In The English Garden

Gardeners the world over seek to re-create their own patch of Englishness by way of a garden. No matter where in the world one lives, it is possible to obtain such quintessentially English plants as lavender, hollyhocks and roses. One can even go so far as to install hedgerows, herbaceous borders and a ha-ha in the garden. But it occurred to me that what really sets an English garden apart are the things one finds in the garden, decoration-wise. A few urns or a lichen covered bit of crumbling statuary are both fine and dandy, but nothing says "English garden" quite like a dovecote or, say, a hen house. In fact, you could do worse than to take a page from the Duchess of Devonshire's book and get yourself an entire flock of fowl.  To that end, we've taken a stroll around the internet and rounded up a host of unique - and beautiful -  garden decorations on offer for feathered friends.

The Dorset based company Flytes of Fancy offer Gypsy hen houses in such themes as the Willow, below

The Gypsy Daydream, above, is offered at £3900.00, depending on any additional bespoke requirements and your delivery preferences. Each henhouse is hand-painted by the resident artist and can be further customized to your specifications.

The Branscombe model dovecote, above, available from http://www.dovecotes.co.uk/, offers four storeys of living space for 20 to 24 pair of doves. No doves? No problem . . . . whilst called "dovecotes" these houses have always been used to more commonly house pigeons.


Marks Dovecotes offer even more variety in dovecote construction, including the Westminster Slate model shown here

Should you not be a fan of either hens or doves, have no fear - Marks Dovecotes also offer a duck house

Should you wish to house smaller feathered friends, this birdhouse from the Highgrove Shop is just the ticket

Looking to attract a particular species of bird? The Patch birdiebox below, from Garden Loverz, features a lever on the front gives you control over the type of birds you would like to nest in your garden.

Finally, we just couldn't resist showing you this Flying Bird porch bell in a verdigris finish available from Gifts and Gardens.