Mirrors In the Garden

I get a lot of emails asking about using mirrors in the garden. I'll give the short and then the long answers. You can click on the photos for larger views.

1. Do the birds fly into them? Nope.
2. What kind of mirrors do you use? Mainly shower doors, and plastic-framed dollar store mirrors, and old wood-mounted mirrors that are not suitable for inside the house.
3. Do the mirrors ever break? Only when I stomp on them!
4. Why use mirrors in the garden? No one asks this one but there's a wonderful answer that won't be evident in these photos. The mirrors create a sparkling light that, during certain times of the day, makes the garden look absolutely magical. One day I hope to capture it on video and show it here.




Here's what I've found. The birds do not fly into them and I wouldn't have the mirrors if they did.







This is my theory on why I think they are not a danger:



I position the mirrors so they run parallel to flight paths. My side garden is long and very narrow. The birds only fly the length of it, so the long mirrors aren't a problem. If I had the mirrors at either end of this path, they would probably fly into them.





I also have mirrors on my trellises. I put them there a few years ago when I was waiting for the vines to grow up and fill in the space. As you can see I don't pay much attention to them now. These mirrors are hanging from wire so they move around and don't fool the birds. Occasionally I'll see an amorous little one perched on the trellis flirting with his own reflection but that's it.



The big mirrors (large photo above) are used/discarded sliding mirrored (indoor) shower doors and very good for water resistance. I get them for about $10 - $20 each (CAD) at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

They're highly winter tolerant, already framed, and easy to hang on a fence (I sit them on a 2x2 board and secure them with another across the top). I've had mine outside year-round for several years and there's no sign of weather damage yet beyond a little rusting of the metal edges. I originally bought them so I could see my side garden from the kitchen window up above. I also like them because they make the narrow side yard appear wider.



The little trellis mirrors are sold here at dollar stores. They're thin and framed in plastic. The little plastic loops intended for hanging them don't hold up so I create wire hangers instead. I did stomp on one once and it broke but it's an odd sort of mirror that doesn't really shatter so it was easy to clean up.



The wooden framed mirrors will be the first to fall apart. I only use ones I've found in the garbage or bought for a dollar or two, knowing that they'll offer a few years of sparkle and then they'll be done-zo. As I've mentioned before, I don't like to coddle the garden junk, so I just keep them out year round. I don't have the storage space or time to put them away each winter.

I first got the mirror idea on a local garden tour (no photo unfortunately). It was a gorgeous, expensively made Japanese-inspired shade garden. There were cedar trellises all along a full shade back corner. The trellises were all backed with full-length mirrors and mounted on the fence. It looked fabulous. Just that much reflection and added light made all the difference.

One other neat thing about mirrors in the garden is that they have a strong presence so if I ever want a whole new look, I can move or remove them. This is particularly true for the side shower mirrors. I'm often tempted to add several more to really open up the space. We'll see.

Related Entries:
There's a funny little story about a meter-reader's reaction to my garden mirrors here.
The 2006 Blooming Cycle - my attempt to record blooming times.
There's a complete listing of my virtual garden tours here
I keep track of garden weirdness here
See my garden art/junk.
Do you have a picture to add to the Garden Shed Hall of Fame?
My free home and garden project ideas are here