• Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
No Result
View All Result
Gardening Tips 'n Ideas
  • Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
No Result
View All Result
Gardening Tips 'n Ideas
No Result
View All Result

A Copper Weathervane for Your Garden

May 30, 2006 - Updated on November 3, 2021
in Landscaping Ideas
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A Copper weathervane for your garden
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A must for every gardener is the weathervane. It can advise you instantly as to the change in direction of the wind and of impending rain, warning you that there may only be a short time before you get drenched. I started checking these out after our weather became inclement in less than 30 minutes last Sunday. All weekend we had enjoyed the most beautiful weather; chilly, yet sunny mornings warming up throughout the day to an almost perfect autumn climate.

However, once a nor-wester starts to brew it doesn’t take long for the weather to change and eventually rain will fall. Wouldn’t it be easier to see the change happen as soon as it occurs? This is why weathervanes are such a necessity for gardeners.

So, what’s the importance of copper weathervanes? Most weathervanes are made from some metal whether it is aluminium, stainless steel, galvanised steel or wrought iron and while most of these will do the job adequately it takes copper to really stand out.

One of the big benefits of copper weathervanes is that they don’t rust and will maintain their look for many, many years. Depending on the metals found in your natural rainfall (and natural rainfall always contains some metals) will depend on how other metal weathervanes will respond. Some metals will aid in the eventual corrosion of your weathervane while others may just make them look unsightly.

Copper weathervanes are durable and they look great all the time. They also have a sense of prestige about them that other weathervanes don’t.

Types of copper weathervane

There are almost as many copper weathervanes as there are ideas about designing such equipment. The most common would be the rooster and the traditional stand-alone directional weathervane but then there are many others also. Horses, rabbits, cyclists, yachts, hot air balloons even witches on broomsticks (if you’re that way inclined).

How to install a copper weathervane

Weathervanes can be mounted on freestanding poles in the middle of your garden or, as most gardeners do, from the top of their roof. The most important aspect of installing a weathervane is to ensure that it’s line of sight is not hindered by other structures of plants. If a large tree is directly in the path of a prominent wind direction this will skew the performance of your weathervane. So find a place that will not distract the weathervane.

Also find a location that is easy to get to for ongoing maintenance.

Once a location is sourced mount the pole securely using a spirit level to ensure that the pole is straight and level. This is also critical to the weathervanes performance as a deviation can hinder the weathervane from moving appropriately.

Point the directional arrows in the correct region ensuring that the east-west arrow is exactly 90° from the north-south arrow.

Grease the spindle and make sure the weathervane spins freely.

Maintaining your copper weathervane

Most copper weathervanes are verdigris (that is they aren’t polished and appear to be aged). While some copper weathervanes are polished and require constant polishing to remain looking good. If you are after a low maintenance weathervane I would certainly recommend buying a verdigris over polished.

If you have birds roost on your weathervane you may need to maintain it a little more than those who don’t. Bird droppings will mar the look of your weathervane and may also affect its balance rendering it inaccurate when signalling a wind change. These droppings may also clog the spindle causing it to cease moving. If this is the case, wash the droppings off the weathervane and apply some grease or vaseline to the spindle ensuring that it rotates freely.

If you want to deter birds from roosting on your copper weathervane hang a shiny trinket or small mirror from the vane. This will annoy birds from getting too close and they will stop coming back.

Source: Photo by Swift Benjamin
Previous Post

Bush Poles Arbor #3

Next Post

Autumn Colours

RelatedPosts

Tis been too long – but Spring has sprung
Landscaping Ideas

Tis been too long – but Spring has sprung

September 8, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Landscape Fabric
Gardening Tips

Landscape Fabric | 5 Weed Barrier Options to Consider

May 30, 2012 - Updated on November 10, 2021
Beautiful Garden
Landscaping Ideas

Ever Wondered What It Takes To Be A Garden Judge

April 26, 2012 - Updated on October 26, 2021
Has Edible Landscaping Gone Greedy?
Landscaping Ideas

Has Edible Landscaping Gone Greedy?

April 14, 2012 - Updated on October 26, 2021
A Rototiller Rental May Be a Better Idea Than Buying One Outright
Landscaping Ideas

RotoTiller Rental | Buying vs Hiring

January 24, 2012 - Updated on November 5, 2021
Where Sugar Cane Mulch Comes From
Landscaping Ideas

Sugar Cane Mulch Could Be The Mulch of the Decade

January 16, 2012 - Updated on October 28, 2021
Next Post

Autumn Colours

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You might also like

A Single Garden Bed: Better Than A King-Size?

A Single Garden Bed: Better Than A King-Size?

November 27, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
A fully fledged gabion fire pit.

How to Build a Gabion Fire Pit

November 6, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Why Gardening Is Your Destiny

Why Gardening Is Your Destiny

October 16, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
The beautiful Erempholia Nivea

Eremophila nivea – Outback Silver Foliage

October 3, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas

Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas

September 25, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
Tis been too long – but Spring has sprung

Tis been too long – but Spring has sprung

September 8, 2013 - Updated on October 21, 2021
GardeningTipsnIdeas.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Additionally, we participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links.
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • DMCA
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2006-2021 - All rights reserved. Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2006-2021 - All rights reserved. Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.