Balls in the Garden

I have shared with you my collection of balls before.  A reality of my collections is that they tend to take over the house and I prefer a relatively uncluttered space - not minimalist just uncluttered. This is a conflict. My solution - start moving the collection outside.

Most of my balls are definitely not weather proof but the new stainless steel ones from CB2 are. I have been thinking about outdoor possibilities for a while. The obvious location is a empty corner of our garden/lawn. We have been planning to put something there- just hadn't decided what. It happens to be right on top of the septic tank clean out port so what ever gets installed there needs to move every five years or so. Here is the space as is covered in cedar mulch.

First I tried the balls out there just sitting on the mulch. I liked it but I also wanted to try them elevated. The little balls are really a salt and pepper ball set that were a gift from Amy.  I like them with the mama and papa balls better than on the table.

As I have been rebuilding old farm walls in the back woods, I have been saving the best rock and I searched my "bests" pile for pedestal shaped rocks. These rectangular rocks are rare in these parts.

I picked three and dug a hole for the first, placing it on end and tried balancing a ball on the top.  None had nicely shaped ends for this purpose so I resorted first to florist clay and then to Museum Gel. Do you know about that stuff? Museum Gel is a product to put under your special and significant collectibles so they won't get knocked off.  It adhers them to the surface but can be peeled off later.  I highly recommend it and you can get it here from Amazon.  I use it for many of my glass and ceramic pieces on display in the house.  I have never used outdoors before. 

I scooped out a dollop and plopped it on the rock. I pressed the sphere into it and it held beautifully.  We'll see how long it holds. 

I positioned all three, then rearranged the pillars and spheres trying for a random arrangement of various heights.

They add a new element to our garden! And I like them elevated. It adds a point of tension.

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Designing with a Collection - Mine is Balls!
• More Balls!
• On Landscaping

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy