A Garden History & Design One Minute

Report from the Archives of American

Gardens (AAG)

The Garden Club of America Collection at the Archives of American Gardens includes
tens of thousands of images that showcase garden ornaments and structures. Some
of these features are similar to each other but inherently different. It is not always
easy to spot the differences!

Heavy Metal: Cast Iron vs. Wrought Iron

Iron furnishings have been the quintessential garden furnishing in America and
Europe since the nineteenth century. The two primary types are cast iron and
wrought iron. The distinction between them may seem negligible to some, but it
accounts in large part for the aesthetic design and durability of these pieces. The
difference lies primarily in how they are produced. Cast iron is liquefied and then
poured into a mold, while wrought iron is brought to a malleable state with intense
heat before it is worked and shaped with tools into its desired form.

Cast  Iron   Wrought  Iron  

           
Green Leaves, Natchez, MS. May 2007. (Detail) Untitled Garden, Hollywood, CA. June 1989.
Pamela S. Harriss, photographer. Robert M. Fletcher, photographer.

Environment and aesthetic preferences are some of the main reasons that gardeners
choose to use cast or wrought iron in their garden. Cast iron pieces can incorporate
ornate shapes and forms due to endless possibilities that molds allow, yet cast iron is
a brittle metal and not suited to harsh environments. Wrought iron is a purer,
stronger, and more stable material that can withstand the worst that Mother Nature
has to offer, but is very labor intensive to produce.

Today, gardeners can acquire reproductions of antique cast iron urns, benches, and
fountains made with everything from aluminum to cast stone. Classic designs are
replicated from the work of nineteenth century foundries…just as they were notorious
for copying patterns from each other! Just as in the nineteenth century, many pieces
are modular and can be mixed and matched. An urn, for example, can be placed
atop either a base or a pedestal or both.

Please keep an eye out for gardens to document for the Garden Club of America
Collection at the Archives of American Gardens—no heavy lifting required.

Images from the Garden Club of America Collection at the Archives of American Gardens.
By Janie Askew, Smithsonian Gardens Intern. April 2015.