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Fox Valley Traders
Past the door

Porch and yard pieces for the season

What sits outside the front door marks the time of year for everyone who walks past the house. We keep garden flags, hanging baskets, lawn stakes, and the porch goose wardrobe on these pages so a porch can change as the months turn, from early spring through the deep frost.

58 pieces on this page, from $8.44.

How water moves through it

Anything that sits in the yard through autumn faces cold nights. Water left standing inside a hollow ornament can freeze and split it open when the temperature drops. A bird bath or a planter needs to drain or turn over before hard ice sets in. On the porch goose, the rubber stopper in the base lets clean sand in for weight, while the drainage hole lets rain pass through instead of settling inside the plastic body.

What the wind catches

A garden flag or a windsock takes the breeze all day. Wind wears down a hem long before it damages the main panel, so a flag pole that turns with the air keeps the cloth from wrapping tight around the upright. Lawn stakes stay put when pressed deep into wet dirt, and large outdoor pieces hold their footing once filled. Light decorations belong closer to the house wall, where the porch roof cuts the draft.

Where the afternoon sun falls

Direct sunlight works on outdoor fabric, printed patterns, and artificial hanging baskets over time. The side facing south will show the season first, so turning a pot or moving a wind spiral around the porch corner helps keep the color even. Hanging greenery stays full without watering, but shifting its place on the hook keeps one edge from taking all the midday glare while the other side sits in deep shade.

Living with outdoor pieces across the year

A front step gets looked at every day, but nobody stays out in bad weather to tend it. The window thermometer and rain gauge tell you what took place overnight before you step outside. Most outdoor pieces need very little attention once placed, though clearing wet leaves from around a statue base keeps dirt from staining the lower edge. When the season turns, wiping a flag or a goose outfit clean and letting it dry flat before storage keeps it ready for the next year.

Pieces meant for the lawn have to deal with the ground itself. Mud settles against metal stakes, and summer grass grows up around low statues like the resin pig or the solar lighthouse. Moving garden accents when mowing keeps the edges clear. If an ornament takes a family name or a greeting, double check the spelling before it goes through, because once set, it stays on the piece for all the seasons it spends outdoors.

What yard pieces face in open weather

Other pages in the catalog

Gaggleville porch geesePersonalized keepsakesKitchen and tableAround the houseEveryday easeSlippers, readers and wearablesClosets, laundry and tidyingPaper, planners and pensThe car and the roadMrs. Kimball's candy counter