Garden collecting: Enamelware

Enchanting enamelware!

At Flea Market Gardening our eyes light up when we see these at Flea market sales and especially like it for its simple design and long wear in the outdoors. No drainage? No problem. We drill several holes in the bottoms of ours. Here are the best of the best of your enamelware in the garden ideas!

Enamelware, the first mass-produced Technicolor kitchenware, first appeared in American dry-goods stores and mail-order catalogs in the 1870s, and continued to be produced through the 1930s. People wanted a way of coating iron to stop metallic tastes or rust getting into food, something that was easier to clean.  It was used for cookware, kitchenware, Hospitals and for camping.

 

Cherrie Carine‎ says, “My Granite ware coffee pot collection which are all Flea Market finds… decorate my window shelves this season.”

French enamelware is a very quaint and desirable,…very collectible type of enamelware, usually white or ‘French blue’ with cobalt blue type, wording or flower patterns.  Some collect only graniteware, or white with black or red trim. Granite ware is usually blue and white and Mottled ware is a more ‘blotchy’ form of that.

 

 

Diane Garvey “Just moving things around today! Here’s one project. I have old spigots to hook up to garden hose to be able to use the sink and was thinking of painting bottoms of sink red.”

 

Jeannie Rhodes‎ says, “ I had the old bench and cat and I added the petunias in an enamel planter this year. I love red and white! I love cats, but since our son is allergic to them I have to settle for fake ones! I bought the cement fire hydrant with our pug in mind. He goes out on the deck and lifts his leg on my barrel planter so I was hoping he’d use the fire hydrant instead. No such luck! He just ignored it so I set it by the bench since it’s also red.”

 

 

 

Nancy K. Meyer began with an enamelware colander for her January Change in 2014, making a wind chime by adding flattened silverware and colorful beads.

 

 

Nancy Carter‎

“Here are my coffee pots all planted up. Black Magic petunias are in the white and black pot sitting on the white and black chair. Lobelia is in the other coffee pot. The pots were gifts from my son for my garden.”

 

Kitty Winrow “I would love more enamelware,… I’m on the hunt now. I just got this oval pan so the enamel pitcher would match it beautifully.”

 

Tanya Treasure‎ “My “new” watering pitcher!”

 

 

 

Barb Buckley‎ “My soon to be son-n-law called, asked if I wanted this…and it didn’t take long to go over and bring it home! I plan on cleaning it a wee bit and I have some really cool “swirlware enamel pots” that will soon be added.”

Barb intends to attach some strong straps to prevent her little grandsons from pulling it down. She’ll also fix it so it will shut but won’t latch…safety first!

“I’m going to make sure it is a fun piece in my garden….I am smiling… Thanks SO much, kids, for thinking of me!”

 

 

Elzeen Torres says, “ For my enamelware fountain, I drilled a hole in bottom of aluminum pitcher just large enough to feed the hose through to my 18 dollar pump. I set an old galvanized tub on top of an old birdcage hung the pitcher from an old chain. I heid the hose by putting a corkscrew rush water plant in front and threw in some water hyacinths. Propped an old yardstick in front and decorated with some other plants and rusty treasure and enamelware and called it a day.”