The world is awash with the fresh, young green of Spring!  The daffodils and tulips have never looked so brilliant, and tiny blooms dance like butterflies in the wind from the flowering cherries and magnolias.  Is there a more beautiful time of year?  Don't forget to take time to enjoy the wonders of Spring--fill a vase with an armful of flowering branches, cut a bunch of tulips to add color to your breakfast table.  Spring is a great time to take a look at your garden and landscape with fresh eyes and think about what you could do make it even more enjoyable than last year.  Maybe it's perfect just the way it is, maybe it needs a little (or a lot) of work.  Remember that gardening is an evolutionary process--it's always changing which makes it so much fun!  We're always here for you to offer suggestions, advice or references to professionals we've used ourselves. 

The "Deer Scarer" and Other Bamboo Water Features --Add the Soothing Sounds of Water to Your Garden or Patio:

We fell in love with these wonderful natural bamboo fountain kits and think you will too.  With minimal effort, you can create a professional-looking water feature by adding one of these lovely spouts to any watertight container.  The sounds of flowing water and the gentle clacking of the bamboo evoke such a peaceful feeling in any setting, indoors or out.  We have a variety of 12" and 18" spouts as well as an 18" rocking fountain called the "Deer Scarer".  This aptly named spout was originally designed to scare off deer and wild boar.  The spout fills with water, rocks gently forward to spill the water, then rocks back into original position when emptied--the bamboo makes a gentle, soothing hollow tone as it pivots back and forth.  While we can't testify that it will scare away any wild boar roaming your neighborhood, we will guarantee that you'll find the sound mesmerizing, perfect for a quiet, contemplative setting.  The natural materials blend perfectly with a variety of themes including rustic (picture an earthy drip-glazed bowl fountain tucked amidst the rockery and grasses), colonial (imagine one of these beautiful fountains--maybe in a large copper or iron pot-- nestled in the herbs in a kitchen garden), or in an Asian-inspired garden (with a beautifully glazed water bowl fountain as the focal point).  Stop in and see our display and myriad of choices for containers to complete your fountain.  We're always happy to answer any questions or offer suggestions regarding selection or installation.  

Dining En Plein Air--Accoutrements to Furnish Your Own Backyard Bistro!

If you only have a few square feet of outdoor space to work with--whether it's a tiny terrace or miniscule balcony off the bedroom--be sure to select furnishing that you love and ones that won't overpower a diminutive space.  Airy-looking yet well-built and comfortable, this French Bistro furniture is imported from just outside of Lyons, France and imparts a certain 'je ne sais quoi' to any outdoor space that's lacking square footage and/or style.  We love the playful colors and the whimsical designs!  We have tables in two sizes (30" and 26") in Fjord blue and Aniseed Green, both fresh, clean springtime colors.  In addition, we have chairs in Classic Black and Aniseed Green, a wonderful drink caddy table in rich Aubergine, and have several additional pieces (including chairs and a great bench) due to arrive within a few days.  This French furniture graces some of the finest grounds in the world including Les Jardin du Luxembourg, Lalique and Musee Picasso in Paris, Duke and Harvard Universities, Bryant Park in New York, and Hotel Carlton in Cannes to name a few.  You'll find these pieces to be of outstanding quality and value.

Exceptional Offerings of Prodigious Provenance:  "Rare Finds"

Our proprietor, Liz Schumacher, has traveled all over the world and met so many fascinating people in her quest to find beautiful garden accents to bring home to her store in West Conshohocken.  Through the years, Liz has become a well-respected figure in the world of garden antiques and artifacts and as a result has had the privilege of purchasing many exquisitely unique and beautiful items for her customers at Garden Accents.  Our inventory is now so vast (numbering in the thousands of items) that we would like to showcase a few of these items since it's easy to overlook them.  We consider these pieces to be of investment quality and are proud to offer them to our discerning customers.  Whether you're adding to an existing collection or just starting out, we have some wonderful pieces here you'll want to see including:

Vanderbilt Baptismal Font:  This very interesting jewel-encrusted marble font has a charming history.  Many years ago the font was given to the beloved gardener of the Vanderbilt estate as a memento when they were changing decor.  The gardener's daughter inherited the font and decided it should go to someone who appreciated its provenance and unique charm.  She and her husband came in to Garden Accents to see if Liz was interested in purchasing the font.  They reached an amicable agreement of sale, and the gardener's daughter and her husband used the proceeds to help pay for college for their children, a wonderful legacy from their grandfather.

Glazed Urn by Alain Vagh:  This eclectic and well known French artist has created some wacky and wonderful pieces in addition to his beautiful glazed pots, urns and tiles.  Liz found this unusual, richly hued pot at an estate auction.  It's rare to come across an Alain Vagh piece and Liz was excited to offer the winning bid. 

Bronze Sculptures by the late John Robinson (1935 - 2007):  These incredibly lifelike bronze children are the works of the late British sculptor, John Robinson.  Several years ago a gentleman had brought these in to Garden Accents to sell on behalf of his mother.  Many years ago, she had fallen in love with the works of John Robinson after seeing an advertisement of his work in an antiques magazine.  Shortly thereafter, she traveled to England with a group from Abington Hospital.  While there, she tracked down the artist and visited his studio to see the exquisite sculpture in person.  She purchased these three bronze children on the spot and brought them back with her to the states.  We estimate the sculptures to be approximately 45 to 50 years old. 

John Robinson passed away a few years ago from lung cancer.  His amazing career as a prominent sculptor had an unlikely start.  Fed up with life at an English public school, he left at 16 to join the Merchant Navy and then stopped off at Australia where his family had connections. He spent years cattle droving and trekking with police patrol in the Kimberlies before settling for ten years to create a sheep farm in the Ninety Mile Desert and raise a family.  Towards the end of this period, he bought some modeling clay and began to model friends and children. Working from a studio in Devon and later in Somerset, John Robinson made a name as a sculptor of children and sports figures.  He was Official Sculptor for the British Olympic Committee in 1988.  In addition to the lifelike studies he's so well-known for, John also created some amazing abstract geometrical sculptures. 

We're honored to offer these valuable bronzes by this incredible artist, worthy of any collection. 

While there is no substitute for visiting us in person to see what's new, we'd be delighted to send you an email when something rare, unusual or antique is added to our inventory.  If you'd like to be added to our "Rare Finds" mailing list, please give us a call at 610-825-5525.

Dressing For Success--A Good Defense Is The Best Offense:

Did you ever notice that a fresh application of mulch can pull a garden from rag-tag to photo-ready in just minutes?  There are so many reasons to love mulch.  Mulches are a great labor saving device for the gardener.  A layer of mulch will help prevent the germination of many weed seeds, reducing the need for cultivation or the use of herbicides. Mulches also help moderate the soil temperature and retain moisture during dry weather, reducing the need for watering.  Mulches protect the soil from the impact of raindrops that can cause crusting. Crusting can prevent the germination of seedlings.  While there are many types of mulch, natural mulches help improve the soil by adding organic matter as they decompose. They also may encourage the growth of worms and other beneficial soil organisms that can help improve soil structure and the availability of nutrients for plants.  Since mulch comes in so many forms, choose one with a color and texture that's both pleasing to you and showcases your plants to their full potential.

Attractive natural mulches are readily available including shredded hardwoods (natural, without dye), bark nuggets, licorice root, pine needles and cocoa hulls.  Shredded black and white newspaper or even a thin layer of untreated grass clippings can also be used to help suppress weeds, with a top-dressing of mulch to dress it up.  Some people like to use compost as their mulch material of choice.  While compost can't be beaten as a soil amendment, it doesn't do a whole lot to block weeds due to its rich nature--everything wants to grow in it!  Best to use it as an underlayment, then top-dress with a material that will better thwart the growth of weeds.  Resist the urge to use freshly shredded wood chips.  As they break down and decompose, they steal nitrogen and other nutrients from the soil and from the very plants you're trying to protect.  If you do choose to use these, make sure you know that the trees they came from were not diseased and are not black walnut trees which contain a substance toxic to plants called juglone.  Fresh wood chips should be composted for several months before using or treated liberally with high-nitrogen fertilizer such as blood meal to prevent soil leaching. 

If you're looking for a mulch material that will last a long time, you might want to consider stones, pebbles or smooth river rock.  For the more daring, we've seen some breathtaking uses of colored glass mulches--this definitely requires an artist's vision to pull it off!  In general, we think natural materials are healthier than synthetic, and despite enticing ad campaigns, the jury is still out on the safety of rubber mulch.  We're almost always in favor of repurposing and recycling but we're not sure if recycled rubber is a good thing to use in the garden.  While it may last for years, it's not certain what chemicals leach out into the soil and it's been shown to be extremely flammable and give off less than pleasant odors.  Best to stick with a more natural product until a verdict has been reached.

For best results when applying mulch, don't pile it thicker than 2 to 3" or you'll smother your plants and trees--water and oxygen won't be able to penetrate resulting in possible rot.  In addition, when mulching around trees, be careful not to pile mulch right up to the trunk.  Leave a little airspace to prevent critters and rodents from making a home in the base of your tree, eating away at bark and roots.  Mulching can be one of the most rewarding tasks in the garden.  Gardening is all about patience but mulching is one of the few gardening chores that provides instant gratification!