We’ve already talked about the decorative potential of putting mirrors outdoors, as well as brightening up dark corners of the garden. But some readers expressed concern, asking ‘Are garden mirrors safe?’. Mirrors make a great decoration outside, and as long as they’re used sensibly they are completely safe. But of course, everyone would rather relax and enjoy their garden, free from worries about hazards around their family, children and wildlife. So we’re going to address any potential issues to ensure you use outdoor mirrors safely.
Which material is best?
Like regular indoor mirrors, external ones can be made from glass or plastic acrylic. The surface of glass is much harder than acrylic, which makes it less likely to scratch from passing animals or foliage. It is also a lot heavier, so better suited to fixing to an outside wall than a less secure surface where it could fall from. Always make sure it is fixed tightly as outdoors it will be exposed to much more intense wind and rain than in your average living room!
As acrylic is around 80% lighter than glass, it is much easier to fix to fence panels and other surfaces, as well as walls. It can be screwed or even glued to keep it firmly in place. The acrylic sheets our mirrors are cut from are 10 times stronger than glass, which prevents them shattering if knocked in the garden. This is well worth bearing in mind if you have small children running round.
Looking out for the birds
The top concern people have about putting mirrors outside is for birds flying into them. Clearly, this wouldn’t be a nice surprise for either party involved – but it happens a lot less than you might think. Some suggestions include sticking a bird image on the mirror, frosting the surface or allowing the material to weather without polishing over time. But ultimately, the best defense is in the placement of the mirror.
You know your garden best, so choose a spot where birds aren’t likely to be flying towards. Patio corners and within climbing plants and hedging are good places to start. Often these are points that will benefit most from the additional light mirrors will bring too.
Avoid direct sunlight
Another important point to bear in mind when hanging your outdoor mirror is to be careful about reflecting direct sunlight. Just as indoors you have to be wary vases and windows don’t set your sofa on fire, outdoors you need to make sure the mirror won’t focus the sun directly onto anything that would burn easily. Simply put the mirror in an area that’s more shady or at an angle to the most intense spots of sunlight.
Sit back and relax
From our experience, problems with garden mirrors are extremely rare but hopefully this post has alleviated any remaining worries. Just remember to position them sensibly, avoiding flight paths and direct sunlight, fix them firmly in place, and they should be perfectly safe. Now you can simply relax and enjoy the magical extra dimension and glow outdoor mirrors bring to your garden.
Plus, we’d love to see some pictures of them on Primrose Gardens!
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George works in the Primrose marketing team. As a lover of all things filmic, he also gets involved with our TV ads and web videos.
George’s idea of the perfect time in the garden is a long afternoon sitting in the shade with a good book. A cool breeze, peace and quiet… But of course, he’s usually disturbed by his energetic wire fox terrier, Poppy!
He writes about his misadventures in repotting plants and new discoveries about cat repellers.