Plants Plants Plants

It’s a no brainer that we need to have some plants. After all, a garden without them is just a yard. So take a creative look at the garden and imagine plant additions that will make your garden more beautiful.

Consider some trees. Trees are a great addition to any garden. They can be picked up from garden stores and can usually be found on sale for some really great deals. Trees will provide structure, visual appeal and shade for any yard or garden. They become very prominent features and really make bold statements visually.

Vines

Many people never even think about vines for the garden. Vines give your garden that strong natural and wild appearance that makes you feel like you are really in nature rather than just some over-groomed unnatural garden space that only belongs on a magazine cover.

Flowers

Most people tend to focus on flowers. While flowers provide a great source of vibrant colorful life to any garden or patio area, I prefer to use them in moderation. I want my garden areas to feel like relaxing realistic natural oases. I don’t care much for gardens that look too man-made and controlled. This is just one opinion of style of course. There are many and you should focus entirely on what you like the most in a garden.

Structures

There are many great structures that can enhance the look of a garden space. These may include trellises, arbors, fences, statues, water features, decks, bird baths, clocks, sundials, rocks, benches, swings or even ornate lamp posts.

Trellises and Arbors

There is often confusion about the differences between trellises and arbors. Basically trellises can be any grid-like structure for plants to climb and grow on. Arbors are entryway-like trellis structures that form an overhead archway for plants to hang from or grow on.

These are my personal favorite garden structures because they are easy and inexpensive to build. They can be as fancy and intricate as your imagination can make them. For a few 10 dollar bills worth of wood, stain and fasteners, you can transform your garden into a beautiful relaxing paradise. You can attach grid-work trellises to fences, exterior walls or they can be built as stand alone features. Search online for some popular trellis designs and get some ideas. You will find that there are many wonderful and easy to build designs.

One great way to improve the value of your property is to build a simple ground level deck and place a trellis structure over the top of it for shade. This provides an excellent outdoor living space that will appeal to anyone. This also gives us a place of interest for social gathering and gives us an excuse to show off the garden.

Get creative.

You can design inexpensive rock and grave beds or include a nice stone pedestal birdbath or fountain. You can design pathways with crushed granite through your garden area for people to walk through and enjoy. A nice arbor or an old fashioned lamp post (working or not) will add points of interest and nice focal points for the garden. Another simple but nice looking feature is a wooden post with a hanging garden clock or hanging plants mounted to it. If you really want to build something that anyone can enjoy in the garden, consider a simply wood constructed bench or bench swing. You can even get really fancy with a homemade fire pit or stone fireplace.

There are tons of great ideas that you can implement yourself to make your garden into the stunning oasis that it should be. Search around online and get some visuals. You can add one feature per spring season if you are on a budget and it will give you something to look forward to each spring as you improve your garden slowly over the years.