Firebowl designed by John T. Unger

This handsome firebowl was made out of recycled steel. Unlike the trashy barbecue bombs sold in garden hardware stores, it always looks good – and especially when a fire is burning. AND the designer has adopted a ‘thrifty green’ approach by using recycled materials to make a highly durable firebasket.

We thank the designer, John T. Unger, for the image and send him our support. Someone copied his design. John wrote a cease and desist letter. The copyist responded by going to court to have John’s existing copyrights overturned – arguing that because there is a functional element, the firebowls shouldn’t be eligible for copyright. He now threatens an expensive lawsuit, hoping that John will not be able to afford it. We hope John will fight and win.

We’ve just released a new product into our range. The Space Invader-esque Fibreglass Pot! Its a bit quirky and costs more than the average but we like it a lot.

A Fibreglass Pot that threatens your freedom.

Uplighting works in gardens. If well angled, the light does not shine in your eyes. It gives an uplifting view of the leaves and it casts surprising shadows on the wall. And with a white wall, what else but stainless steel could one use to make the light fitting?

Download photograph of stainless steel garden lighting

This is not the nicest Buddha we have ever seen. But Buddhism is the great garden religion and no historical figure is more deserving of a place in gardens. The Buddha was born in a garden. Then he lived in a garden. Then he spent his life teaching in parks and gardens. He spent most monsoon seasons in gardens. Then the Buddha died in a garden. Buddhism is the religion of peace.

Om mane padhme hum. ‘Hail oh jewel in the flower of the lotus’.

Download photograph of garden Buddha.

Well come on, that’s what it is – and that’s what a lot of garden sculpture always has been and always will be. But is it good taste? Well that’s for you to judge!

She looks a touch out of place in this suburban setting but could be OK if tucked away in a bed of flowers.

Download photographs of erotic garden sculpture

Mirrors are a great idea in gardens. They just are! Mirrors lighten dark corners and give the impression of extra garden rooms and make it seem there are flowers in places where there are no flowers.

Trompe-l’œil (French for ‘trick the eye’ it a way of making a 2D object look as though it is 3D. The term comes from the  Baroque period  but the idea can be seen in frescos from Pompeii. Trompe-l’œil trellis work was used in Baroque gardens eg to make trellis work tunnels look longer than they are by distorting the perspective.

Combining mirrors with Trompe-l’œil is a really good idea. My congratulations to the designer.

Download photograph of trompe l’oeil mirror

The Romans used to say: De gustibus non est disputandum (‘matters of taste can’t be disputed’) The English say ‘there’s no accounting for taste’. And since these ghastly items are being offered for sale, there must be people who like them. But, seriously, they are seriously bad taste: plastic pots, painted concrete garden statues, badly clipped box. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Gnomes are small and they live underground. Their name probably comes from the Greek genomos “earth-dweller”. So they are very respectable creatures with a longer history than the Americans.

The first garden gnomes were made in Germany in the mid-1800s and gnomes are still better-loved by the Germans than by any other people. Philip Griebel made terracotta gnomes for gardens because of their famous willingness to help with the gardening after dark.

If you have seen some ugly examples in gardens – please don’t blame the gnomes. Tell the owners to find better gnome suppliers and to treat them with unfailing kindness.

One other point: hide your gnomes in dark places. Do not put them the full, hurtful, glare of sunlight. Just don’t do it. 

The organizers of the Chelsea Flower Show have a ban on gnomes but their ancestry is perfectly respectable. The word comes from Latin, with a root in ancient Greek, and represents a belief, widespread in archaic Indo-European animist culture, that gods live in the Earth. Gnomes are therefore as decent as Venus and Diana, and any divinity can be represented in good or bad taste. Fashionable in Victorian Britain after Sir Charles Isham displayed figurines he had brought back from Germany in his rockery, the prejudice against gnomes results from their subsequent popularity with the working classes.

Download garden gnome photograph

“All purpose”? Surely it can’t be! Well, no it isn’t! They tell you that “Miracle-Gro All Purpose Growing Compost contains 40% more nutrients than ordinary multi purpose compost. Enriched with Miracle-Gro Plant Food – feeds for 3 months. Special water retaining agent – helps to stop plants drying out and makes watering easier.” But this is not what is wanted for sowing seeds or striking cuttings. The seeds will germinate but they will not flourish. The cuttings probably won’t bother to grow any roots. So they should re-name it Miracle-Gro Potting compost. The water retaining agent is a great help in pots.

Download photograph of Miracle Gro Compost

When I first saw duckweed, I loved it. Thinking I had found a perfect lawn I leapt in the air and landed in the water, too shocked to scream.

So there are three ways of getting rid of duckweed, two bad and one good. The worst way is herbicides. We don’t want nasty chemicals in our gardens and we don’t want to waste money on chemicals. The next way is mechanical removal. It easy and you really feel you are doing something. But the duckweed grows back in a few days. The best way is biological control. If you have a biologically balanced pond you will not have a duckweed problem. And to balance you pond you must stop fertilizers from leaking into the water. Then you make sure you have oxygenating plants and some nice fish.

Download garden pond duckweed photograph