEM THROUGH A LAYER OF PLASTIC MESH SECURED TO THE BOX OVER THE COMPOST
GALVANIZED-METAL ROSES, SUCH AS THESE COLLECTED AT FLEA MARKETS, HAVE LONG SINCE PARTED COMPANY WITH THEIR WATERING CANS BUT HAVE BEEN PUT TO GOOD USE AS DECORATIVE CANE STOPPERS IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN
RUSTY IRON OBJECTS, LIKE THIS STORM LANTERN, LOOK GOOD AGAINST LUSH GREEN PLANTING AND ADD INTEREST TO A POTTED PLANT COLLECTION. CHECK THAT THE RUST HAS NOT GONE TOO FAR AND WEAKENED THE ITEM, ESPECIALLY ON JOINTS AND CORNERS
VINTAGE GARDEN TOOLS, EVEN IF YOU DON’T WANT TO USE THEM IN YOUR GARDEN, MAKE EYE-CATCHING DECORATIVE OBJECTS. ENJOY SEARCHING THEM OUT AT SALVAGE YARDS, FLEA MARKETS AND COUNTRY FAIRS. THEN LINE THEM UP TO CREATE A TALKING POINT BEHIND OR AMONG YOUR PLANTING
ANTIQUE PLANTERS LIKE THIS ATTRACTIVE STONE TROUGH (RIGHT) ADD STYLE AND DISTINCTION TO ANY GARDEN PLANTING SCHEME. THEY USUALLY COMMAND A HIGH PRICE IF GENUINELY OLD. NEWER PIECES IN CAST STONE – OR EVEN IN CONCRETE – CAN BE WEATHERED BY PAINTING THEM WITH YOGURT TO ENCOURAGE ALGAE TO GROW