Garden Ornaments Design Ideas

So you have landscaped your garden and fulfilled a carefully crafted planting plan. Whether the effect is contemporary or traditional your garden won't be a finished project without some kind of enhancement or decoration in the form of garden ornaments. A garden ornament can be almost anything, from a bird table to a large sculpture. However, there are a few considerations to take account of when choosing an ornament for your garden.

The most obvious consideration is to make sure that whatever garden ornament you choose compliments the overall style of your garden. For instance, a contemporary design with lots of hard landscaping and formal planting might better suit a more modern sculpture such as spherical shapes in concrete or elaborate wrought iron shapes. A more traditional design such as a cottage garden might be enhanced by a stone sundial or bird bath. The next decision is the effect your ornament is to have - whether it is to add beauty with a statue or a taste of whimsy with a garden gnome. The choice of garden ornaments is often where you can add a little of your own personality to a garden.

Placing your chosen ornament is also important. A small animal statue is going to get lost in the middle of a flower border. A large statue on a plinth in a small garden will simply dwarf everything around it. Try and think of garden ornaments as enhancements either for a particular plant or planting scheme, as a focal point or to decorate something otherwise unappealing such a fence or side of a building.

Garden ornaments don't have to be expensive. Often using natural finds can have the same effect as something that has been manufactured. For instance, pieces of driftwood collected from a beach can look stunning displayed in a gravel garden. Large stones or boulders can transform a rock garden or provide a focal point in a border. More unusual ornaments I have come across are things that have been recycled into decorative pieces such as old walking boots planted up, pieces of broken china wired together and suspended from a tree to make a wind chime, porcelain toilets used as planters.

The choice of what to use to enhance your garden is endless. Cast stone columns, statues and animals; fountains, pagodas, pots and urns. Lighting is also an important ornament, from modern electric lights embedded in a wall to decorative iron lanterns filled with flickering candles. Plants can also be garden ornaments - topiary or large specimen plants provide both enhancement and focal points.

Have you ever been to a garden party and looked around at all the decorations and decor that make the environment inviting and appealing to guests? Perhaps upon returning home you felt that your own yard or garden was inadequate for such purposes and would like to add garden ornaments to your own lawn to make it more inviting so that you can entertain outdoors on a beautiful evening. What sort of garden decor can you add that will make your lawn more attractive and welcoming to a group of friends and neighbors getting together for a barbecue or pool party?

First of all, understand that home garden ornaments have their places but should not be over emphasized. In other words, don't use too many different pieces in your design. This can cause the area to feel crowded and bizarre, with guests feeling uncomfortable roaming freely in the yard for fear of damaging or breaking something. However, a single garden ornament may not be enough because it would then seem out of place in the entire spectrum of things.

If you would like to add garden ornaments for the purpose of conversation pieces over cocktails or simply to create a more comfortable, homelike atmosphere, you should be sure to choose items that are tasteful to visitors and pleasing to you. If you don't like the design or the style of certain garden decor, it's okay to shy away.