fun in the garden
Stake toppers, at left, bring a bit of whimsy to the garden. Above and right, use a rod, dowel or pipe for a base and top with various items from a craft store or your junk drawer.
Tips
green. Once I have all my potential toppers gathered, I’ll figure out which ones go on which types of stakes and figure out how to get them to stick there. I can hardly wait to get these decorative stakes out into the garden. Currently, I have an assortment of stake sculptures in a tall pot on my front deck. I’m already thinking about making these colorful garden sculptures for my gardening friends.
• There isn’t a lot of surface area if you are gluing something to a copper or metal pipe, so put a cork or a short piece of a dowel into the pipe so there is enough surface area for something to stick. You also can screw a piece of wood into the dowel or cork for extra stability and durability. • Be sure to use a glue that can stick different types of materials together, such as plastic to wood. • If your stake is a wooden dowel, spray paint it for protection. You also can wrap the part that goes into the ground with tape or something that will slow the rotting process.
Pat Rubin cbmagazine@californiabountiful.com
MORE ONLINE Pat Rubin introduces a new online feature that highlights a California native plant for each month of 2022. Find this, plus a Q&A and to-do list, at californiabountiful.com.
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