If you don't already have rabbits hopping around your garden,
you might want to buy an antique garden rabbit to fool your
friends.  The wealthy English and French of the 17th century
liked formal gardens with paths, fences and planned flower beds.
They put urns, statues, fountains, sundials, gates, furniture
and odd pieces like finials and wall sculptures into their
gardens.  In America, ornaments and furniture were being used in
gardens by the 1600s. A brass sundial from 1630 is the earliest
known American garden piece that still exists. A wooden bench
from the 1700s is the earliest known wooden piece.  Gardens
first had wrought-iron furniture and gates in the 18th and early
19th centuries. By the mid-19th century, most garden pieces were
made of cast iron, not wrought iron, because cast iron was
stronger. Gardens were filled with iron ornaments and fences.
Full-size deer, dogs and other animals, tiered fountains, iron
benches made to look like twining vines or tree branches,
obelisks and sundials were all m