Hi GPODers!

While plants are our bread and butter here at Fine Gardening, we all know that garden design involves so much more than just great plants. Hardscaping like paths and patios, structures like arbors, arches, and gazebos all bring personality and help tie a design together. Though usually on a smaller scale, garden art is  the additional flavor that can turn a great garden into really special space.

This art appreciation post was sparked by a very fun and fabulously unique submission from Diane Jaeger, showcasing an incredible, up-cycled piece of garden art that brings so much whimsy and personality to her already gorgeous garden (to see more of Diane’s beautiful garden, check out her previous submissions: Diane’s Garden in Illinois, Revisiting Diane’s Garden in Illinois, and Vibrant Spring Colors in Diane’s Illinois Garden).

I have not posted in a long time, but thought this might be something that you would enjoy.

My sister and I have had a ‘thing’ with shoes for years, and I happened to see this at a garage sale and was thrilled! Painted it and placed it in the yard, and I love it—I hope you do as well!

For shoe lovers like Diane and her sisters, or for anyone who appreciates the all things with quirks and character, this chair is an incredible find. I personally love the look of the wear and tear on this piece fresh from the garage sale, but Diane gave it even more life with a bit of paint.

Diane was not afraid to bring the color! I wouldn’t have guess this piece could get anymore fantastical, but Diane picked a color scheme that makes this shoe look like it stepped right out of the pages of Alice in Wonderland.

And in the garden is looks even more fabulous. Not only bringing a beautiful pop of fun color to a lush, green bed, but also injecting more personality and whimsy into the garden. Though, from the looks of it, this is far from Diane’s first piece of garden art. We would absolutely love to see more photos of those wonderfully whimsical garden additions, Diane!!

As I appreciated Diane’s creative garden, I recalled some of my favorite pieces of garden art my mom has added to her own garden. So here’s a few photos she shared with me.

This little solar light is a new addition that I absolutely adore. If you’ve been following GPOD the past few weeks you might have caught this in a post where I showed off my mom’s summer containers (Summer Containers in Connecticut). She also has a matching moon light and they are gorgeous from the deck when they illuminate at night. They also allow you to enjoy the colorful angelonia for hours after the sun has gone down.

There are a few gnome-related pieces in the garden, but this menacing gang has to be my favorite. The row of rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus, Zones 5–9) they sit under is pretty, but this little sign makes it so much more fun.

And just like Diane, a funky chair has found its home in a corner of the garden that is still a work in progress. Unsure of the chairs origins, it was nearly covered in weeds and brush in a family friend’s yard when my mom agree to take it home and give it a second life. Now it just needs some pretty plantings around it to compete with Diane’s incredible art.

A big thank you to Diane for sharing her fabulous garden addition. If you have some awesome garden art, whether it’s whimsical, abstract, classical, or contemporary—we’d love to see it! Follow the directions below to share your photos, or send me a DM on Instagram (@agirlherdogandtheroad).

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

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