Weeding the Web

Gifts for Gardeners : Fairy front doors – kitsch or cute?

One man’s kitsch is another man’s cute, and this (I think) gorgeous piece of nonsense from The Original Gift Company is something that you’ll love or hate. Made of frost-proof stone with a hand-painted finish, the small version measures around 4½ x 3½ x 1 inches, the large around 8 x 6¼ x 1½ inches.

The small front door costs £7.95, the large £21.95. Get both for £17.90. You might want a browse through the rest of the catalogue, as postage and packing is a fairly hefty £4.95.

Can’t you just see one settled in the rockery with a set of tiny steps descending to a little lawn of creeping thyme?

Do click on Comment below and let us know what you think. Or if you’ve already installed your fairy front door, send photos!

NB 2011 These are now on special offer.

A slate-effect sundial for eco-conscious times

Using recycled plastic in the garden doesn’t sound appealing, does it? But there’s much to be said for it in these eco-conscious times. In fact, I wrote this page for Plants from Zion, giving reasons for using it.

And recycled plastic doesn’t have to be unattractive. It can be really hard to tell the difference between good quality recycled plastic and whatever material you might expect something to be made of.

Take this slate-effect sundial from ashortwalk, made of recycled vending machine coffee cups.