Helpful Home Ideas(4,096) Helpful Home Ideas Log in to become a member of Helpful Home Ideas's Fan Club!
Decorative accents can take a backyard or garden from a bland place to a magical one. Gazing balls one of the best types of decorative element to quickly transform a garden, but it is important to select ones with the right character and to place them in a meaningful way.
Gazing balls, also called gazing globes are large, reflective orbs. They may be made of glass or metal and are a calming element to add to any garden. Gazing balls are considered good luck and impart a peaceful aura. They amplify the beauty of your garden by reflecting it and adding light.
For an austere, modern-style garden, consider a polished stainless steel gazing ball. The cool metal lends clean decorative lines with a zen mystique when it is set on a blocky pedestal or balanced on a stone slab.
Copper gazing balls have a warmer, aged feel. For a traditional garden such as an English country garden, tuck a copper gazing ball on a wrought iron stand into a nook, peeking through the greenery or among a riot of pink and white blossoms. Place a copper globe at the corner of a farmhouse style kitchen garden to accent a border of marigolds or nasturtiums.
Glass gazing balls are the most fragile, but also the most varied and magical. Glass globes are available in nearly every color of the rainbow, in transparent, translucent and opaque styles. Look for glass that has been accented by paint, or covered with a metallic glaze to emulate warm steel. Like oversized marbles, glass gazing balls are beautiful orbs that draw you to them. For a mystical feel, look for a translucent glass globe with a swirl of beautiful colors the misty sense it imparts will remind you that anything is possible and give the fairies a place to play. The most fragile and beautiful gazing balls are of blown glass. However, these are not appropriate for an unsheltered area since a light wind could blow them down to the ground where they would shatter. Use these delicate pieces in atriums or indoor garden spaces. Other glass balls have solid cores and are more sturdy these are more suited for the great outdoors.
Stone and ceramic orbs are also available, although these are generally considered sculptural elements and not gazing balls. They lack the reflective and introspective qualities of a true gazing globe.
Gazing balls come in many sizes and styles. Some smaller ones are mounted on posts for easy placement in any soft piece of ground. Others have built-in hooks and are intended for hanging. Others can be placed on stands there are nearly as many styles of gazing ball stands as there are balls. Or, eschew the stand and simply tuck a ball into some long grass or on a flat stone platform. Try placing a ball in a water element the rush or trickle of water around a ball can add immediate character to any space.
Was this article helpful to you? Leave a Public Comment or
Question:
This Article has been viewed 2,104
times.
Article added to SearchWarp.com on Monday, April 11, 2005 View other articles written by Helpful Home Ideas(4,096)
If you found this article interesting, you may want to check out:
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
