I approach my outdoor living space the same way that I do my indoor living space, as something to be decorated. I look at a fence, and I see a wall. I enjoy different colours and textures and have fun creating little vignettes around the garden.
I had a vision for what I wanted and I knew that I could source items from yard sales to bring it to fruition. While I like to save money, and get an adrenaline rush from the treasure hunt, I never want to 'settle'. Getting something you really like, inexpensively, is fun. But I don't just buy things for the sake of buying them because they are cheap.
I think that my favourite purchase was one that I made two Saturdays ago at one of the community wide sales in a nearby town. This sale, always held on the first Saturday of June, is the highlight of my garage sale season. There were not nearly as many sales this year as in previous years, especially in the older established neighbourhoods. But I still managed to get some wonderful items.
After being successful in finding a double shepherd's hook in the same town last year, I was on the hunt for one again. I found one at the second sale that we stopped at, just after seven o'clock, still a couple of hours before the bulk of the shoppers would arrive.
Not only did the seller have a double hook, but there was a lovely multi-level bird feeder hanging from it. I asked how much for the hook and the feeder. He told me to make him an offer. I was prepared to pay up to $10, but started with an offer of $5.
I guess he didn't hear me, because he said, "Three dollars," and nodded. Sold! The same seller had the two concrete squirrels that I have mentioned in previous blog posts.
He actually had four squirrels, three were identical white ones. For fifty cents a piece I was kicking myself afterwards for not just buying them all. I have many locations where I could have placed them, either in my back or front yards. But at the time I didn't think I wanted three of the exact same statue.
The hook and feeder look wonderful in my garden! The same day I found a pretty glass star tealight holder that I hung on the other side from the feeder. It looks so pretty at night when it is lit and glowing.
It didn't take long for the birds to come. I love sitting out back in the early morning, sipping my coffee, watching them alight. So far I have seen sparrows, grackles, cardinals and blue jays come to the feeder. I managed to get a nice shot of the adult grackle.
This morning there was a baby squirrel at the feeder. He was so cute that I didn't have the heart to chase him away. The chipmunks are also frequent visitors. They climb the pole from the bottom and jump onto the last level where they sit stuffing their cheeks.
One thing that I had been specifically seeking was outdoor curtain lights for the fence directly behind the rock garden. It is perhaps fourteen to sixteen feet across. I didn't want to do the entire fence, I just wanted to accent that one area.
I seem to be inordinately lucky and often head out for the day looking for a certain item and manage to find it. My luck held that day at the town wide sales. One seller had several unopened boxes of just the exact style of white lights that I had envisioned for the patio. They were priced at $3 a box, and I offered $4 for two boxes.
They do not give the same effect just hanging there in the daylight as they do at night, of course. One night I will try to get a photo of them all lit up. They are beautiful...I call them my 'fairy lights'. They fit the space perfectly, neither too short nor extending too far.
The large piece of driftwood on the back top portion of the rock garden we brought with us when we moved here. I had bought it originally in the summer of 1999 when I was pregnant with our daughter. It was the focal point of a small garden out front of our house that I planted to commemorate her impending arrival.
The white wooden bird house that sits in the forefront was a freebie, given to me later in the day by a woman was getting ready to pack up. I had intended to pay the fifty cents she had marked on it, but she just smiled and said that I should take it, and that she would be glad if someone could enjoy it.
This past Saturday I found another item that I had been hoping to find. I wanted something with a glass prism to catch the light. I had read that it helps attract butterflies and birds to the garden. I paid $1 for this one. It twirls in even the faintest breeze, and the multi-faceted glass pieces reflect a sparkling rainbow of colour.
You can't really see them in this photo (perhaps they will be more visible if you click on to enlarge) but last Saturday I picked up four solar lights for $2. I had no idea whether they still held a charge, I know they wear out eventually, but since the yard sale was a fundraiser for a cat rescue I figured I could just consider it a small donation.
As it turns out, they no longer hold a charge. They are still cute as garden decor though. I used two blue ones and one green one in the rock garden and set the forth in the centre of my bird bath in another part of the yard.
Another purchase made for my garden is the carved frame that I bought for the side fence. I think that it probably once held a mirror. It has nice details of rose blooms. It was only $1. I may or may not add something to the centre of it some time, if I come across the perfect thing. Otherwise, I like it just as it is.
The frame is the dark brown oval on the right hand side.
Before I even had the tree cut down, or started planning the rock garden, back at the start of this year's garage sale season, I found this silver stone. I think it might be mica, but I really don't know.
The gentleman who was selling it told me that he didn't know what it was, or whether it had any value. I probably wouldn't normally give rocks a second glance at a yard sale, but the sparkle intrigued me. I offered fifty cents for it, and he accepted.
I found a spot for it later in the rock garden next to the small tree stump. It really stands out when the midday sun is shining down on the garden.
I already had a hummingbird feeder that I purchased at a garage sale a few weeks ago. When I saw this painted glass one at a yard sale it was pretty enough to entice me into putting up another.
I ended up hanging it outside of the patio area, so that if the hummingbirds ever find their way to our yard I will have a feeder that I can view while seated at our patio table, and another that I can watch while seated in the sitting area beneath the big basswood tree.
You can see through the fence behind it to the rock garden beyond. I really like having separate areas or 'rooms' in my yard.
One of our local thrift stores had this pretty decorator plate featuring a German Shepherd puppy. Our 'best dog ever', Dallas, who was a delight in our lives for twelve years, was a German Shepherd that we had since she was eight weeks old. We are on our second Shepherd, now, Skylar, also a beautiful, smart, gentle and obedient girl.
When I saw this plate I had an immediate sentimental attachment to it and happily forked over the $3 that it was priced at. It even included the plate hanger.
This is our Skylar, on the back steps.
I paid a grand total of $16 for these garden decor items. I would have paid that for a single strand of the lights if I had purchased them retail. You really can find some unique and interesting things at thrift stores and garage sales that add character to your yard and help to reflect your personality.
Even after three decades of treasure hunting at yard sales, I still get a thrill every time I find a hidden gem.
It's not finished yet, and it will take a few years for my new plantings to mature, but so far I am proud of my frugal garden.
Nifty, thrifty and (over) fifty,
Cathy
The tree was down, the ponds were filled in, rocks were arranged and perennials were added. My patio area was really beginning to take shape. Now I just needed to add some garden decor.
The first thing that I did was to look around to see what I already had that could be moved or re-purposed. This is a technique that I use for decorating indoors as well.
I find that when something is in the same place for an extended period of time, no matter how beautiful it is and how much I like it, that eventually I no longer 'see' it. I get used to it and it no longer catches my eye and brings me the same pleasure that it originally did.
As a result, I tend to move things around from time to time. I will take a piece of artwork from one room and hang it in another. I will move a vase from a shelf to the coffee table. It is amazing how little changes like that can freshen up a look, without your having to add anything new at all. It just 'seems' new as the eye rediscovers it.
One of the first things that I came across was a set of old window frames that the previous owner had left in the side yard. Rusted and with peeling paint they had just the look that I adore. So, up on the fence in the corner behind the barbecue, they went.
A week later I would find the ceramic sun face that I felt completed the look. The seller was asking $3, I offered $1 and he agreed to that price.
The double shepherd's hook to the right was a yard sale find from last year. I paid $5 for it.
Since we had moved into our home almost nine years ago, an old milk can topped with a rustic wooden bird house had sat by our entry door. Becoming overgrown with the English ivy that graces the front of the house, it was to the point that I rarely noticed it anymore. It was time to move it, and to a place where I could enjoy it for longer than just the few moments it would take to enter the house.
You won't be surprised to know that they were both past garage sale finds.
I had also had this wooden post angel by the front door, next to the milk can. I brought her to the patio area as well. She now sits in a barrel planter along the fence, nestled among ferns, phlox and bee balm.
I have a green wrought iron bistro chair that has sat to the rear and side of the former pond area for years. It has made a great stand for a basket of annuals. This year I decided I wanted something different there, something that would be more complimentary to my 'new' galvanized wash tub planter.
I had an old wooden step stool that has sat in the basement for quite some time. Originally it did duty as a side table, but it was no longer used for that purpose and was just a decorative piece. I thought it would work well as a plant stand. I think it looks great in that spot with the bright wave petunia set on top.
It's difficult to see in the above photo, but I bought the black, concrete squirrel, one of two I purchased (the other is white and sits on the stump next to my container pond) at a community wide sale in a nearby town a couple of Saturdays ago. Here is a close up. Weathered like the step stool, I think it seems to belong there.
This wooden shutter with the star cut out was a $1 yard sale find a few years ago. It was in a seldom used part of the garden. It is now displayed against the divider fence between the patio area and the rest of the yard.
Here is a glimpse of it from behind the spiderwort.
Without spending a single dime (not counting the sun face and squirrel) I now had some interesting pieces in place. Just by moving a few things around I am once again able to enjoy them in a way that I haven't for quite a while.
Sometimes that's all that it takes. Next time, try taking a look at what you already own to see if you can relocate or re-purpose it. It's not just thrifty, it can give you a new appreciation for existing items.
Nifty, thrifty and (over) fifty,
Cathy
Coming to the conclusion that it was time to give up my dream of ever getting my ponds restored to their former glory was difficult for me. I knew that filling them in and turning them into a rock garden was the best thing to do, but I have always loved the water.
Growing up we had lived next to a small creek and I had spent many delightful hours there, watching the water meander by, listening to it gurgle as it passed over rocky outcroppings. I would fish for creek chub with a bent pin and pieces of white bread rolled into small balls.
Once we moved into this home, I was at peace watching the fish, loved listening to the toads trill in the spring time as they came to mate, and was fascinated by the tadpoles that grew into young toadlets and emerged from the water.
Aside from all of the work that the ponds required, there was another problem after the first chunk of Manitoba maple came down in a windstorm a few years previously. Formerly, that part of the tree had provided not only shade for the ponds, but protection for the fish.
The first season afterwards, when I had tried to reintroduce the goldfish, starting with one to make sure the water was right, a passing heron had made him his breakfast.
We often see herons flying overhead journeying to and from the river. I suppose that in previous years the tree had shielded the ponds from their view. Without that natural cover, the water and movement of the fish likely caught a heron's eye.
My husband woke that next morning to discover that the goldfish was gone and a great blue heron was strutting around our back yard. It seemed pointless to put any of the others out, turning them into a heron buffet. Without the fish, the idea of the ponds lost some its lustre.
I had reconciled myself to the idea that there would be no more water feature, and no more fish. I was okay with that...more or less.
Then when I was searching for gardening ideas on pinterest (my favourite internet idea site!) I came across instructions for container ponds. Small, easy to maintain, it seemed an ideal compromise. I could put one up on the tree stump so that it would not pose a safety hazard when our new grandson reaches the toddler stage.
I really liked the idea of using a galvanized tub. I thought it would be ideal for the informal, country cottage garden that I was striving to create. At a town wide yard sale a couple of weekends ago, I came across a good sized tub for only $2, an incredible deal for this hard to find item.
There was a small crack at the top, and it looked a bit rusty, and I wondered whether it would be leak proof. But for $2 I had to have it, and knew that I could use it elsewhere if it proved to be unsuitable for a small pond. As it turned out, it did have a small leak. I considered having my husband patch it, but then decided to use it as a planter instead and to continue the search for another to use as my container pond.
I used one of the stumps left over from the removal of our dying Manitoba maple as a base for the planter. I added some old bricks and a couple of rocks that I found in our side yard as drainage. Two bags of black earth ($2 a bag) were enough to fill the planter.
Since the spot I chose is mostly shady, I thought it would be a good idea to use some of the shade plants that I already have growing beneath and around our remaining tree, a large basswood. I dug up a clump of hosta, some oleandar, and a couple of pieces of beacon's silver. I added a small branch for texture and interest.
I had seen ideas on pinterest to hang a tea pot above a planter so that it appeared to be watering the plants. I had a copper tea pot sitting on my kitchen shelf that I thought would be perfect, and I liked the idea of the mix of metals.
I bought a small egg shaped sun catcher at a yard sale for twenty five cents and wanted to add it to the planter but wasn't sure how to do it. My unused side yard proved once again to have just the thing I needed. I have no idea what its original purpose was, but I found a galvanized metal bar that I stuck into the planter that was just the right height to hang the sun catcher from.
For a total of $6.25 I was able to create this pretty little spot along the patio fence near the rock garden. (You can click on photos to see an enlarged image).
I was pleased with my planter, but still wanted a container pond. I had seen an add on kijiji, our local on line buy and sell site, for a galvanized tub, no holes or leaks, for $45. I had considered it, it was in line with what these tubs usually went for, but it was more than I wanted to pay and I decided to wait to see what else I could find.
A few days later the seller had dropped the price to $25 and wanted a sale that weekend. I emailed and offered $20. She was firm at $25, and figuring that was a fair price...and wanting one 'now'...I agreed. Especially since she guaranteed that it was water tight. There is another listed now by someone else with an asking price of $40.
I like how it looks sitting on the stump, and love the idea of having a container pond.
This is what the stump looked like the day the tree came down, after we had cleared away the wood and sawdust.
And this is what it looks like now.
I had a small wood and glass washboard that had been sitting on a shelf in my laundry area. I thought it would look cuter as an accompaniment to the wash basin. Of course, it had been a garage sale find one year.
Previously, I had added some rocks, a cast iron lantern, a resin rabbit, a clump of perennial day lily, some purple salvia and dusty miller annuals to the area below. There had been a fern growing into my lawn area that I dug up and relocated to the barrel planter. It suffered some transplant shock, and I had to cut off a few dead leaves, but there is new growth already.
A couple of weekends ago, at the previously mentioned town wide yard sales, I had purchased a concrete squirrel for fifty cents. I set it on the stump next to the tub. I felt that something was still missing. I remembered the robin's nest in one of my bushes out front. The fledglings had vacated the nest, and the robins had already built a new one above the drain spout, so I didn't feel badly about taking it.
I wasn't sure what kind of plants to put in my container pond. I have not finished researching that yet, but I was impatient and wanted to get a few fish. The local pet store had small pond goldfish for fifty cents a piece, and they also had water hyacinths for $6.99.
I picked up one plant and three fish, two orange ones and a brown one. I followed the recommendations for introducing the fish to their new home. I let the bag float in the water for half an hour, then opened it, emptied half the water and added some pond water. I let them sit again for twenty minutes, then released them.
Sadly, the brown fish didn't make it, but the two orange ones seem to be doing well. Eventually, a self-contained ecosystem should develop, but for now I am feeding the goldfish flaked food. Although I notice they do nibble on the roots of the water hyacinth as well.
I have named the one with a white spot on its back Sorbet, and the other Julius.
They seem quite content in their new home and are very active, chasing one another around. The water hyacinth has already gotten some new growth in just a few days.
By this weekend I should be ready to add a couple of other plants. I also want to get one more goldfish, a slightly larger one. I do not want to overcrowd it with fish though. And since it is not large or deep enough to allow them to remain outside during our long, cold winter, I will have to bring them inside in the late fall and set up an aquarium for them. Something else to be on the look out for at garage sales this season!
My little container pond helps to alleviate some of my wistfulness at losing my big ponds. I know that ultimately this is a much better choice for our current lifestyle. And already it has brought me pleasure. I can even stand indoors by the back door and look out onto it.
If you have a small space, or limited time and ability to care for a larger pond, I recommend giving some consideration to a container pond. It's easy to do, and as you can see, can even be created on a frugal budget!
Nifty, thrifty and (over) fifty,
Cathy
Once we took the big old Manitoba maple tree down from our patio area, and filled in the ponds, that area out back looked very bare. It didn't cost as much to fill them as I had anticipated. We had a yard of fill and a yard of topsoil delivered. Total cost, including delivery charge, was $80.
Medium and small rocks were sourced from our local on line buy and sell site, kijiji. They were free, we just had to go pick them up from a woman's garden. Most were just your basic brown rocks, but a few were quite decorative.
New plants could have been a very costly investment for my new rock garden. Our local Canadian Tire store offers mature perennials in two gallon pots priced between $12 - $17. Several of these larger plants would make a nice immediate showing in the garden, but I really didn't want to pay that much.
I was happy to plant smaller plants and wait a couple of years for them to establish. Especially as I am not really a gardener and don't know a lot about plants. I knew that there might be some I'd decide I didn't really want in that space, or some that I might move later in favour of others.
I am fortunate that my mother is an avid gardener with a small but beautiful (and award winning!) garden. She generously donated some of the plants she had divided from her garden. Additionally, she gifted me a few others that she had picked up from a Mennonite plant sale in her town.
Thanks to my mom I had a good start on things. We planted a few irises, dwarf and regular. She gave me a hosta, coral bells, a couple of Stella D'oro day lilies and lady's mantle. We also transplanted a chunk of oleander from another part of my garden. My initial financial outlay on plants....nothing!
I knew that you always see perennials at yard sales at this time of year, and on my next few outings I was able to pick up additional plants. The most that I paid was $3 for a hosta. The other plants were $1 for small to medium sized pots. I love the late summer and fall wild flowers and was happy to be able to pick up black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers.
I found daisies, bee balm, sweet William, evening primrose. I also bought a couple of 'mystery plants' that I will just have to wait to see what they are.
This past Sunday my husband's friend and co-worker, Rob, stopped by to bring me a couple of large clumps of larger leaved sedum from his garden. He tells me that they will flower in the fall. I really appreciated his generosity and I will repay it once some of my plants are big enough to be divided.
My daisies.
Sweet William (upper left hand corner). The cast iron fish was a yard sale find that I have had for many years. The day lily is in behind the fish, and in the bottom right corner is some kind of sedum. If you look closely, you can see a small toad who was checking out my new garden.
This is the lady's mantle. It will have an interesting chartreuse flower when it blooms.
Here is one of the 'mystery plants' on the bottom right hand corner. It should be blooming soon, and I am curious to see what it will look like. The copper roofed bird house was a garage sale buy that I have had for a long time.
The purple flowered oleander, the violets, and the sedum with the yellow flowers were there originally when the ponds were up and running, and we managed to preserve them.
I found this small stump in a rarely used side area of the garden and thought it would give some visual interest. The plants in the front are the black-eyed Susans.
I bought this small watering can from a garage sale a couple of weeks ago for fifty cents. I call it my 'Aladdin's lamp'. Since the above photo was taken, I decided to plant a small piece of the yellow flowering sedum from the exterior of the garden.
The sedum that Rob so kindly donated to me.
Once things mature and fill in, and once the plants begin to bloom, I think my rock garden will look quite nice. I am already enjoying sitting out on the patio, letting my eyes wander from plant to plant, keeping an eye out for toads, or watching the chipmunks (who live under the back of the rock garden) cavort through the space.
My next posting will feature some of the decorative items I have thrifted from garage sales for the space.
Nifty Thrifty and (Over) Fifty
Cathy
When we first moved into our home nine years ago, there was a beautiful, established garden in the back yard. It was one of the things that made me fall in love with the house. There were two large trees that provided plenty of shade on either side of the yard. The two small ponds in the patio area were an absolute delight.
Those first years, when I was not working, it was not as difficult to maintain, even though the ponds were a lot of work. I used to spend a great deal of time relishing the lovely tranquility of our yard.
Then a few years ago, during a particularly violent wind storm, a large chunk of the Manitoba maple in the patio area came down. We had a tree removal service come in to take away the wood, and to cut off the top branches. To our surprise the tree's canopy regrew quickly.
But I was never really able to enjoy that part of the yard again. We knew that the tree was past its prime, and that it was just a matter of time before the whole thing would come down. I worried about my husband when he would stand beneath it to barbecue.
Shortly after the tree came down, I returned to work full-time. We no longer had time to maintain the ponds and for a couple of years they sat unused, unfilled and neglected.
This spring we knew it was time for that old Manitoba maple to come down so that we could reclaim our patio.
This is what it looked like then. (You can click on photos to enlarge them).
I am frugal, but not cheap. We found the best deal we could, but we made sure to hire a crew of licensed professionals with insurance. It did not take them long to cut the tree down. During the process, we learned that at some point the previous owners had tried to brace the tree together with metal brackets and rods. Obviously the issues had been going on for some time. I imagine that since it had been such a pretty tree, and had provided beautiful shade and cover for the patio and ponds, that they had done what they could to save it.
Once it was done the visual impact was huge and immediate.
As you can see, the major portion of the interior was badly rotted. As the stump pieces fell to the ground, sawdust would pour out. It was cheaper to dispose of the larger cut pieces ourselves (a $200 savings) so we decided to keep some as decorative pieces around the yard, and will take others to the dump for a nominal fee.
We used some pieces as fill for the ponds, including the sawdust.
Once everything was cleaned up it already looked like a totally different space. I started to visualize what it might look like finished. Initially, we had thought we might use the stump as a barbecue centre, and talked about adding a table top to it.
Now our hard work really began. We went to a local landscape centre and ordered a yard of fill and a yard of topsoil to be delivered. I lost count of how many wheelbarrows full of dirt we rolled to the back yard. Before we added the last few loads of topsoil, we watered heavily so that what we had already put in could settle. Then the following day we finished with the top layer.
Since I was turning the ponds into a rock garden, naturally I needed some rocks. I checked our local on line buy and sell site, kijiji, and found someone who was offering free medium and small sized garden rocks. They just needed to be removed from her garden. We drove out to pick them up and as it turned out she had just enough for our needs and she was happy to have us take them all, so that she did not have to dispose of them. And we saved money since we didn't have to purchase rocks. It was a win-win.
Now it was time to add some plants. I am fortunate that my mother is an avid gardener, with a beautiful garden of her own. She very kindly brought me some of the perennials she had divided; hosta, Stella D'oro day lillies, and coral bells. She also went to a Mennonite plant sale in her area and picked up some dwarf irises, taller irises, and lady's mantle. We planted those and the area began to take shape.
In my garage sale travels I found other perennials to add. I bought another hosta, some black-eyed susan, purple coneflowers, evening primrose, daisies and bee balm. I also bought a couple of 'mystery plants' and time will tell what those are. The most that I paid for a single plant was $3, but the vast majority of them were only $1 a pot. So much cheaper than buying them at the garden centre! In the spring, there are always perennials to be had at yard sales. I also saw people advertising them on kijiji.
Yesterday a friend and co-worker of my husband very thoughtfully stopped by to drop off a couple of bunches of sedum from his garden. Generous fellow gardeners are another frugal way to add plants. And don't forget to return the favour when it comes time to divide your plants.
It will take a few years for my new gardens to get established, I know. I will not see the irises bloom this year as it was already past their season. But there are daisies blooming now and other plants getting buds. So we will have some colour this year. This is what it looks like as of this morning.
After seeing ideas for container ponds on pinterest, we decided to forgo the barbecue station idea for the stump and to create a small container pond instead. It would be easy to maintain and would give me the water feature that I craved. And with it being up off the ground, it will be safe for our new grandson once he gets to the toddler stage.
And this is what the stump area looks like now. I added the washboard that I had found at a garage sale years ago, and which had previously sat on a shelf in my laundry area. My husband selected some purple salvia, a pretty annual, and we planted those for instant colour.
I have decided to break my frugal garden blog post into two separate postings. This one gives you the overview. The next one will show some of the details of the plants and decor items that I have added. All frugally sourced...of course!
Nifty Thrifty and (Over) Fifty
Cathy
