It's about time, we all got wired!!!!!!

   French Garden furniture of today, draws from a rich and diverse history, that resulted in many different styles. From 1715 onward, as the Formal French Garden began to yield, to the free design of landscaped gardens, people began to enjoy ,new forms of social leisure and  more intimate and beautifully organized outdoor social functions. It the beginning, furniture and carpets from the house, was carried out into the garden. This required servants and much time. If a sudden rain would appear, every one had to run and the furniture was often ruined. So the need for out door furniture had appeared. The first of this furniture was heavy iron.it was not easy to move, nor was it comfortable. It also required a lot of work to maintain it. The "Rococo" period arrived and the out door became very Romantic.  A lot of smaller garden, within a larger garden, made it possible ,to feel like it, was a more personal space. This was the first concept of the," outdoor room", that most people think, is a 21st century ideal. HDTV-this is not a new concept, nor did you all invent it. What goes around comes around. Even the out door kitchen, that is so popular today, is a Victorian concept. The summer kitchen, as it was called, was an out door room for cooking. This kept the heat out of the house and saved a lot of houses from burning down.

My Southern Magnolias have been blooming and blooming for weeks. My nieces gave,My Old Historic House,
2 of them for the houses 2 birthday. They were 6 foot tall then and now they are 12. I worried about them last winter when we had 20 inches of snow. But as you can see they are doing just fine. The Southern Magnolia is my favorite of all trees. 

    The more people wanted to be outside , the more there was a need for furniture that could be used outside, and it needed to be  moved about easy.. Garden furniture created wholly out of wire was light weight, durable, easy to move, and fairly cheap in price. This became the rage of all those outdoor souls during the middle to late 1800's. The French were the first to come up with the wire furniture designs. We owe a lot to the French, like folding tables and chairs. These were invented and used not only in the private gardens, but, also in out door dining and social functions. Thus the ,"Bistro tables and chairs."
   French Wire garden furniture is made by hand. To this day, no one has invented a machine to do this work. Some of the crimping designs and twist and so on, are done by machine. It is a simple process, where a frame is made from a heavy rod, like wire, and smaller wire is applied to that frame. Almost  ever piece made, was outfitted with wheels. This made it even easier to move. Soon, Flower shops were using these wire pieces for display and offered them for sale. Catalog companies carried various styles, pieces and patterns. In the high Victorian  days, almost every fine home had a garden room, green house or sun room. This wire furniture was soon making it's grand appearances in all those homes. Especially the Plant Stand, which could hold many pots of rare plants and make a great display as well. These plant stands are the most found,in todays markets, and the pieces we think of most, when talking of French Wire. Chairs, tables and love seats are not as common, so therefore the price is much higher on these items.
   I have an addiction  to this stuff.. Some people do drugs, I do French Wire. I buy it to sale, and it usually never does, so home it goes. When I do sale a piece, I am kinda sad, but, it gives me a reason to buy another. I have a plant stand on every porch and a couple in the yard. My patio has 2 love seats and 2 chairs. I long for a table, but, they are so hard to come by. My friend, and antique dealer, Blossom, got me started with this habit. She has owned and sold more wonderful wire than I have time to list. We are always sending each other to a shop to see one that we spotted. One of us, usually ends up with it. I remember a pair of the most wonderful chairs we found on a trip to Ill. Blossom bought them and latter sold them. When ever we mention French Wire, those chairs come up in the conversation. I guess one can have too much French Wire, but I can not imagine that ever happening to me.

    Today we have plastic furniture for the garden. I saw at the Home Dept the other day, plastic wicker furniture. I guess that is where we are. The sad  thing is, the price of the plastic, is much more than a real old wonderful piece. I hope I  never get to the day, when I have plastic garden furniture. I would rather have an old rusty piece of iron or wire, even if it is not antique. If you have plastic, I am sorry, if I stepped on your toes, and I will forgive you. Just kidding. What ever furniture you have in your garden, all I ask is, to ENJOY IT!!!!!!
   Come by, My Old Historic House ,soon and see all the French wire. After all, "I think it is time, we all get wired"! All kidding aside, I will leave the lights on and Sissy dog will meet you with a jump and a kiss. I hope you enjoy your garden this summer. Mine has been so alive this year. With all the rain, everything as been over the top. And that includes the WEEDS!Better get this posted and get out there a pull, pull, pull!

This is my new Banana Tree, a friend gave it to me, it was  a stick with roots. I will keep you posted on it's progress this summer. Makes me feel like I am in New Orleans or the South. 

The Southern Magnolia  stays green all winter, loses it's old leaves in the spring when new ones appear. It is a favorite of mine to use for Christmas decorations. After the blooms the seed pots have bright red seeds and look good on mantles and in vases for the holidays.