Marietta shop offers variety of outdoor accessories

Shirley Cole’s primary passion is landscape and garden design, but when she’s not digging in the dirt, she’s helping buyers find the right piece of yard art or garden sculpture to make their outdoor areas pop.

Almost two years ago, the Master Gardener opened the Garden Keeper, a small shop in a former auto parts store on Marietta’s west side. The charming site was redone as a country cottage and filled with an array of gifts and garden items, as well as plants during warmer weather.

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H.M. Cauley / Special

An assortment of birdhouses in various sizes, shapes and colors are at the Garden Keeper in Marietta.

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With Easter approaching, rabbit and bunny yard accents are plentiful, along with other gift items.

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“I only buy plants I really like and that grow well in this area,” said Cole. “I also grow a lot of my own and only offer choice plants. For the store, I go around and find things I really like and stock them. I have a really good eye for things.”

But the store is a sideline to Cole’s primary interest — landscaping and designing gardens for clients. So the hours are limited to just Friday and Saturday.

What you’ll find

The small outside area of the shop features items that can handle the weather: stone and metal garden art, rain barrels, containers and a few select pieces of furniture. Inside, stroll through three rooms of garden-related goodies, including benches, stone water fountains, small sculptures (bunnies are big as the Easter season approaches) and oodles of birdhouses. Vases, jugs, bowls, figurines, metal stars and hearts, topiaries and planters also are packed into the space. Prices start at $15 for small gift items; a four-tiered wedding cake fountain that recirculates water is $1,500.

Trends

“People want charming gardens; they’re tired of bland landscapes,” said Cole. “So containers are hot. Many people are tired of planting color beds that have to be taken care of, but a really giant pot on your patio is something you can handle yourself.” Concrete planters are among the most popular because they don’t crack, chip or peel easily. The store’s stock ranges from $75 to $250 for large ones “that weigh a ton,” said Cole, who hired a staffer to help buyers load them into their trunks. She also sells small stands to lift the planters off the ground so the water run-off won’t stain a deck or patio.

Best sellers

Stone pots and houses fashioned by a Stone Mountain artist are the favorites of the store’s shoppers. Priced at $165, the concrete yard accents are weatherproof and come in a range of sizes and styles. Collectors go for the various looks, include French, Cotswold, Highland and Italian cottages.

On the plant side, Cole has a hard time keeping up with the demand for her golden thyme. “It’s one of the best ground covers and it’s very drought-tolerant,” she said. “We also do well with sun and shade plants, as well as those that are deer-proof.”

WHERE TO FIND IT

Garden Keeper

104 Lakewood Road, Marietta

678-594-0848

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday

In the area: The shop sits in a residential area, but is a short drive from the Marietta Square with its stores and restaurants.