Homemade Garden Decor Design

With spring approaching it is a great time to think about one very popular use for the stirrers -that of a garden row marker. For planters, it is always good policy to somehow mark or label a new planting. Whether we're considering about a row of newly sown seeds or new spring nursery plants -if it is not identified, chances are good you will be puzzled at some point trying to figure out what you planted.

There is a wide selection of garden row markers available that are at once fancy and practical. They can also put a dent in your pocket book. Some are not all that cheap. Many gardeners make their own from available materials readily found, that are cheap when compared.

Identifying rows of radishes or some brand new plants can be more interesting using decorative "store-bought" markers and, that's nice if you have too much money and are looking shed some of the load.

I, for one, always try to keep things as simple as I can -like a 'back-to-basics' policy or, waste not, want not mentality.

Also, once the plants grow to mature sizes, the row markers will be hard to see and not really required anymore. They are only of use in the beginning of the season. The basic homemade variety could be re-purposed each spring to identify rows of seeds or new vegetable plants.

What to Use

When surveying around your casa for something to use, there are a few ideas that folks have found work quite well. If these are not readily located in your house, some items can be bought for a reasonable price locally.

One thing you might want to consider are paint stir sticks -my personal favorite. Paint paddles can be obtained at the big box home improvement stores -but typically only one or two at a time. Paint stores, naturally, have them too and generally will only hand them out with a purchase of some paint or supplies.

Other ideas include plastic -like plastic knives, or scrap window blind slats, albeit a little too lightweight. You are better off with something that is stiff enough to stick in the ground and big enough to record your important data onto.

Wood shims are another option, however they are rough hewn and hard to write on; further, they are not very lengthy.

Solar powered garden lights are one of the most economical and eco friendly power sources you can look for in a DIY project. All the components that are required can be readily sourced from an electronics or hardware shop.

Recycling old garden lights

Opening up an old solar garden light will show you what components to look for. These are very simple devices and can be all assembled within a glass jar. The tools required are a craft knife, a screw driver and a hot glue gun.

The rest is simple. Using the old garden light as a guide assemble all the components in the jar in that order and an economical garden light can easily be made at home. It's a cheap and fun way to recycle old garden lights.

Building a garden light from scratch

Yet another quick and easy garden light that's ideal for lighting up various areas of the garden can be made up of lithium coin batteries and white LEDs.

The long wires of the LED are taped to the negative and positive sides of the coin battery (+) and (-). Carefully twist the wires, ensuring they won't touch each other, into a right angled position which will enable to the battery to rest flat against the inside cover of a glass jar. Tape the battery in place and screw on the jar.

These little lights will add interest to an evening garden party and are quite cheap to make. The only problem with these is that they stay lit and the only way to turn them off is to separate the battery from the LED.

Paper lanterns

Beautiful paper lanterns can be made at home and can adorn a patio or be hung up on trees. These lanterns can either hold candles or LEDs. However, a word of warning: when lighting candles within paper lanterns it can pose a fire hazard and should be done with the utmost caution. It is far better to use LEDs, as explained earlier.