Garden Folly

A Sundial used at a focal point in the garden always gives such pleasure and none more than armillary sundials.  They connect us with celestial movements, the summer and winter solstice, the passing of seasons and thus the cycle of growing. 

They are not only functional timepieces, but also hand-made works of art that would grace any garden in both summer and winter.  An armillary underneath snowfall is one of my favorite garden views!

In researching the armillary I came to realize that there is much debate as to whom or where it originated.  It has been attributed to Shang Heng, a Chinese astronomer in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Eratosthenes of Cyene, an Egyptian astronomer, Anaximander of Miletus, a Greek Philosopher, and Hipparchus, a Greek astronomer.  Even with all of this confusion about its origins one thing is agreed upon and that is its purpose.

The Armillary sphere was originally created as a model of the universe.  It consisted of a series of metal rings joined together with a small globe in the center representing Earth.  The sphere (rings) was to represent the celestial bodies visible from Earth.  The movement of the rings was supposed to demonstrate how these bodies moved about the Earth, which stood at the center of the universe. 

This, of course, was altered and updated as scientists and astronomers made new discoveries and better understood the universe and Earth’s place in it.   The armillary’s name actually comes from the Latin word ‘armilla’ for bracelet or ring.  The armillary was apparently not used as or rather transformed into a sundial until around the 17^th century.

The contemporary sundial usually has three rings that form the sphere.  These are supposed to represent, the Celestial Equator, the Meridian Circle, and the Horizontal Plane.  The rod passing through the center, frequently depicted as an arrow, acts as the gnomon and casts the shadow over the hours on the lower band. 

To set the dial to tell accurate time you must point the arrow or rod North at noon.  Best done during Summer time.

Making progress with new partitions, fountain platforms, and many coats of paint.  A few of our big antique pieces have started to populate the vast 3000sq ft of empty space.  Stay tuned - more to come!

We've taken over the entire building at 81 Union Ave and doubled our showroom space from 3,000 sq feet to 6,000 sq feet.  Currently, our contractors are building out the new showroom - here are the before pictures.  

Just in time for the lazy days of summer - 15% discount on all garden furniture, antiques, planters, sundials, and more.  

Come visit - Sale through August 31st

“What is the difference between concrete and cast limestone pieces…and why is cast limestone more expensive?!” 

So I thought that it would be helpful to write a paragraph or two explaining the differences, as both are wonderful materials and each has its place in the garden.

 Dry cast limestone ornaments are hand made using a limestone composite.  A slight bit of water is added – just enough to hold the composite together (this is the reason for calling the process “dry cast”).  The damp mixture is then hand packed into a mould and left in a humid room to cure.  Curing usually takes about 3 weeks, during which time the piece hardens and can be removed from the mould. The dry cast limestone is porous and looks remarkably like carved limestone.  The rough surface and minerals of limestone also promote weathering and help create a beautiful patina with lichen and moss settling on the surfaces.

The first picture shows a newly dry cast limestone and the second picture shows a weathered version after a year or so.

Concrete, in contrast, is made using a wet cast process; that is, water is added to the aggregate and then the mixture is poured into a mould.  The mould is shaken so that the concrete can cover all the details of the mould.   A slurry comes to the outer edges of the mould which creates the smooth surface of concrete.  At the same time, air bubbles also come to the surface which are often visible.  Once the piece has hardened, it is removed from the mould.  A smooth surface is less hospitable to the moss and lichen which lengthens the time needed to create a beautiful patina

This picture shows concrete's smooth surface.  If you look closely, you might see an air bubble or two.

The cost between the two processes differs as well – dry cast limestone is a hand crafted product whereas concrete is largely manufactured and so concrete tends to be about half the cost of dry cast limestone.

We're setting up shop on 1st Dibs in June - come visit our new digital showroom soon!  We'll be showing our best pieces like Autumn, a19th Century Zinc Statue

I had the pleasure of meeting Janine Mudge when she came to interview me in Sudbury.  It was such an enjoyable conversation (talking through most of the afternoon).  Sundials, statues and other ornaments work so well with small city spaces - any trouble with plantings...simply place an ornament instead!  

Janine has created a blog and community focusing on the challenges of city gardening.  It's a wonderful resource that I highly recommend to any city dweller.  

Here is an excerpt from the blog

Spotlight on New England Garden Ornaments – Blending Function, Beauty and Fun

Spend five minutes with Gray Baldwin, the personable owner of New England Garden Ornaments, and you can feel her excitement for cast limestone pots, concrete urns and lead containers from England.  Listen to her tell the story of a carved rain spout or finding whimsical statuary and you can’t help but laugh along with her and share her delight in the pieces....

Read the full blog post here

We have partnered with Barbara Israel to sell her Garden Traditions line of high quality reproductions cast in limestone

Here is an excerpt from Carol Stoker's gardening blog

Garden Traditions

Garden Traditions by Barbara Israel is a line of high quality reproductions of garden ornaments selected by this well known antique garden ornament scholar and dealer, whom I met at the Winter Antiques Show in New York last February. She was selling remarkable stone originals there for tens of thousands of dollars, including a life...

You can read more here.