When our search for garden ornaments began, we discovered they fell into two categories: fat plaster ducks and crouching dwarfs, or marble fountains and pieces of statuary with high price tags.

The first group didnt appeal, the second was far too expensive. It was a case of getting along without ornaments or joining the “do it yourselves” we chose the latter.

Our first effort was a table made from a large tree stump and a piece of flagstone. The stump was cut off at ground level and placed under a tree, then the flagstone was cemented to its top. It proved to be a “conversation piece” when friends gathered around it during the hot summer evenings and doubles as a bird feeder all winter.

Later on two big wagon wheels came our way via a farm auction. These were set upright between rose beds and an old-fashioned rose planted in front of each. If you try this, dont use climbers, in less than two years they will be a tangled mass with nowhere to go but out on the lawn and the wheels will be invisible.

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