A present for the garden

Last week Mark spent a morning reducing the water level in the pond and pulling out containers of water lilies in preparation to repot them — something that we haven't done for a few years. At midday I suggested we go to Saigon Noodles for big bowls of Pho so Mark could warm up after his morning climbing in and out of the pond. After lunch he suggested we stop at Odana Antique Mall since we had to drive right by it on our way home. 

And look what we found! In one of the endless nooks and crannies we stumbled across this contemporary Chinese cement lantern. We snapped phone photos of it and took its measurements. Then we went home to decide if it would work in our garden. 

We made our decision using a technique that we've employed many times over the years. We made a model to size so we could see how it would look in place. Mark used the phone photo of the lantern to make a drawing of it on a piece of cardboard. He quickly sketched in the design details, cut it out and stapled it to a stake so we could stick it directly in the ground.  

Sometimes we walk around the garden sticking our cardboard model here and there until we find the perfect location. This time we liked the first spot we tried the cardboard lantern and so put the real thing quickly in its place. We wanted it visible from indoors and near the pond which is the traditional location for a lantern of this style.

This is a loose representation of a Yukimi or snow-viewing lantern. The roof on this kind of lantern is much broader than in other styles of Japanese lanterns. The term 'snow-viewing' refers to its resemblance to a bamboo hat with an accumulation of snow on the top. Though it's made of concrete, it is much darker and more subdued in tone than new lanterns. If we are lucky, lichens and moss will colonize it. Now I just need to clean up the dead garden debris that is detracting from the scene for it to be perfect.

 

Comments

[Peter/Outlaw]

A great find! I'm very impressed with your wise cardboard cutout technique as I usually get garden stuff that I like and then haul it around the garden trying to find a space. There's a wonderful chimney pot, purchased this winter, still sitting in our front room because I don't know where it'll fit. Your new lantern looks perfect where you've placed it

[Linda Brazill]

We had a black chimney pot in our driveway border for a number of years as a "symbolic" lantern while we searched for a real one.

[Loree / danger garden]

Congrats! And it would be hard to throw away that cardboard piece, it's wonderful!

[Lisa at Greenbow]

What a great find. You are so different than I am regarding a purchase. I would have hauled that baby home and then started thinking "what am I going to do with it? What was I thinking?" ha...

[Linda Brazill]

Even though it was made in three sections, they were each very heavy. I think that was what made us decide to go home and think about it first.

[Barbara H.]

Good job! I love it when I stumble on something perfect for the garden. How wise of you to use the cardboard cutout to find the best spot and how lucky it was the first spot. I stumbled across a Gold Heart Dicentra at the Birmingham Botanical Garden gift shop on Monday and snatched it up. Unfortunately I don't know where I'm going to put it.

[Erin @ The Impatient Gardener]

The cardboard model is ingenious! And I love your find. It will look lovely in your garden.