garden

My rain gauge looks vaguely like a piece of lab equipment, shaped like a large test tube and designed to be mounted on fence or other post. This rain gauge is far more elegant than the commonly found industrial designs, with a flaring glass cup atop a tall spike that can easily be slide into the ground in a garden. It would look great with a climbing vine wrapped around the base, or simply amongst tall plants, acting as a functional accent piece. It measures in both milliliters and inches. Price: £43.

Yacht fans and gardeners alike will enjoy this handcrafted Yacht Planter. The weatherproof outdoor windowbox is molded from fiberglass and has the streamlined look of a real - albeit small, at just 40" x 12" x 9" - ship. The rub rail color and waterline strip are customizable, but the body will be white regardless of the accents. A final option, if you prefer to use the box indoors, is not to have the drainage holes included, which will prevent leakage onto the carpet or flooring if wall-mounted in a room (or cabin). Price: $230.

It's still too early to head out and plant anything outdoors for spring, but with Smith & Hawken's Large Cloche with Saucer, you can get your seedling off to a good start in the comfort of your own home. The miniature terrarium is ideal for starting seedling when the weather outdoors is less-than-ideal. The mouth-blown glass bell keeps the soil warm and moist, as well as creating a visually pleasing display for the plants it contains. It measures 13 3/4" x 13 1/4". Price: $70.

Ski resorts aren't the only ones that can make their own snow. SnoWonder is "the most amazing man-made snow on the market," and is very similar to real snow in appearance and feel. Unlike the snow made by machines at ski resorts, SnoWonder is made with more than just water and low temperatures. The product was originally developed in Japan for use in indoor ski and snowboard parks and is is a nontoxic plastic based powder that, when combined with water, will expand, as snow, to 50-100 times its original volume. The snow can be used on any surface, with the exception of untreated wood, and is ideal for holiday decorating because it will last last for months indoors. It can also be used outside, although it is recommended that it not be used in direct sunlight, as the only thing that will make this snow vanish is evaporation. A spritz of water from time to time will keep it light and fluffy all year long.

Update: Read my review of SnoWonder to see if it lives up to the hype!

Traditionally, showers feature water that falls down over the person standing under the showerhead. More than likely, this design has to do with gravity and efficiency. Viteo Outdoors has deemed that to be unnecessary and has designed an Inverted Shower that is activated when a weight steps onto a button at the center of the pad. It shoots water at least four feet into the air. Clearly, it wouldn't be terribly useful for normal showering purposes, even setting aside the fact that it must be used outdoors, but it could be a great way to rinse off chlorine after getting out of a pool or sand from the beach.

And, if you're wondering about the woman with the head of a bunny (or bunny with the body of a woman), so are we. Perhaps its some sort of inside joke on the part of the company's marketing department?

[via core77]

If you don't have a "green thumb," maintaining any type of plant life in the house can be difficult, but instead of hiring a gardener for your indoor plants or switching to artificial flowers, you can install a plantwall. The Plantwall is a vertical pant installation that is "almost like being outside inside." It has an integrated irrigation system that distributes water and fertilizer throughout the wall, so there should be no reason for the wall to be anything other than lush and green. The price depends on the size and shape of the wall you want, as well as on the type of plants that you want to showcase.

[via SciFi Tech]

These floating pool lanterns from Horchow will look equally good on a warm summer night and a cool winter one as they cast ethereal reflections across any water's surface. They have the shape of a "traditional" lamp and a refined look, but each one is a single piece, measuring 9" across rising 9.5" above the water, though the lamps are actually 21.5" long, overall. The lamps get their glow from a rechargeable light bulb, which will glow for up to 8 hours at a time, and can move about freely, unconstrained by wires or another power system. Chargers for the light bulbs are sold separately. Price: $399 each.

The Elsa Stainless Steel Water Feature is a great-looking fountain, without question. It is 1.75 meters high and made of top-grade mirrored stainless steel, providing a surface that the water gracefully cascades over. It is also completely self-contained, with a built in storage tank and pump. The waterfall can be positioned anywhere outdoors, and would make an elegant centerpiece to a rock or sand-covered garden area, or a focal point in a planter with low-rising plants that will conceal the base from view. Price: £999.

[via Cribcandy]

The AeroGrow AeroGarden is a self-watering, self-feeding planter that lets you garden from the comfort of your kitchen without actually having to do anything. Tested by NASA, the planter uses "aeroponic technology," which means that the plants are suspended in a non-soil environment with 100% humidity, similar to an optimal rainforest climate. This enables plants to grow up to 5 times as fast as they normally would and, since no human intervention is required, the plants are guaranteed to thrive.

The built-in lights simulate a full spectrum of daylight lighting, so no natural sunlight is actually needed, and a computerized alarm system reminds you to check in on the plants. It includes a salad greens kit, but seed kits for herbs, tomatoes, flowers and chili peppers can also be purchased. Check out the FAQ for more info. Price: $199.

I wouldn't ordinarily expect wheatgrass to be stylish in any form, other than as a part of whatever the diet du jour is, but the X-Tray actually changed my mind. The ceramic pots can be arranged in a straight line or an X shape and come with a growing kit that only takes 6 days to work! I don't know about your gardening efforts, but anything that grows easily and in less than a week sounds promising to me. Even if you don't bother juicing and drinking the wheatgrass, there is no reason that you can't keep this as a mini garden indoors. Especially if you're a city apartment dweller! Price: £59.50.

I really love the Gnome-be-gone but I'm sure that if I had gnomes in my garden like these Urban Gnomes from Vitamin, I wouldn't want them gone. The 21cm high porcelain creatures come in a half-dozen different designs that can suit all tastes, unless your tastes are for very traditional gnomes, of course. Think of them as very obedient pets, which can make a fashion statement just like the real thing, but don't require pampering in luxury hotels. The gnomes are £49.50 each and can be used both indoors and out.