I've a bit of a thing for hares, what with our concrete versions in the garden and photos of this tambourine beating hare at Chatsworth, so when I spotted these Boxing Hares by Sue Lamb at RHS Hyde Hall in Essex on my recent visit, it was clear I was going to snap these.
These are bronze resin and cost a little bit more than our concrete ones, but wouldn't they be great, and wouldn't they give the foxes a bit of a shock.
It's a bit of an older post today, as you can probably tell my the daffodils in the picture below, and on a bit of a grey day too, which was remarkably like yesterday. It was actually at the end of March - so slightly more excusable for being grey - and is part of our visit to Kingston Lacy while we had that earlier in the year Dorset adventure.
This was our second visit to Kingston Lacy, but the first time that we really explored the kitchen garden and beyond that, the allotments. I'll share more from the kitchen garden another day, but first to confirm the allotments at Kingston Lacy look very much like other allotments. And dare I say it, a little tidier and easy on the eye than our own site...
It's reassuring though to see similar kit, similar approaches and check to see you're on the right track with our own plot. The compost bins, the ground covered in black plastic were all familiar and reassuring. And so too was this almost sculptural, and yet decaying, artichoke. Striking isn't it?
Just when we thought it was a normal looking allotment, we spied the chicken wire man tending his plot.
We admired him and his wooden reindeer-dog and thought it was probably a one off. That was until we saw the boy with his welly boot dog!
Both very different, both with dogs, and both quite un-allotment like, but fun. I'm guessing we stumbled upon the remnants of a "one man and his dog and an allotment" sculpture competition, and was very glad we did.
I'm not sure I'd be quite so resourceful over on our plot, currently my resourcefulness is focuses on practical matters, like growing stuff and preventing the foxes digging it up again, but definitely food for thought, when I've got the basics sorted!
One of the attractions at Woodfest last October was the Sculpture trail, where I saw a mix of teak root thrones and sculptures. The size of the teak roots were amazing, and roots aren't something you think about, but clearly big trees need big roots.
These roots come from felled trees in Indonesia. They're dug out of the ground and then dried, sanded and finished so they're ready to be turned on their end and shaped into unique garden thrones. I was in two minds about them, but they clearly make a big statement in any garden.
Whatever you think of them, the wood is beautiful. Teak is a hardwood and its natural oils make them resilient to the weather, although like any other garden furniture they're best treated to keep them in top condition.
There were many variants of the teak root thrones, the one above which seemed more benchlike was the one that persuaded me of their beauty. In the right spot - and probably a wider garden than we have, I think it'd look stunning. Just as I was looking at the detail more closely something in the distance caught my eye. I thought it was a giant pine cone, and when I did a double take I saw my eyes weren't deceiving me.
As I moved on I was taken by the beauty of the wood, and wood that as tree roots we don't usually see.
There were more sculptures along the way too. This horse was stunning - and I'm not what I'd call a horse person - but standing so close I almost felt as if I could be riding it.
But I'd reached the giant pine cone - or rather, a stack of three giant pine cones. It's quite something isn't it?
If tree roots or sculptures aren't your thing, then perhaps this glass topped teak dining set might appeal. Peering into the table top gave a great photo opportunity, with the reflection.
And one more shot before I go. Alongside the giant toadstool was this magical wire fairy. It captured imaginations big and small and I didn't have long to get this shot, so I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.
At almost seven foot tall this cemented the idea that you can't do garden sculptures on the small side, but when they're this beautiful I'm not sure why you'd want to!
