Yard Art: Tacky or Tasteful?
04 Jul 2010
For many people, a garden is a canvas they fill with more than flowers, to the pleasure or dismay of neighbors. Here are some local landscapes that have inspired both awe and ire.



The Cluck Factor
Dick and Deanna Heddles’ fondness for unique yard art was born out of a desire to find new uses for old things. “Dick worked in concrete, and when he retired, we saved all his old shovels,” Deanna says. “So I painted them and stuck them upside down in one of our flower beds.” Over the years, their Longmont garden has served as a refuge for myriad repurposed items and other unique decorations tucked in among the beautiful flowers. Deanna seeks out flat rocks and stones and colorfully paints them with ladybugs, flowers and seasonal motifs. Statues, planters, sculptures and whimsical signs, many of them gifts from family and friends, are scattered throughout the front and back yards.

Flat Irons & the Flatirons
Then there’s the central Boulder apartment complex that’s somewhat infamous for its creative sculptures, thanks to yard artist Cydd West. Not confined to just a yard, the art is also found on the roof, in the trees and on the sides of the building. An “escape route” on the roof, fash- ioned with an old playground slide that’s rimmed with 33-rpm albums, is flanked by two rows of cast-off chairs—kitchen chairs, dining chairs, patio chairs, even a few stools. Three silver kitchen colanders stand sentry on the east roofline, inverted atop metal poles and adorned with festive streamers that dance in the breeze. A “shoe totem” against a tree is covered with footwear of all styles and colors, and shiny CDs form a border under the roofline that glistens merrily in the sunshine. West’s well-known “Flat Iron” display features rows and rows of household irons artfully arranged to represent Boulder’s iconic mountains.
Yard Art Websites
Whether you want to learn everything about garden gnomes or order a pink flamingo, the following websites are devoted to fans of yard art: