Whimsical Garden Lady Scarecrow

I’d been wanting to make a fun Garden Lady Scarecrow to keep me company in the garden for a long time, but never took the time to make one. When I put together my galvanized container shade garden last summer, I knew that would be the perfect place for her. So I finally made one and it took me all of 15 minutes. All of the materials to make her were found around the house and in my garden supplies.

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Meet my friend, Matilda!

I’m sure if you are an avid gardener that you already have some of these plant trays pictured below. If not, when you buy a flat of bedding plants, be sure to put your 4 and 6 cell packs in these to carry home. You will need two.

Supplies:

• 6′ T-post for stand (or other sturdy post)
• 2 plant flat trays for body
• 5′-6′ PVC pipe for arms
• rope or wire to attach body and arms to post
• empty gallon milk jug
• tape (I use electrical tape)
• plastic grocery sacks
• old clothes
• old hat
• old gloves
• Misc. odds and ends to give her character

Decide on the clothes you want her to wear beforehand, because it’s easier to dress her while putting the body together. The skirt, vest and red shirt were in a bag of clothes that were being donated to a thrift store. Somehow they shrunk while hanging in my closet.

Stand: To make the stand, I used a 6′ t-post because we have lots of wind. It’s pounded into the ground about 10″.

  Make sure when installed, that it is NOT going to hit an underground wire, cable or pipe of any kind!

Body & Skirt: About 8 or 9″ down from the top of the post, position the plant flats (open sides facing each other) with the fence post in between them. Tie the trays at the top and bottom to the post.
Next, put the skirt on the garden lady, pulling it over the top of the post Position the waistband about mid-way down the plant trays.

Arms, Shirt & Vest: Put the vest over the shirt like it would be if wearing it, then push the pipe through both sleeves first. Slide the shirt neck over the post and slide the shirt down until the pipe rests on top of the plant trays. Tie the center of PVC pipe to the post. I kept forgetting to take some safety pins out to make her vest fit a little better.

Head & Hat: Paint eyes, nose and mouth on her face, if desired. Cut a small slit in the rim so that the jug top will slide over the top of the t-post and still fit snugly. I used a piece of duct tape rolled in a little tube, sticky side out in a couple of places to secure the hat on the upside milk jug. A glue gun should work too.

Hands & Gloves: I stuffed a little bit of a plastic grocery sack into an old pair of garden gloves. Slide the end of the pipe arms into the gloves and wrap tape tightly around wrists to secure the gloves in place. Make sure the gloves are on the right hands. Yep, I did it wrong the first time.

Finally, give her character. She could wear a jacket or apron instead of a vest, or replace the shirt with a long flowing blouse. If her shoulders or body needs to be filled out a little, stuff some wadded up grocery bags inside the clothes. Tape her skirt up to the wrist on one side to show her dancing. Tape or zip-tie a small watering can to the other hand. Use items that you like! She could be holding a shovel or rake handle, instead of a watering can. She could hold a bouquet of flowers.

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She will have friends joining her soon for a garden tea party. You are more than welcome to join us, too!

Robin