Use wrought iron for more than a garden gate.
Wrought iron survives time, weather and neglect and makes a great addition or centerpiece to any type of garden. Traditional gardens incorporate wrought iron as gates, planters and bird baths. Adapt wrought iron to other uses or add a bit of fantasy or expression to put a modern twist on wrought iron in a garden setting. Begin the transformation process by using wrought iron yard art, tree guards and trail markers to make a personal garden statement. Does this Spark an idea?
Plant the Wrought Iron
Create a one-of-a-kind wrought-iron flower garden where all the flowers are wrought iron. Fanciful and entertaining, a wrought-iron flower garden can contain whatever the gardener dares to plant. Not all of the wrought-iron art needs to come from a single source--consider the wrought-iron flower a new item to add to a shopping venture. Search art galleries, local art studios, garden specialty stores and even the local home-remodeling garden center. Design a wrought-iron daffodil garden, a wrought-iron insect sanctuary or a mixed flower bed. Use a wooden garden pickets or more wrought iron to fence in the garden. Add metal greenery or statuary to build visual variety.
Wrap the Trees
Tree guards are used in gardens and landscapes to protect trees from intrusion and damage. They are attached around the base of a newly planted tree, low-growing shrubs and other delicate plants. Tree guards protect trees from the wayward soccer ball, the rough-and-tumble neighborhood football game or the family pet. Wrought-iron tree guards can be found as vintage or antique items, purchased as a standard design from a garden retailer or made by a local wrought-iron artist. The guards hinge or come in two pieces and are then placed around the tree trunk and attached together. The variety of designs is unlimited--from Art Deco to sleek Modern to fanciful--the wrought-iron tree guard can be whatever the garden owner can visualize.
Create Beckoning Trails
Use wrought-iron fencing and decorative panels to outline trails and paths throughout the garden area. Create less obvious pathways that cut through grass and pebbled areas by using fencing that incorporates spikes as a means of securing the wrought iron in the ground. Rummage through junk shops and yard sales to find unusual or older wrought-iron pieces to adapt for this purpose--vertical elements can be cut evenly across to create a ground-ready spike system. Recycle wrought-iron headboards to use as the trellis at the end of a pathway or as a focal point along the trail.
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