There is more to a garden than just neat rows of plants. Birds and insects are also an integral part of it. However, man-made components too have equal importance in lay out of any garden and the benches or other sitting arrangements, water bodies like fountains and lily ponds are just a part of them. That is not all; there are various other types of garden ornaments available today. A visit to the garden shops will give you a clear idea about them.

However, have a look at your own garden first. Does it have any distinct character? The garden ornaments you buy must go with it. A Zen garden for instance, cannot have a classical European statue or an urban style of garden cannot have country furniture in it. It does not of course, means that you cannot mix styles. You can, but in such cases, it requires a good amount of expertise to bring out desired results. Whatever you put should add to the ambience. It should not create any visual distraction.

Too many garden ornaments too create visual distraction. They often turn a garden into an outdoor museum and so keep the size of your garden in mind as well. Under some circumstances, too little is better than too many and this is just one of them. However, beautiful garden requires thorough planning. You just cannot make a flowerbed here and another there, put a statue here and a balustrade there and expect your garden look its best. You must plan your garden first and while you do that, think about the garden ornaments too.

Another way to do is to complete the landscaping first and then decide on the garden ornaments. It is easier process, but if you have planted too many trees, you may not of enough space for such things. Therefore, it is wiser to make a complete plan before you start working on the garden. However, it is not always essential to place the garden ornaments prominently. If have chosen carefully, some look better if they are nestled among or against the plantings. Remember, such items are meant for adding a personal touch to your garden and so choose with care. Do not try to follow others blindly.

Any kind of decoration, indoor or outdoor, requires you to visualize the setting before making any kind of purchase. Before you buy an expensive painting, you ought to know where you can put it. Alternately, if you have a blank wall, you ought to know what kind of painting is going to be suitable for the place. It is not really hard to visualize before hand. Therefore, if you try you can visualize your garden as well. If you cannot do that, you will have make cardboard cutting of different garden ornaments to see what looks best on a particular spot.

However, going to such extent may not be necessary if you have undertaken a thorough market research and at the same time have a normal sense of style, color and proportion. This sense of proportion is a major factor as far as garden design goes. There are different types of garden ornaments. They vary in style, size and material. Choose carefully. As the experts have warned, do not turn your garden into an open-air museum.

Here are some of the common garden ornaments available today:

Ornamental planters, pots and vases are the most sought after items. You can have them in classical or modern designs. You can look for fun vases too.

Fountains and other water features are available in different shapes and sizes. They too are high on the popularity list.

Installing statues is also in. Make sure that the size of the statue is correct for your garden. If it is large, one beautiful piece placed in the right position should be more than sufficient.

Ornamental garden walls and fences too add to the beautification of your garden.

Then there are driveway/garden lanterns, or other ornamental lighting arrangements to look into.

Today, our garden is not just an outdoor space for us to grow plants or for the children to play hopscotch. It has become an extension of our indoors as well. That is why more care should be taken in laying out the garden. If you can do that properly and get some suitable garden furniture in place, you will find your family spending more time over here and thereby making less clutter inside. That is an added bonus, isn’t it?

Author Bio: Article by Thomas Reynolds of Garden-Ornaments, a website with the largest selections of garden ornament information.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: garden ornaments