My favorite gardeners in Portland are ones that can just shove plants in the ground without worry and turn random objects into garden art. My Aunt Teri seems to have that knack. She’s not slaving away outside, yet her backyard has this English cottage feel where everything thrives in this simply elegant way. She also has a knack for finding little treasures at estate sales and just casting them outside, landing in the perfect spot. Her yard is wild with clematic rambling over trellises, a banged up statue covered with fuzzy moss, and a ratty wicker chair acting as support for a peony resting where the seat used to be.
I am really proud of myself for this most recent garden art idea. My sister inherited a bed frame that she didn’t need and we couldn’t find a home for. I saw that as the perfect opportunity to force some “casual garden art” outside. I planned to use them as a grape trellis, but my husband Jay had the clever idea to put them at either end of my garden beds, a couple feet from the edges so I can still walk around them. I think they are funny – bed frame/garden beds – so I am keeping my eye out for another free bed frame to put on either side of the other two garden beds. And my grape is much happier now with the support.
Where did this pole come from? I think we removed it from some old plumbing that was defunct. We’re working on training the hops to grow up and around, which saves me from making another support structure for it. I like to combine utilitarian with my little creations…And now enter the “projects” category. 
My sister replaced her old windows with nice new vinyl windows (I have window envy, since our house is from 1927 and pretty much the same temperature outside as in…). I plan to use this fabulous pile of old windows to build a small greenhouse. There isn’t a good system for growing from seed in my little house, and this saves me the cash buying all the equipment. All I need now is figure out how to build a fricking greenhouse… I did figure out how to build a 4’x6′ coop, so I feel like I’m not out of my league.
How fun how fun how fun. I struggle with looking like having a yard full of junk and looking cool. I think it’s a fine line!
As for those glass light fixtures, I got a bunch of them at the rebuilding center, wrapped fine wire around the tops and then made hanging handles with the wire (at different lengths) and hung them all in a tree. Place tea candles in them, and they make a beautiful display of glowing orbs. The only thing to remember…rain will puddle in them, and you can’t hang them so high that you can’t get one of those long lighters in them to light the candles.
Whatever you do, post photos! Your post has inspired me to blog about what we’ve done with old shutters in the garden.
-www.sassygardener.com