Discovered Water Hose Hanger

A garden is more than just a few plants tucked into the ground. It really does become an outdoor living area. Yes it provides food but that is no reason it can't aesthetically be pleasing! Even functional gardening necessities can provide a bit of eye candy. We wanted to tuck the first raised bed perpendicular to the garage. The problem was there was a large, scraggly and over grown euonymous bush blocking the way. We made the executive decision to remove it freeing up the space for the first path and removing yet one more rodent habitat. What we discovered was a rather unique and obviously homemade water hose hanger!

Before

Thank goodness there is already water, natural gas and electricity to the garage so we don't have to worry about installing any of those lines. The existing water spigot is what I would say is in need of a bit of tweaking but that really is a minor and inexpensive repair. The water hose hanger sits in front of the garage within about 9" of the water tap. It is iron like many of the other handmade artifacts we've found on the property. I immediately decided to keep the hanger. It has nice lines and just suits the garden nicely. The problem was it had been covered by the bush so obviously neglected for quite some time. Pictured is the unexpected find along with two of my new solar lights. As you can see there is still much work to do for this first pathway but that will come.

After

The hose hanger obviously needed work but it was still firmly planted in the ground and very functional. I swept off the cobwebs then went over the entire structure with a brass brush to remove both rust and any loose paint. Then I washed off any dust with the hose and let the hanger dry completely before proceeding.

The hanger is only inches from the garage so I protected the area behind the hanger with cardboad. Then I sprayed 2 coats of Weathershield® Rust Coat in a gloss black. Using a gloss paint is something I like doing for certain outdoor projects. In this case the surface was quite textured so the gloss accented it slightly resulting in a soft sheen. At the same time the gloss tends to weather nicely. I'm quite pleased with the results. It will look a lot different with the hose hanging on it which is the next step.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
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