Repurposing and Recycling in Garden Design

Recycled Concrete wall from Bourget Bros

This is a perennially popular post and so I am sharing it again!

Recycling can be many things to many people...

or, in other words,  "One man's trash is another's man treasure"

from Stone Art Blog

This piano was placed in a garden. Here is what Sunny Wieler of Stone Art Blog wrote about this:

"Besides being a passionate gardener, my dad is also a passionate piano player, so a few years back we got him a new piano for his birthday. So the old piano spent a while in the shed before he had the great idea to put it out in the garden..."

Little did Sunny's dad know that he was at the forefront of the conceptual art movement:...they would say something like this is a testament to the natural decomposing processes, a statement of the fragility of life, the impermanence of existence...

his dad would say, 'Hey, why not put it in the garden?"

photos of broken concrete from Bourget Bros website

Recycling nowadays has a much classier name in the design lexicon -

 Repurposing.... I guess Sunny's dad was repurposing his piano.

So with the aim of being 'green' and relevant, here are some creative ways people have dressed up their gardens with recycled items...

Recycled Broken Concrete

Using old concrete from sidewalks is a great way to recycle a common building material in the landscape. The aged look of broken concrete can add character and it doesn't even look like concrete when used in a mortared wall or upside down...

According to a designer interviewed in Sunset Magazine, "If concrete is used well, it looks rich. People respond to it, often without knowing what it is..."

Wall of Broken up Concrete Pieces

from everythinggardens website

So next time they are removing old sidewalks tell them they can deliver the dumpster of broken up concrete to your place. Here is what I found in the-artistic-garden website:

from The artistic garden website

Using large chunks of concrete upside down - with the rough side showing - this paved driveway is one of a kind! and they got the concrete for free.....this could also be a great walk. What a wonderful example of 'green' landscaping.

Recycled Glass

Recycled glass has come a long way from bringing in the old coke bottles for a nickel...Glass chunks or slag can be used in a real knock out way and don't forget tumbled 'glass mulch'.

Hocker Design in Dallas, Texas used stainless steel mesh to contain recycled glass and made an amazing privacy wall / pool fence for a client. Illuminated from within, the glass wall glows at night! how cool.

photos from contemporist.con

glowing wall at bight (from garden beet)

Tumbled glass mulch can be bought in bags of varying colors...you can make colored glass squares, 'rivers', channels and more...

from enviroglass

and imagine what you can do with bottles:

flora nursery - michelle derviss

This is from Greenscenelandscape.com

fiber-optics-lit wine bottles light up a concrete countertop - greenscenelandscape.com

And look at this! Wine bottle edging - hey why not? impervious...and you could put fiber optics in each one....what an effect.

Re nest website

re nest website

Recycled Fencing

So imagine if you have a broken up concrete walk with glass bottle edging, an old piano off to the side and now maybe get some wire fencing to act as a table base like Jason Horvath did here...

 Fenced Modern Coffee Table by Jason Horvath

This fenced-in modern coffee table was made from repurposed cast-iron fence pieces. Designed by Jason Horvath, he stumbled upon a pile of discarded fencing in Red Hook, Brooklyn. A 1/2″ glass top sits on the blackened or powder coated base.

You may do the same thing but use a broken concrete slab on top!

There are so many ideas for recycling materials in a garden....I hope this got your creative juices flowing....

Trees of Peace

"...Years ago I heard somebody say that all our political and diplomatic conferences ought to be moved out of smoke-filled rooms and held underneath trees..."

-  Clyde S. Kilby,   page 159 of “The Lost Myth”, Arts in Society, Vol. 6, 1969.

from justfocus in New Zealand

Imagine if the United Nations met under trees? I imagine their discussions might be a little more fruitful...

Trees are a wonderful mediating influence in our lives.


If a child misbehaves, instead of sending them into a corner have them go outside and sit at the base of a tree...or better yet - in its limbs!

Tell him or her to talk to the tree and listen to its guidance...the children would know exactly what you mean (up until about age 9). No tree out there? ah! now is to the time to plant one.

Here are 3 trees associated with peace-making:


Great Elm of Pennsylvania (actually, Great Elm Tree of Shackamaxon)

In 1682, along the banks of the Delaware River, under the shade of a great elm tree, William Penn made a Treaty of Friendship with the Native Americans which led to the founding of Pennsylvania.
William Penn's Treaty with the Indians became a universal symbol of religious and civil liberties. Voltaire made reference to the event in 1764 and artists thoughout Europe recreated the scene first painted by Benjamin West in 1771. Edward Hicks (Peaceable Kingdom) created numerous depictions of the treaty meeting to promote social change.


The "Great Elm" as it was known, remained as a living monument to this event until it fell during a violent storm in 1810. You can still visit Penn Treaty Park.  http://www.penntreatypark.org/.

The descendent of that Tree is still there, now called Penn Treaty Park. It is the original scion of the great grandfather that still blooms in Haverford, Pa. (Haverford College.) More interesting info and pictures can be seen here: Treaty Elm Tree

Treaty Oak (Quercus virginiana)

Treaty Oak in 1970's from Mr G's photos in Picasa

Native Americans of the Austin region preferred to make important decisions under a grove of live oak trees - the so-called Council Oaks.

 Tejas, Apache and Comanche tribes revered these trees. It was here that Stephen F. Austin closed the first boundary line pact with the Indians.

The Austin "treaty oak" is the last survivor of these council oaks and is almost 600 years old

 In 1927 the American Forestry Association proclaimed the Treaty Oak to be "The most perfect specimen of a North American tree" but today it is a shadow of its former self.  In 1989 a vandal poured a large amount of herbicide on the ancient oak.

 The tree went into shock but Ross Perot financed the rescue of this landmark tree  - three and a half feet of contaminated topsoil around the tree were removed and replaced, tall shading screens were erected and spring water was misted onto the leaves every half hour. The Treaty Oak survived but lost many limbs.

They made many products from the fallen branches of the treaty oak - the most popular item for sale seems to be the 'treaty oak gavel' - for use by the judiciary - how fitting!


Eastern White Pine

Did you know that the native Eastern White Pine of the Northern U.S. was, in a sense, an inspiration for our Constitution? The Tree of Peace, the White Pine, was part of the great legacy the Iroquois people gave to our founding fathers.

About 1000 years ago the tribes of what is now the Northern U.S. were mired in violent bloody feuds. According to the Native American legend, the Creator sent a spiritual teacher, a Peacemaker, who appeared in the Finger Lakes region of New York to show the way to establish a higher order of human relations.

He called all warring people together and said there must be a concerted effort by all for peace to prevail and through his Great Law and spiritual inspiration, he convinced the warriors of the five warring tribes to form a confederacy, a league of tribes.The Peacemaker called for all warriors of all tribes to bury their weapons and then planted atop them a sacred Tree of Peace, a White Pine.

He proclaimed, "If any man or nation shows a desire to obey the Law of the Great Peace, they may trace the roots to their source, and be welcomed to take shelter beneath the Tree."

Proton Wira modifications under RM1K project: Part 2

This is a very long overdue update on my Proton Wira modifications under RM1K project.

Picking up from what I last posted, the Proton badge (meant for Proton Iswara) finally arrived but there was a problem. The original was a screw-on badge while the new one was a stick on and somehow I could not find a way to get it to stick properly on the original place. So I came up with an idea. Was not sure whether it would work but fortunately it did. I peeled off the plastic logo and super glued it on to the original screw-on base.

I also bought a new Proton Manual Car Leather Gear Knob Carbon With R3 stitching on the sides for RM50/, also from a seller on Lelong.

Definitely a great improvement on the original rounded plastic knobs which were worn out. This brought me to a new total of RM363.90.

Thinking of what to do next, I thought about the faulty reverse sensor. I have been meaning to change it for a long time but kept putting it off. So one day I drove down to the Brother's outlet near my house in PJ. However, the place was packed and I could not get any parking. I was impatient and decided to go to another car accessories place - Elegance Audio Sdn Bhd. in Kelana Jaya.

I was delighted because there were not that many customers around. Their manager Oliver Lim, came out and told me that it would cost me around RM200+ to install new reverse sensors. This was much costlier than what it would normally cost me at Brothers but I assumed that at that price their product would be of a better quality than at Brothers, which was where I had installed my old reverse sensors.

Since the shop was specialised in audio equipment and I was still under budget, I decided to install front speakers in the car. Previously it only had 2 rear Clarion speakers. The cheapest speakers was the Powerbass S-4002 4-Inch Coaxial speakers (105 W), at around RM260 a pair. A little bit steep but he assured me that the sound quality would be really great. This would nicely bring me just below my budget of a Thousand dollars and I decided to go ahead.

However, this is where it all went wrong. I was waiting inside their office with my son when the manager came in and showed me the old speakers - it was completely torn. I knew it was old but I am sure it was definitely not that bad. I now had no choice but to replace the rear speakers as well. I went along with what the manager recommended and installed a pair of EFX 6x9" rear speakers (RM480).

I was dismayed when I learnt that as the new speakers would not fit into the original speaker enclosure and they would have to cut into the rear speaker board. I wished the manager had explained that to me before I said yes.

The final damage - a whooping RM1020 in total, including the installation charges. These three items alone would have blown my small budget of RM1K at one go.

In hindsight, I could have said "No!" and this would have left me with a total budget of RM903.9. I could have then gone to Brothers and have cheaper speakers installed. But that is what you call "buyer's remorse" and I am trying hard not to have any regrets. However, I hope other people reading this would learn from my experience and make an informed choice.

I am sure that some of you are wondering "what's the difference"?

Now, I do notice that I don't have to crank up the volume and sound quality has definitely improved but no once else - neither my family members nor my friends seems to have realised the difference. The only guy who noticed is my son who went along with me and tries to put peanuts and other stuff into the holes in the speaker covers - a clear design flaw if you have hyperactive kids with itchy hands.

So my budget is blown and I have failed in my project. It was stupid anyway as an old car needs constant attention and replacement of parts. In conclusion, RM1000 goes a bit but is but a drop in the ocean if you decide to hold on to an old car and decide to "pimp it". However, on the other hand, well maintained cars can go a long way and is considerably cheaper than getting a brand new car - specially if you live in Malaysia.

Unhappy Hipsters in the Garden

These photos and captions are from Unhappy Hipsters....a very funny website, please check it out..I have my comments in bold below.

Sure she was watering a street tree during a statewide drought. But the gate was made of recycled street signs. Carbon footprint: neutral.

(Photo: Randi Berez; Dwell Magazinre, Dec/Jan 2006)

My comments - you gotta love that street sign fence!

The porthole windows seemed like a good idea. But now the house appeared to be leering at them, distinctly ominous.

(Photo: Philip Newton; Dwell Magazine, March 2004)

My comments - such emphasis on the house design..such little emphasis on the landscape...

It became their routine. And so the evenings stretched out before him: still, gray, and gravel-strewn.

(Photo: Dean Kaufman; Dwell, November 2006)

my comments - OMG..must be hot as blazes in the summer

Not on the grass, Sweetie. Never. On. The. Grass. See how much fun Daddy is having?

(Photo: Jack Thompson, Dwell, October 2009)

My comments - Those pavers set in the grass are too far apart, a common mistake.  To get to the door you have to take giant steps or forget about staying on the paving altogether....

Flipping the pages hurriedly, he sensed that the potted plants were advancing.

(Photo: Dean Kaufman; Dwell, Dec/Jan 2007)

My comments - HaHa..I have this urge to plant some climbing ivy there, anywhere.

We’re not ready to go out there yet, honey. And besides, didn’t I do a pretty good job bringing the outside in?

(Photo: Christopher Sturman, Dwell, November 2009)

My comments - Oh No... I use that line all the time!

(I would love your comments as well...) 

Annual Flowers - Colorful, Joyful and So Rewarding

(Jan Johnsen - angelonia, vinca and dusty miller)  

  Annual flowers - those that bloom all summer into late fall then give it up for good - are the secret to a joyful and colorful garden. 

I know people think planting annual flowers take too much work in spring but I say, "go ahead, try it! The rewards in your garden continue into the late fall."

(Jan Johnsen - profusion zinnias, marigolds,salvia, plectranthus)

Colorful annual flowers make us happy, enrich our lives and then sometimes take our breath away, to boot.

(Jan Johnsen - coleus, plectranthus,angelonia, and more)

I know all about annual flowers because after graduating college (landscape architecture focus) decades ago, I went to work in the display gardens at MOHONK MT. HOUSE in New Paltz, NY.

 I was not very happy about the situation because back then, in LA school, flowers were not popular. 

I thought flowers 'beneath' me because I had drunk the 'koolaid' that said landscape architects need not be concerned with such superfluous things as flowers.

As I said, this was decades ago when marigolds and junipers ruled the U.S. landscape world. (smile).

(Mohonk Mountain House, incredible place)

But, as it always happens, the very thing you think is not good is actually the best thing you could ever hope for! Life works that way....

(one of the famed gazebos of Mohonk)

I ended up working for a Frenchman, Alain Grumberg, who had emigrated from France and was a Master Gardener in the truest sense of the word.  He was head of the grounds at Mohonk and had won the "Best Resort Grounds in America' the year before I arrived.

(Versailles Gardens in France)

He had worked in the Versailles gardens before coming to this country...and I worked for him, seeding every annual, transplanting every seedling in the greenhouse and planting out every annual plant with him ....kind of tedious but wow, what an experience! The plant beds were amended every year with all natural, composted horse manure, the flowers fed with liquid fish emulsion.

The flower beds were graded with a  strong 'crown' in the center. 

(Part of the display gardens at Mohonk Mt. House)

I learned from Alain how to plant annual plants like a professional  - fast and perfect . Then I took care of the Victorian display garden here.  Edging, weeding ( no mulch!), and watering....

So here I am today, drawing the detailed site plans (grades, drainage, construction specs) and then planting the annuals as well! Kind of a double whammy....

(Verbena bonariensis and 'Senorita Rosalita' Salvia, a fun, tall combo)

And as I always say, when people visit a landscape, they don't say, "what lovely drain grates" but rather, "What incredible flowers"...its all about the flowers, don't you know.

And the bees, hummingbirds and butterflies will thank you too.

(Angelonia - 'Wedgwood Blue',)