Garden Decorating Ideas

First, close your eyes and recall the most beautiful garden you’ve ever seen. Next, imagine the space without plants. What do you see? Maybe you visualize a bubbling fountain, a bench or paths strewn with mulch. Do you feel the crunch of pea gravel beneath your feet as you walk through a gated arbor? These landscape features provide interest even when the garden is at rest. They frame a view and offer peaceful, soothing sounds. The first step is to come up with some ideas.

• Step into your outdoor space with a notebook and pencil in hand and sketch your garden space.
• Observe and draw your landscape from many points of view. You don’t need tape measures or rulers. Just approximate the scale as best you can.
• Fill in with bubbles to represent the trees and shrubs and other landmarks.
  
• What draws your attention when you’re approaching the house?
• Think of how you can use paths and plants to draw in visitors and guide their steps.
• Look for the focal points in your landscape. Elements like plants, paths and grass guide the eyes to this attraction. Focal points include water features, pergolas, patios and even trees. Your landscape may include a single focal point, or several.
  

We grow flowers and shrubs for color, but that’s not the only way to bring a vibrant pop to your garden. A bright painted door on a garden shed can transform your garden. You can paint trellises and arbors that will hold heavy vines in summer. In winter, the bare architectural feature will stand out with a bright coat of paint. Birdhouses and peace poles are whimsical and colorful, too.

Tip: In the Paint Center, look for exterior paint sold by the quart to spruce up your garden space in under a day.

Trellises are closely related to arbors, but they’re more practical. Trellises support vegetables like twining cucumbers or rambling tomato vines. Trellises keep vines like jasmine from becoming unruly in the summer heat. In your garden, employ trellises as focal points.

For more structural garden elements, consider:

• Obelisk style trellises showcase structural shapes that look good even in a bare winter garden.
  
• Arbors and gates welcome visitors to your garden and frame the view. They make a colorful statement when planted with climbing roses or tropical vine plants.
• Garden gates can be heavy-duty doors that will protect your garden and keep pets and children safe. They can also be ornate and decorative.

Fill your garden with unique points of interest like a brightly painted bicycle upcycled into a planter. Make seating intentional. Place a garden bench in a quiet spot that allows you or guests to observe birds and butterflies visiting your plants. Or hang a classic garden swing. Choose an outdoor swing with a canopy and fill it up with decorative outdoor pillows for a personal garden retreat.

Paths guide visitors in your garden, as well as define the landscape’s edges. Wood mulch, pea gravel, decomposed granite and brick are common path materials. Paths should be about 4 feet wide to accommodate two people walking side-by-side.

Make your garden more accessible by design. A 5-foot width allows for a wheelchair to make a 180-degree turn. Making a path 6 to 7 feet wide allows for two wheelchairs to pass. You can use fine crusher run gravel or upgrade to a paved path or pavers.

The sound of flowing water in a garden offsets the noise from busy streets and loud neighbors.

• Try installing garden fountains, ponds and other water features to create a soothing atmosphere.
• Add plants and fish to a small pond in your garden. Include a small bench to sit and soak up the experience.
• For a little to no maintenance idea, use rain chains. These decorative chains are a stylish replacement for ordinary downspouts. They make rainy days more fun by directing rainwater from a gutter to the ground.
  

Tip: In the Garden Center, you'll find all the materials and tools you need to create water features for your garden.

Attract fine-feathered friends to your garden with bird baths, bird feeders and bird houses.

Birds need fresh water for bathing and drinking. Look for a bird bath that’s fairly shallow – no more than 2 inches deep in the center and a half-inch deep at the edges. Keep bird bath water fresh, especially in summer. That's when mosquitoes are active and can lay eggs in stagnant water.

The nesting creatures will also appreciate the habitat and flourish in your backyard.

• Plant trees, shrubs and perennials with fruit, berries and seeds to sustain the birds.
• More than 90 percent of birds feed insects to their young. Fill your garden with flowers that lure beneficial insects for the birds.
• Install bird feeders throughout your garden to attract different kinds of birds, like hummingbirds, robins and chickadees.

Bring whimsy to your garden with decorative accessories. Garden statues, whether playful critters, saints, gnomes or yeti, come in all sizes for your garden space. For a classic style, look for sundials and gazing globes. Shiny, mirrored gazing spheres catch the eye and reflect light throughout your garden.

Delight visitors with statues and accessories throughout your landscape. No matter your gardening style, you’ll find garden objects that express your personality.

Tip: Sometimes a little artistry goes a long way. Too many accents in a garden can appear cluttered. Best advice is to choose your favorite style and stick with it.