Copper in the Garden
Accessories made with copper give new meaning to “green thumb”
With hopes of April showers bringing May flowers, homeowners will again be tending
their gardens and planting an assortment of flowerbeds, fruits and vegetables for the
spring and summer seasons.
Although working in the garden is a therapeutic and relaxing hobby, it’s not uncommon
for gardeners to spend hours each day laying mulch, pruning hedges, watering crops or
planting an array of new flowers to add color and splash back into a yard decimated by
winter’s wrath.
And with the investment of all this time spent working outdoors, many gardeners want to
do more than just fix up the garden. Home and garden centers today are seeing a booming
business helping gardening “hobbyists” transform their yards into private sanctuaries
complete with trellises, statuary, fountains and water features. And copper is the building
material of choice when it comes to decorating and adding elegance to their backyard
retreats.
For centuries, copper has been used by builders for its beauty, longevity and practicality.
Not only does copper offer a warm and natural look, whether glazed to remain shiny
bright or allowed to age gracefully to a weatherworn gray-green patina, this all-purpose
metal offers sustainable qualities not attainable with other building and construction
materials.
Some of the same attributes that attract architects and builders to copper ─ durability,
easy installation and low maintenance ─ also attracts gardeners to a proliferation of
handcrafted copper outdoor ornaments and garden décor. Each year, homeowners spend
as much sprucing up their yards as they do decorating their home’s interiors.
“Copper is the metal of choice by many for its aesthetic beauty and rugged properties,”
said Wayne Seale, an architect and regional manager with the Copper Development
Association. “It was once used primarily by architects and designers to adorn the outside
of lavish homes, castles and cathedrals, but now copper is being selected by homeowners
and landscapers to add interest and beauty to backyards and gardens.”
Garden accessories such as statutes and sculptures, bird baths and feeders, weathervanes,
lanterns, torches, wind chimes, planters, garden stakes, sundials and trellises are typically
available in copper or brass, an alloy of copper.
“We sell some copper birdbaths that are quite popular," said Margaret Csala, associate
director for the Shop in the Garden at The New York Botanical Garden. “The nice thing
about copper accessories is the way it gets a green patina over time. People often want
that aged look in their gardens.”
What’s more, many of these accessories are being hand-made by amateur gardeners and
homeowners as do-it-yourself projects. Directions for making many types of copper
ornaments, including a step-by-step guide for building an ornate yet functional copper
trellis, can be found on the Internet. Learn more on the Reader’s Digest site.
Trellises, which come in all shapes, designs and sizes, can be used as platforms for
climbing plants, as graceful entryways to garden paths or purely as an objet d’art. These
metal structures are easily made using inexpensive, readily available copper tubing found
at hardware or plumbing supply stores, and building one doesn’t require a degree in
metallurgy or the skills of a coppersmith. The only tools needed are a tubing cutter,
solder and propane torch, hammer and saw. Anyone with a little imagination and some
time on their hands can create their own handcrafted copper trellis.
Beyond their good looks, copper trellises are superior garden accessories because copper
is an extremely durable material, requiring virtually no maintenance ─ regardless of
season or weather.
Garden ornaments such as wind chimes, weathervanes and planters come in a variety of
styles and sizes. They can be made of solid copper, stamped or sculpted by hand, left
uncoated to weather naturally or patinated to look like they’ve been outdoors for
ages ─ they may even be coated with a clear, durable finish to maintain their original
bright, shiny look.
These decorative pieces are fashioned into staked ornaments or wind chimes and can be
made to look like sculpted, full-bodied animals, or be shaped into flowers with petals
made of hand-hammered copper. With shapes ranging from manatees, birds, cats,
butterflies and dolphins to suns, moons and stars, there’s likely to be something to suit
every taste.
Planters are popular copper garden motif. Often coated with an antique finish, they are
available as boxes, urns and large pots. Sundials, placed in the center of a sun-filled
garden for obvious reasons, are another staple. Frequently made of solid brass, with or
without faux verdigris (green or bluish patina) highlights, they typically include intricate
designs such as Celtic knot-work, some may also include sentimental inscriptions like
Robert Browning’s poem, “Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.”
Many companies today also offer custom-handcrafting services giving homeowners a
chance to add a personal touch.
Bruce Snyder, owner of Copper Magic in Saugerties, NY, has been creating copper
garden art and accessories for many years.
“Besides the way copper looks, whether it has a patina, is clear coated or allowed to
oxidize on its own, people are fascinated and intrigued by its durability and longevity,”
said Snyder, who takes great care in his handcrafted outdoor sculptures and art pieces.
“Some like the beauty of shiny copper that is preserved with an industrial polyvinyl clear
coating,” Snyder added. “Others like to have their sculptures pre-treated with green
patina that I have formulated and developed over the years. Then there are some that
wish to let the copper age and patina on its own over time, which can take about 5 to 7
years.”
While a downturn in the economy and increasing cost of copper materials has brought the
market for garden art down, Snyder expects a rebound in demand.
“I think that the garden art market will come back as the economy improves,” he added.
After all, it always does.