Susan Kuver

   They are a Southern thing. The plants we place in shady places. Their big green leaves move gently in the smallest breeze, convincing us that it is actually pleasant and cool outside even when it is not. I remember them from the neighborhood I grew up in here in North Dallas. Often they were planted around large Live Oak trees edged in brick . As the grass inevitably turned brown in the heat of the summer , these plants were lovingly watered and tended to in those cooler shady corners. 

   I have them in my yarden too. I have lived in my house for 30 years now. The trees have matured that I planted so long ago. And there is much more shade now. I have a Red Oak tree in my front yard that was just a sapling when I moved here in 1991. As an homage to my childhood neighborhood I have edged a bed around it with the angled brick that I remember and planted caladiums, white begonias, and elephant ears. On the east side of the house, under my kitchen window, I have another shady bed. There I have planted ferns- four varieties, hostas, and lirope under a Little Gem Magnolia tree. And of course, I have two large hanging Boston Ferns flanking each side of the covered patio in the back yard. 

  This year, our summer has so far been wonderfully mild and rainy. It does happen here in Texas- just not very often. But the shade plants still need to be watered. After all, temperatures in the 90’s are still hot. This is a task that I love though. The plants get bigger and bigger almost in front of me. And the variety of greens in their foliage is so calming and energizing. I love my shade garden – it’s a Southern thing.

   Yardening- what does that mean? Well, I first heard that term used by my 5 year old son after he spent a Saturday morning helping my Dad mow the lawn, trim the hedges, and generally maintain the landscape of my parents home. Yardening is essentially a combination of yard work and gardening. And based on my observations,  it is what most of us do in suburban America in 2021. Many of us have only really discovered yardening  in the past year or so. Lots of us pay others to do most of the heavy yardening for us. But for certain, I am seeing many more of my friends and neighbors spending time in their yardens.

I myself have replaced edging and expanded flower beds. Last year, I added some furniture and lighting to my front yard so in that time of social distancing we could still spend time with our neighbors. The pandemic changed all our lives. Forever. And our homes and yardens became even more important to all of us. We realized how fortunate we are to have these lovely outdoor spaces. We resolved to make them more functional for our families and to personalize them so that they reflected our personality and style.

This is the reason we created Through the Garden Gate. We have always loved all things vintage. We believe in repurposing and recycling. We have used architectural salvage throughout the interior of or home and we knew we wanted the outdoors to have that same aesthetic. So it began, we used vintage items as garden decor . And family, friends, and neighbors took notice. 

Vintage garden decor makes a statement. It sets a tone and creates an ambiance. Vintage garden decor encompasses many styles and flavors. Mid-century to English country cottage, there are oh so many genres of vintage garden decor. It is our wish to help you create the yarden that best reflects your family and your personality. A piece or two of vintage garden decor could be just the thing that brings you out into the yarden. I hope to see you there!

   Welcome to our blog. Susan and I will use this blog occasionally to point out the uses and background or story behind some of the products we sell. We will also discuss what our our yarden means to us. We hope that you read this and it evokes an emotion,a memory, or a smile. Our first blog is called “Galvanized.”

   If you look up the word galvanized in the dictionary, you will see that it has two meanings. The first is to coat steel or iron with zinc to prevent rust. The second is a call to action. In other words, a galvanizing action or moment that brings people together. My first recollection of the word galvanized is a beer and wine store in Glen Rose, Texas called The Galvanized Palace. My friends and I would drive there from our home town, Cleburne, to buy cheap wine from a farm – or beer. Cleburne was a dry town and you could not buy alcohol there. The Palace was a galvanized tin building, hence the name. So in a sense,The Galvanized Palace held both meanings for us. A call to action to buy beer in a tin building.

   For the purpose of Through the Garden Gate, we will also use the word galvanized with both meanings. We offer galvanized buckets and watering cans for your yard and garden decor. The patina of  aged tin offers warmth to your garden. Susan has done a marvelous job of adding tin buckets and watering cans to our yard. I really enjoy seeing flowers planted in these buckets around our yard. They are all old and add charm and character to our outdoor decor. So, here is our galvanizing moment or call to action. Add some of our old galvanized pots and buckets to your garden. The zinc  coating will continue to age and develop more patina through all sorts of weather as well as call you  to the action of filling them with flowers and plants for years to come.

                                                           Ron