Garden Ornament Ideas

There are few things that will add as much interest in your garden and involve as little effort as a few placed garden ornaments. The right garden ornament will do wonders for your garden by adding a whimsical touch or cementing the many plants in your garden together with a specific theme. Using a garden ornament or some type of garden statuary can help you show off your unique interests and qualities to the world (or at least those who visit or pass by your garden).

The hardest part about decorating with garden ornaments is probably choosing the correct garden ornaments. It is really easy to start a shopping trip with good intentions and end up with a dozen garden ornaments that you don't need. Not only do too many garden ornaments cause clutter and chaos in your garden, they usually distract from the focus of your garden (the flowers and plants!) and rarely match well with each other. It is much better to have one well-placed and attractive garden ornament than to create a mess in your garden with a dozen cheap garden ornaments.

The difficulty then is knowing what kind of garden ornament to put in your garden. The types of garden ornaments and garden statuary are quite varied. Garden ornaments come in all kinds of themes, colors, sizes and shapes and prices. Some garden ornaments serve double purposes instead of only being a decoration. Others may bring a feast to multiple senses-perhaps they engage the sense of sound or smell as well as serving as a visual feast. These are all things you'll have to keep in mind when you're thinking about buying garden ornaments and garden statuary. It may be a good idea to jot down some ideas, such as the theme you hope to display in your garden, the ideal price range of the garden ornaments, and whether you want the garden ornaments to serve multiple purposes in your garden.

The following garden ornament ideas should help you as you try to decide how to add beautiful decorations in your garden.

Garden Statuary

Please, please, please don't use a garden gnome or lawn flamingo. They are so unbelievably tacky! Well, okay, a garden gnome is okay, but don't make it the centerpiece in your garden. If you're going to invest in garden statuary, get something artistic. I think that the best garden statuary for a flower garden would be a statue of a cupid, a reproduction of a more famous work of art, a favorite animal (I have a small collection of dog statues and two of them are in my garden) or even a mythical creature such as a dragon.

Water

Adding some form of water in your garden can transform it into an extremely tranquil setting. You could put a pond, fountain or small waterfall in your garden or near you garden. Be forewarned though, this is usually a rather pricey project. A less expensive way to use water as a garden ornament would be to place a wooden rain barrel under a downspout to catch water droplets.

If you are trying to decide where to place a future garden, consider having it near a creek or pond if you are lucky enough to have one on your property. This can serve as a built-in garden ornament to build your garden around.

Bird-lovers

To attract birds to your garden, choose a garden ornament that doubles as decoration and birding supply. This could be a hummingbird feeder or a birdhouse. I think that a simple birdbath is one of the best forms of garden statuary and looks gorgeous in a flower garden. If you don't particularly enjoy birds eating up the fruits of your labor, you could add a scarecrow-scarecrows rarely work, but they do make cute garden ornaments!

Gardening Tools

Another way to kill two birds with one stone when purchasing garden ornaments to place in your garden is to use tools as decoration. A trellis or arbor can add a lot of beauty in your garden, and is a great option if you don't have a lot of extra space in your garden. Even a well-placed wheelbarrow can be a great garden ornament-it adds a bit of rustic touch.

Furniture

Your garden should be a place to hang out, so why not add some furniture as your next garden ornament? Great garden furniture pieces to use as garden ornaments include hammocks, iron chairs, or even old wooden chairs. A decorative concrete bench can double as garden statuary and a peaceful place to sit.

There are a million different ways to use garden ornaments to decorate your garden. In the end though, it's your garden and you can use whatever strikes your fancy. Even a lawn flamingo.