Life's a Garden Party
Get Inspired to Create Fun-Filled
Designs for Your Garden
Written by Robyn Roehm Cannon
Photography by Lorene Edwards Forkner and Allan Mandell
When was the last time you just played in your garden? It seems like there is always something to be done in the way of work out there. When my garden is covered in snow I’d give anything to get outside and toil; however, even when I’m ahead of the game I find it difficult to justify taking a few precious moments for relaxation and my own entertainment. Darned if there isn’t always another weed to be picked, flower to be deadheaded, or bed that begs for water. 
When gardening becomes as tedious as dusting the furniture, put your feet up and take a “time out” with Seattle-based garden writer Lorene Edwards Forkner. In her inspiring book Handmade Garden Projects: Step-by-Step Instructions for Creative Garden Features, Containers, Lighting & More, you’ll find permission to relive the childhood joy you used to find outdoors and to embrace your creative side.
Forkner is as inventive as they come—she could easily make what my mother used to call “a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” She credits her unique artistic garden style to the fact that she’s “a handmade garden gal—part eco-friendly, non-traditionalist, part crafty creative, with more ideas than money.” Page after page is filled with delightful ideas to get you thinking about the items you may already have on hand and how to put them to wonderful re-use in your outdoor space.
“My garden is my canvas, my vision, and my voice,” says Forkner, who details how to combine natural materials such as stone and wood, with found household items and inexpensive hardware-store findings, to build planters, garden furniture, and outdoor lighting pieces that are more attractive, functional, and far less costly than anything you could purchase. Best of all, each project will be a work of art of your own creation!
Forkner begins her book by encouraging you to clean out your garage. “While that may not sound very playful, with a little indoor digging you may discover that you already own a great deal of everyday goods, scraps, and raw materials just waiting to be recycled, repurposed, re-envisioned, and imaginatively put to use in the garden,” she writes.
You’ll find projects to ornament pathways, patios, and even lawns. Learn how to accent gathering spaces, create inventive containers, and include stylish finishing touches. The author even helps you manage your garden efficiently with great tips on organization and storage.
As for that long list of maintenance tasks, Forkner challenges us to examine our lifestyle and what we really want from our gardens. “These days I cultivate a delicious vegetable garden where ornamental grasses and highbrow perennials once ruled,” she says. “My crowded shrub borders have been replaced by a generous fire circle and a tiny wooden deck furnished with a handmade cocktail table. Though my yard is still filled with lush plantings, it’s no longer a tiger I have loosely by the tail. Today my garden fits my life and I’m having a blast!”
No matter what size your garden, there’s a project—or several—perfect for you. “I’ll show you how to transform your little patch of the big outdoors into a refreshing, unique garden paradise,” Forkner promises, adding (just like Mom used to say), “Go outside—it’s a nice day!"
Promising Projects:
1) Hand-cast “Urban Cowgirl” concrete pavers, decorated with old cast iron stove grates.
2) Rugged yet decorative steel trellis made from salvaged industrial rock screen.
3) Wire plant supports constructed from welded utility fencing. There’s even a version to suspend from tree branches for lush hanging gardens!
4) A cozy backyard fire pit that combines river rock, sand, and a steel fire bowl from a kettle grill.
5) A clever pergola made from plumbing pipe that can support a storable fabric awning.
6) Featherweight frost-proof planters that lend instant antiquity and craggy character, formed of sand, peat moss, and Portland cement.
7) Succulent planters made of galvanized gutters to adorn your deck railing.
8) Outdoor terrarium made from an industrial glass light fixture.
9) Lawn edging, jelly jars, and votive candles transformed into a vintage-style chandelier.
10) Flame-free outdoor luminaries concocted from canning jars and LED lights.
11) “Ever-blooming” wall flowers made with vinyl LP records, beads, and cabinet knobs.
As featured in
Home By Design
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