by GraMarie Walker

Created on: February 13, 2009   Last Updated: February 17, 2009

Gardens are no stranger to the bizarre, and sometimes, amazingly functional results of human eccentricity. A peek into many gardens will reveal a surreal landscape of walkways, grottos and fantastic creatures gilded with colors fit to sear the eyeballs. My guilty secret is that I Love this stuff! Wacky, everyday (as opposed to holiday) yard art is so much fun that by the time you've completed this little tour, you just might be infected with this secret passion too.

Do you remember those rigidly cheesy pink flamingos from the 50's and 60's? Well, there is a new breed of these shockingly pink creatures on the block and they've taken cheesy over the top and right into chic! No longer strictly for show, flamingos now feed your feathered guests, provide musical accompaniment to the slightest breeze and have even taken the place of many a ratty old scarecrow. If you think perversely pink, you really owe it to yourself to check out Garden Fun for the best selection I've ever seen anywhere.

Any discussion of wacky yard and garden art wouldn't be complete without mentioning "NerdyNecks" http://www.gardenfun.com/exhart-nerdynecks.html and "GeekyBeeks" http://www.gardenfun.com/geeky-beaks.html. These are the latest craze in yard birds; think Sesame Street on steroids. These are cartoon-ish to downright alien characters ranging in size from a 4" head on a 20" wiggly spring, all the way up to a full body, 5' tall creature that can be mounted on its base and taken to the office. They are brightly colored (did I say BRIGHTLY colored?) and fit to tickle even the sourest puss into a big silly grin.

Don't have time for a flower garden? No worries! A new breed of garden stake comes in a variety of flowers to brighten any patch of green, including that clot of poison oakyou've been meaning to burn out. Lilies, roses, hibiscus, sunflowers and daisies can spin, bob, bounce and literally, light up every corner of your garden.

Light up you ask? You mean to tell me, you haven't seen the new generation of solar garden stakes? Imagine stepping out for an evening stroll and seeing softly glowing flowers and a rainbow of changing colors lining your path. I thoughtI'd slipped a cog and landed in the sixties again! It was absolutely enchanting once I got over the surprise.

Next on my list of wacky garden art is stepping-stones. Pavers and stepping-stones are a fully functional yard item and you might wonder at their appearance here unless you've seen Soho Dcor's wonderful product line. Colorful

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