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One man's trash is another
man's garden art from trash!
Some people are crazy
about diamonds, furs, fancy cars, and fine art. Not me.
My passion is rust!
What about you? What's your
found style? Let's find out!
Your perennials are sprouting and the garden gnomes
have all been given their assignments.
But there's still
something missing.
Could it be the art of
trash? Of course it is!
The Garden Art From Trash
Guide has lots of found
style tips and unexpected surprises.
Trash artists take
found objects and
create ready-made, re-purposed, recycled treasures!
And what we can't find, we make -- with
castoffs.
So find your inspiration! And
make your garden flea market fabulous!
The Guide has
hints to unify your eclectic garden style. Tips for
bagging bargains. Techniques to avoid welding. And ideas for
trash art projects.
So use the Guide.
And create
a one-of-a-kind garden experience in your own yard.
Want more?
Okay, at the bottom of this article, you'll
find
a garden art from trash tree stump chair
you can make right now.
Then there's a show-and-tell
of 2 garden art from trash pieces I've got in my backyard.
And take a look at the
found style of one of Santa's little helpers I happened upon at
a crafty Christmas bazaar.
Making garden art from
trash isn't just a passion. It also defines the eclectic
garden style.
A good mix of the new with homemade,
hand-me-down, and garage sale goodies make an eclectic garden a
welcoming and personal place.
But the carefree charm
of garden art from trash is really a journey
of choices made with a good eye for composition and
unity.
So use these recycled art
outdoor
decorating ideas to unify
your garden composition and present your fabulous trash art with
confidence.
Unify With
Repetition
Garden art from trash blends
various styles into a single scheme.
So unify a mixed and
matched collection by repeating materials
like galvanized metals, stone and mosaic tile.
Choose
a dominant color and weave it through
your whole garden on plants, pavers and other garden
decorations.
Paints and stains can make the new look old
and the old look new.
So paint and stain furniture, birdhouses, containers and such
to tie together your color scheme.
Let's Make A
Deal
Use these tips
for bagging bargains! And you'll decorate your yard on a
shoestring, unleash your creativity and find free stuff and
great deals.
Arrive early at garage sales and
flea markets.
Auctions and
tag sales are less crowded on weekdays. So go then.
Always try to negotiate the price when something suits your
fancy.
If a rickety piece can't be repaired,
always plant flowers in, under it, or around it --
always!
At specialty shops, go straight to the
clearance section. There are usually lots of broken and unwanted items
perfectly suited for your trash art
creations.
Keep an eye out for items with
imperfections. Then ask store clerks
for a discount. They usually say yes or let
you have it for free!
Find curbside castoffs by
prowling the neighborhood in spring when people clean out
their attics and basements.
Working With
Metal
If you love metal garden art
from trash, then use these tips to avoid welds and work
safe.
Lots of metal can be recycled and re-used
as seating. And not all metal art requires a
weld.
Drilled pilot holes, bolting and wiring metals together is a good
way to make a connection.
Try
stacking pieces on top of each other and let the weight
hold everything together.
When a weld can't be avoided, make
sure it's safe.
Welding aluminum is impossible
without special materials.
And galvanized tin and steel produce
toxic fumes when welded.
There are lots of tools that are used to
work with recycled metals. But always be mindful to
wear safety glasses and gloves.
Some trash
artists are purists. They prefer to leave
the metal as is. While others happily repaint and refinish their metal trash
art. For these artists, a coat of sealer
is perfect for arresting oxidation or weathering.
Tree Stump Garden Chair
Project
If you just
happen to have an old iron chair with no legs laying around and an
unused tree stump in your yard, then this garden art from trash
project is for you.
Examine the chair for any sharp bits of
metal where the legs used to be and smooth them out with
a grinder.
Put the chair on the tree
stump with the front edge over-hanging just a bit.
Find 4 places in the ironwork that
would be good places to sink a screw into the stump and
mark the positions with chalk.
Lift the chair up.
Position a washer over each chalk mark. Put the
chair back into position by lining up the holes in
the seat over the holes in the washers and chalk marks.
Drill the pilot
holes, then sink screws through the holes in the chair,
through the washers, and into the tree stump to hold the chair
in place.
How easy was that!
Make Garden Art From Trash
Ideas
Here are just a few quick
ideas that you might want to do in your lost-and-found garden.
Re-do shed windows in stained glass
Cap an old store sign with bowling ball finials
Let coleus thrive in old rusty cans.
Use chunks of limestone unearthed on your property to outline a
garden bed.
Use old plastic dishpans as molds for hypertufa.
Sign Me
Up
Use a discarded fence post and
bare wood scraps to create a personalized garden street sign.
Picture Frame Wind
Art
Decorate your tree branches with
discarded picture frames. Remove the glass and paint them in dramatic
colors.
Then use fishing line to hang them from tree
branches. Play with the angles. Try hanging them from the frame
corners.
Who doesn't love bowling
balls in flowerbeds?
Bowling balls as garden
art is old news in found style and trash art
circles.
Let's put a new spin on it.
Spray paint pretty patterns on old bowling balls using
stencils.
Then line a garden bed or path with the balls. Sprinkle
around a smidgen of marbles and stones for added
sparkle.
Or transform bowling balls into architecture by turning a metal
table upside down, and using the legs as a mount for your bowling
ball.
Reuse old tools
Don't trash your old damaged garden tools.
Re-purpose them as garden
sentinels.
Cut the handles to a
length you like. Stick them in the dirt behind tall flowers
with the business end
up.
Get saucy with
saucers
Edge a planting bed with old saucers, dinner plates, or discarded metal pot
tops.
Bricks
Create
a classic look with re-claimed brick. Dig a trench 4 to
5 inches. Put in an inch of sand for drainage.
And angle the bricks
in.
Positioning them with half the brick above
ground and other half
below.
Seashells
Put an old
collection of seashells to work as garden edging. Place them upended or lay them
flat.
Alfresco Checker Board
Game
Re-purpose old concrete pavers for
an alfresco checkerboard game. Find a level surface in your
garden.
Place square pavers
on the surface keeping 2 inches of
space between each paver. Paint every other concrete paver black with concrete
paint.
Be
creative and come up with what you'll use for game
pieces.
Personify your garden
Make a flowerpot scarecrow
and plant the head with perennial
dreadlocks.
Wheel Barrels
Use a rusted wheel barrel as
a planter. You can let it set up right and just plant flowers in
it.
Or make it look as if the flowers are
spilling from it by turning it on its side first, and then planting the
flowers.
My Garden Art From
Trash Show-And-Tell
This beautifully rusted chiminea was just
hanging out my backyard with nothing to do.
Now it has its mouth
full!
I purchased a fern, and just dropped it in the
mouth of the chiminea. It sits in the shade and gets watered
deeply every day.
This next garden art from trash project is made
from wrought iron wine racks I rescued from the back of a
department store trash bin.
Hens and chicks are one of my
favorite succulents. So my mom glazed some terra cotta pots in bright
colors. Then I planted hens and chicks in them.
And just dropped the pot in
the wine rack hole that's made to hold wine bottles, and
nailed the wine racks to my deck posts. The hens and chicks hardly need watering and
love to have their roots crowded, so they are a perfect fit for
these small pots.
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