How to buy salvaged garden antiques

By Joe Feehily

Published: Wednesday, 08 June 2022 at 12:00 am

We’re all guilty of tending to our homes more than our gardens, but with summer days stretching out into balmy evenings, now is the time to stamp some style on your plot. Whether you’re on the look out for garden antiques or want to give old pieces new life, here’s how to hunt out unusual pieces of salvage and and reclaimed stonework for your garden…

Know where to look

Reclamation yards and decorative antiques shops – even skips, for that matter – yield old pieces of beautifully weathered or aged garden furniture, statuary, gates, terracotta pots, plant supporters and unusual objects, which can accentuate an existing theme or bring character to a specific area in your plot.

Take your time

Hunting for such items can take more time than buying new, but it’s well worth the effort. Not only will you save money and find unique pieces that will make your garden an expression of your style – you’re also helping the environment, by reusing and upcycling.

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Choose pieces carefully

Giselle McCarthy, senior buyer at Petersham Nurseries, recommends taking time when choosing each piece. ‘We’re always looking for genuine character, authentic patination and beautiful form when we’re sourcing architectural salvage, whether it’s a petite stone goose or a life-size 19th-century statue.’

Get creative

While an old carved stone plaque is a thing of beauty in its own right, it can easily be converted into a wall fountain by drilling some holes into it. Tom Hart from LASSCO Three Pigeons also suggests cast-iron boilers as fountain centrepieces, old iron gates as trellises or panels used as screens.

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Consider placement

Once bought, take a look at the garden and think carefully about placement. Giselle McCarthy suggests considering the existing textures and tones of the setting to see what will blend in. Enjoy it – play with scale as well as expectations.

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Make a focus

Alternatively, use salvaged pieces as a focal point. Tom Hart explains: ‘Rustic doors, for example, can be used purely decoratively to add interest to high garden walls. Garden fireplaces are becoming increasingly popular, with stone chimney pieces evoking a baronial feel to evenings spent outside around the fire.’

Where to buy salvaged garden antiques