What you need A piece of copper or galvanized pipes (I used 3/4-inch pipe)
Ideas for how to make it Note: This is an invent-as-you-go project with no hard-and-fast rules.
• Take an 18-inch piece of 1/2-inch diameter rebar (inexpensive at hardware and big box stores) and pound it into the ground, leaving about 8 to 10 inches showing. Invert a wine bottle over the rebar and you have an instant hose guide (bury the neck of the wine bottle a few inches into the ground so it doesn’t wiggle around when the hose goes across it). Instead of a wine bottle, you could affix an old doorknob (think thrift stores) or an upside-down terracotta pot topped with a finial from a curtain rod or a decorative glass paperweight. • Take an 18- to 24-inch piece of threaded galvanized pipe metal and affix a variety of elbows, caps and tees. Leave them as is or spray paint them bright colors. • And who says hose guides have to be short? Years ago, I rescued an approximately 5-foot piece of galvanized pipe with the hose bibb still attached. I spray painted it blue and orange, and it currently is in the vegetable garden. It’s part hose guide and part salvage garden art.
A tube-cutting tool
Various fittings
Terracotta pots, assorted sizes, mostly small
Glue that can be used outdoors
Decorative items like finials, irrigation pipe fittings
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1. Using a hand-held tube cutter, cut a piece of copper pipe to the desired length. 2. Slip a copper fitting that’s threaded on one end onto the pipe and screw on a pipe flange. 3. Slip the terracotta pot over the flange (you can use a little glue inside to help anchor it). Add outdoor glue to the bottom of the pot. 4. Attach a decorative item to the pot. Here, it’s a glass bird rescued from an old solar light.
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