I am a believer in recycling. Some may call me a junk-picker. I suppose I inherited the disease from my grandfather and father. I hate to throw something away if I can think of some other use for it, and I love old stuff. So, while I'm waiting for my spring flowers to bloom (most of the snow has finally disappeared) I thought I would share my "found objects." I enjoy finding unexpected things in gardens. Do you like a well trimmed, organized, everything matches garden or do you like an eccentric garden as I do?
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| Some of you might be gasping - how could you put this treasure outside? Yes, I suppose we could have tried to get a little money for it, but how neat does it look in my garden? My green peppers love their home. My brother bought a house in the country, one of those places where past owners threw their junk out back on a junk pile, and this was one of the pieces of junk. |
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| Decorating a bowling ball to use in the garden might be considered kitschy, but I enjoy gluing stuff on old bowling balls and setting them in my garden. This one is covered in colored stones. |
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| The bowl portion of this birdbath broke, so I planted a fuchsia in it. That was about 5 years ago and this is the same plant. I bring it in every winter. |
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| Some might consider this junk. Another treasure from my brother's junk pile. He dragged this broken, old washing machine out and placed it in my garden as my Christmas present one year. He knew I would love this more than any store bought gift. |
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| Here's the lady of my garden. My husband used to clean out unpaid storage units and was able to keep anything he found. This was a keeper. My niece used to be a bit frightened of her, as many small children would, but she pays her no mind now. |
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| A pot belly stove with a crack in the belly. No longer able to hold a fire, but great at holding my mini-rose in a rescued, rusty, hole-filled bucket. |
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| What do you do with a gas grill that doesn't work anymore? Turn it into a potting bench! I took out the gas burner, put in a plastic dish pan to hold my potting soil and there you have it! The cover keeps my soil nice and dry. |
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| I'm a sucker for these old stools. I have 2 of them in my garden. |
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| Got this for $5 at a yard sale last year. I couldn't pass it up. |
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| Another yard sale find. An old radio flyer - perfect for my impatiens. |
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| Another wood burning stove - right out of my grandfather's workshop. Victim of another crack. |
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| My granparent's pump - it was no longer needed when city water came out their way. It sits up so high because there is a very long pipe attached to it. I couldn't dig down deep enough to bury it all. |
