Decorative items in the garden

[gata montes]

Thought I was just going to add some ideas for using pots, but - wow, this thread has got busy since my last visit

Claudine - was going to comment on how much I liked the first picture you posted, don't think I was imagining it but at this moment in time, it seems to have disappeared either way I thought it was a very attractive and tasteful and subtle enough, so as not to detract from the plants, also love those glass lanterns which are something I would love to have, but unfortunately the wind here would smash them to bits

Shellyann - you just reminded me, apart from pots subtly distributed around the garden, I too love wind chimes of all types and sizes, they make such an enchanting sound, and think its a real shame, that your husband is irritated by them.

pdxchristine - unfortunately, I can't find many pictures featuring pots, used in the garden, in the same way as I mentioned earlier, but these pictures may go somewhere towards, giving you an idea of how they can look

 

[ChanellG]

Yes @claudine they are so very pretty. I really need to learn hot to attract butterflies like @ChanellG does and I would be set for some great butterfly watching.

It's not difficult, @Shellyann36, you just need to have some of the host plants that butterfly larvae feed on. Fennel, parsley and dill are all great for attracting the Eastern Black Swallowtail, but if you want Monarchs you have to have tropical milkweed. If you do get some of the host plants you might want to isolate some because the butterflies will lay lots of eggs and you'll end up with more caterpillars than you have food for.

 

[Shellyann36]

It's not difficult, @Shellyann36, you just need to have some of the host plants that butterfly larvae feed on. Fennel, parsley and dill are all great for attracting the Eastern Black Swallowtail, but if you want Monarchs you have to have tropical milkweed. If you do get some of the host plants you might want to isolate some because the butterflies will lay lots of eggs and you'll end up with more caterpillars than you have food for.

Do the butterflies just eat the plants or should I feed them something else too? Is there a butterfly food as there is bird seed or perhaps they like sugar water as hummingbirds do?

 

[claudine]

Gata Montes, the first picture that I posted does show up for me. Let me know if you still don't see it, so I'll try to upload it again
Trellum, I love the pot fountain, it looks beautiful! I would love to just sit there and look at the flowing water. I'm sure it would be very relaxing.

 

[Trellum]

Thought I was just going to add some ideas for using pots, but - wow, this thread has got busy since my last visit

Claudine - was going to comment on how much I liked the first picture you posted, don't think I was imagining it but at this moment in time, it seems to have disappeared either way I thought it was a very attractive and tasteful and subtle enough, so as not to detract from the plants, also love those glass lanterns which are something I would love to have, but unfortunately the wind here would smash them to bits

Shellyann - you just reminded me, apart from pots subtly distributed around the garden, I too love wind chimes of all types and sizes, they make such an enchanting sound, and think its a real shame, that your husband is irritated by them.

pdxchristine - unfortunately, I can't find many pictures featuring pots, used in the garden, in the same way as I mentioned earlier, but these pictures may go somewhere towards, giving you an idea of how they can look

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All those pictures are great, but I like the way the pot in the first picture was used Pots can be great visual additions when decorating a home, but I'd advice everyone not to over do it. For me the ideal number of pots used as decorative items in a garden is 2, if you want to push it a bit and be a bit risky then 3 All in all a great idea!

 

[claudine]

To be honest, I don't like when pots just stand in a garden, because they remind me of urns for ashes But I don't know, maybe it's just my wild imagination, lol Anyway, if I wanted to decorate my garden with a pot or two, I'd plant something in them or I'd fill them with water and try to make a fountain

 

[gata montes]

Claudine - many thanks, but crazy as it may sound, although it wasn't there yesterday, it has somehow re-appeared again today maybe just one of those tests, to see if I still have all my faculties but seriously, even though I'm not a great one for garden decoration, thought your idea was both attractive and extremely tasteful

Trellum - my choice would also be the first picture, and I have often and still do, use pots in that way and totally agree with you, that subtly is the key and that in this instance, the less is more approach, is definitely the way to go.

Shellyann - Although its not something I would choose to have in my garden, had quite liked the idea of your butterfly houses, that is, until there was the mention of caterpillars, which I had totally forgotten about, apart from that, I think, I too would be stumped as what to feed butterflies

 

[ChanellG]

Do the butterflies just eat the plants or should I feed them something else too? Is there a butterfly food as there is bird seed or perhaps they like sugar water as hummingbirds do?

No, the butterflies don't feed on the host plants, they just lay their eggs. I used to think it was important to have necter plants for when the new butterflies emerge, but they don't really hang around once their wings are dry and they are able to fly. The monarchs will hang for hours, and when I go out to check on them sometimes it's as if they were waiting to say goodbye before flying off.

 

[ChanellG]

Shellyann - Although its not something I would choose to have in my garden, had quite liked the idea of your butterfly houses, that is, until there was the mention of caterpillars, which I had totally forgotten about, apart from that, I think, I too would be stumped as what to feed butterflies

Butterflies can fend for themselves quite well. If you don't have nectar producers you can always set up a feeder, but they don't really hang around. The larvae on the other hand need food as well as protection from predators like wasps and stink bugs. I've caught both attacking my monarch babies and it is very hard to not want to eradicate them. Just look up _____________ host plant, for whatever butterflies you want to attract. (Fill in the blank.)

 

[Shellyann36]

Butterflies can fend for themselves quite well. If you don't have nectar producers you can always set up a feeder, but they don't really hang around. The larvae on the other hand need food as well as protection from predators like wasps and stink bugs. I've caught both attacking my monarch babies and it is very hard to not want to eradicate them. Just look up _____________ host plant, for whatever butterflies you want to attract. (Fill in the blank.)

Oh no! I did not realize that wasps and stink bugs would attack the babies. Thanks for the info. I will look it up. LOL Add another item to the list and more things to do. Keith is still in bed right now but I can see him shaking his head!

 

[gata montes]

ChanellG - Many thanks for the info, and have to say, that I'm very relieved to know, that Butterflies can fend for themselves quite well, which is what I had always thought, but when Shellyann asked about what to feed them, have to admit to being a little stumped
Would I be right in assuming, as I have hundreds of different kinds of butterflies and dragonflies in my garden, that multiply each year - that they have everything that they require ?

 

[claudine]

It must be so wonderful to have hundreds of different kinds of butterflies and dragonfies in your garden, Gata Montes! They're such gorgeous creatures! I see a butterfly every now and then, but I'd love to have more of them flying around, the more the better When winter ends, I'll build a butterfly house

 

[gata montes]

It must be so wonderful to have hundreds of different kinds of butterflies and dragonfies in your garden, Gata Montes! They're such gorgeous creatures! I see a butterfly every now and then, but I'd love to have more of them flying around, the more the better When winter ends, I'll build a butterfly house

It is Claudine - and some of them are absolutely stunning, with some of the most magnificent markings I've ever seen, almost to the point of looking unreal, I really love having them around and very much enjoy watching them flitting about, especially the dragonflies with their bright fluorescent colors glinting in the sunlight, in fact when I was in the garden this afternoon, there were six or seven flitting around me as I tended the shrubbery

 

[Mrs17716]

What kind of decorative things do you have? I saw a photo of a wall of colored birdhouses in a garden and really like that idea. It was kind of like this, but on a fence rather than on a house exterior:

Previously I have been a very utilitarian gardener but I am looking to branch out and add some whimsy in the future.

I love this idea! I've seen places where they have a birdhouse on every fence post in their back yard. Kind of fun, but also kind of busy! I like this where they're all together in the same place. Very cute

 

[Pat]

We did this on the deck this summer. It looked very good.