Antique pieces can transform featureless gardens into desirable spaces packed
with personality and atmosphere
A mossy stone urn tumbling with ivy, rows of weathered terracotta pots filled with bright
geraniums or an ethereal statue rising from a lavender filled terrace, these are all idyllic
images of a romantic English garden matured over many years. It’s the dream for many of us,
and the good news is that you can bring this timeless look to a green space without waiting.
Investing in some carefully chosen antique or vintage pieces for the garden is an easy, instant
way to import character and banish the bland. Dealers at the 2025 Bath Decorative Antiques
Fair – 13th – 15th March, have handpicked the best in wonderfully weathered gardenalia which can immediately
elevate a patio, hide an ugly feature, or create an intriguing focal point, whether your garden
is a tiny town courtyard or a substantial country plot.
Picking items with patina is key to the nailing the gently timeworn look. The blue-green rime
of Verdigris on an old copper planter, original crusty paintwork embellishing a French bistro
set or textured grey lichen blurring the lines of a stone bench, these surfaces immediately give
the impression of structures which have been in place for a long time. “The faults and
distressing of time cannot be easily faked,” says Simon Wharton, whose stand will feature an
aged plaster statue of Venus, tactile green glazed Castelnaudary urns from the south of
France, and a selection of old confit pots suitable for outdoor adornment. “Even a modest
garden can incorporate a statue,” comments Simon. “A good classical piece adds mystery and
romance, especially if it is partly hidden.” But his top tip is to buy an antique garden table
and chairs. “That’s where I would put my money,” he says. “A metal table with a marble top,
with mossy benches either side, or perhaps some sturdy Arras furniture from the north of
France. This will create an atmospheric area where you can sit out and eat.”
Simon Wharton Antiques
According to Nicki Retallack of Ludgate House Antiques, establishing a focal point with a
large decorative antique piece is one of the easiest ways to transform an uninspiring garden.
“Statement pieces bring the wow factor. You can play with scale, so a large item can work
extremely well in a small garden,” says Nicki. An example is a 1.2m tall Italian capason jar,
originally used for storing wine, which will be on her stand this year. This requires winter
protection, but a sturdier all-weather choice is a cast iron urn. “Trail some ivy or plant some
lavender in a pair of large urns with a rusted patina, and you’ll instantly age the look of your
garden,” guarantees Nicki.
Undesirable garden features can be quickly hidden or disguised with antique item. An ugly
brick wall might be immoveable but place a Victorian demi-lune tiered plant stand against it,
pack it with plants, and the eye is drawn to the feature rather than the surrounding area. “Tiers
add height where it is needed,” says Honor Tuttiett of Vintage on the Vine. A key piece on
Honor’s stand is a decorative Victorian tiered plantstand in eau de nil paint. It has the
advantage of wheels, so it can be easily moved to a fresh spot or brought close to a water
source for plant hydration. “Tiered planters came in with the Georgians, who were obsessed
with creating indoor gardens or orangeries,” explains Honor. “The ones from this era are
quite angular and geometric, whereas later Victorian ones have more scrolling.”
Honor recommends repurposing old chimney pots as a way of creating height and interest in
a container garden or to elevate a patio pot display. Chimney tops vary in shape and
decoration, according to their age. Cannon pots resemble the shape of a cannon barrel,
louvred ones have slatted sides and are often salt glazed, while tall pots may feature fluting or
other decoration. “You can either use them as a standalone feature or put a pot inside with a
plant trailing out,” suggests Honor. “In my garden, I’ve even turned two late 19 th century
chimney pots into working chimeneas with a grill. They are practical and very pretty.”
Repurposing items is a clever way to fake the lived-in look. Dealer Jo Roberts, who
specialises in decorative artefacts, explains: “it’s thinking about your garden in a different
way and reimagining antique pieces,” Her suggestions include using a beautiful old door as
an outdoor table by placing it on trestle legs. Ladders can be propped against walls and hung
with plants or attached to a fence and used as open trellis. “In my garden, I’ve upcycled an
old water tank with the ball inside as a feature. I always look for unusual sculptural items
which add height, shape and form to a garden,” Jo says. If space is at a premium, Jo’s smaller
accessories will create an instant talking point. “Lovely old souperies make planters for
spring bulbs. Spread a linen cloth on a garden table to display them,” she says. “Unless
there’s a very heavy frost, they’ll be fine outside.”
Karl of Skye’s Place will have all-sized pieces in his spacious display of gardenalia,
from decorative shells measuring a few centimetres, to 2m tall urns, water features and
statues. One of the tallest pieces he ever sold was a statue of a young Bacchus which topped
2.7m. “One of the easiest ways to create instant change in a garden is to put a pair of urns
either side of the front door,” Karl says. “They can be planted with something cottagey, such
as bedding, or taken to a different level with sculptural box topiary, such as a ball, a spiral or
a cone.”
Karl carries stock to suit every garden style. “It’s not all about renaissance and rococo,
because not everyone wants that,” he points out. “Sculptures might be made from stone,
concrete, marble, or bronze, and they range from the ornate to something very simple like a
cube.” The element that unites them is patina. “It makes such a difference, whether its
oxidisation on metal, moss or lichen on stone, or the wonderful Verdigris on an old, riveted
washing copper from the Victorian era,” Karl says. “After all, if you want something shiny
and new, you can get that from a garden centre.” One of Karl’s favourite pieces for this year’s
Fair is a bronze swan statue, measuring around 70cm tall. “The casting, the detail, the weight
and the patination is something very special. It is tactile, and looks as if it’s sitting on a nest,”
Karl says. “It would make a real statement.”
He will be styling his stand with extra touches, elevating statues on plinths so they can be
more easily imagined in situ, and creating enticing displays using shells, coral and willow
sticks. “There are so many different ideas and possibilities,” enthuses Karl. “A garden isn’t
just a border around the edge of a rectangular lawn, I want to show people that, with a little
imagination, it can be so much more than that.”
Written By Fiona Cumberpatch