Thursday, May 19, 2016

Shepherd’s hooks


If you’re like me and gardening on a budget, or you're a beginning gardener, take a look at shepherd’s hooks. They are strong wrought iron rods with an oval top and a hook for hanging baskets of flowers or whatever you wish to hang.
Photo: West Farms

Give your yard and garden a little bit of architectural interest with these hooks, and a great big burst of color! They will be a fairly inexpensive addition to your landscape.

Shepherd’s hooks run the gamut in price probably starting as low as 4-5 dollars on up to well over a hundred for heavy ornate hooks. Oh heck, we know you could probably pay thousands somewhere for one, right?
Fulton Square

They can hold one basket of plants or they can have up to four to six hooks for multiple baskets. You can also use them for bird feeders, which I plan on doing. I think I'll get a taller one for a feeder for greater protection for the birds.

I bought three small hooks – probably four feet tall after I put them in the ground. They come in all sizes up to seven feet. I would imagine anything taller than this will not be a very stable plant holder or be proportional to the size of most homes.  I got shorter ones to make them easier for me to move around. I plan on putting two in front of my house which from the front looks like a small low ranch and will be in good proportion, I think.

You can also get 2 foot ones to hang solar lights, or even small baskets.

Shepherd's hooks make beautiful wedding decorations. Photo: West Farms 

Photo: West Farms
 I came across a wonderful farm in West Virginia called West Farms. The two photos above were taken by Pam West to show how you can use shepherd hooks for weddings or other special occasions. Read about West Farms here.

Hang Tuff

WalMart
I'm excited about my Shepherd's hooks and hope to get them up this weekend. It'll be a coordinated effort, as I want to plant all the pots in front of my house to match the shepherd's hook pots with bright flowers. We'll see. I can't wait to show you how they turn out!

Do you have shepherd's hooks?

Please sign up for my blog through email and/or Google friends, and I would love to hear from you with your tips or experiences. Gardeners are all about sharing!

If you'd like to email me please do so at: libbylottie@yahoo.com


4 comments:

  1. Shepherd hooks are a great idea for any size yard, and especially good for those of us that either don't have the time for groveling in the flower beds or, like me, find it too hard to get up and down anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Karen, that's an excellent point! The hooks are great for someone who is disabled or frail. Just buy a pot of flowers, stick the hook in the ground and you have instant beauty! PLUS, you can place them strategically so you can hopefully look out a window and watch the flowers grow.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just simply LOVE your blog! Being a WV resident myself, this helps so much to understand the local flora and fauna! Keep it up Ann!

    ReplyDelete