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Community Corner

Easy Ways To Add Personality To Your Garden

Dressing up your garden

Gardens are a window into a gardener’s personality. Some gardens are formal and well mannered while others are wild and carefree. Some are restless with riots of color all season long while others are even-keeled, offering reliable blooms in soothing colors.

One of the primary ways we personalize our gardens is through design and plant selection. But even then, the site conditions in our gardens still dictate what we can and cannot grow. So simply relying on plants to put your unique stamp on your garden is often not enough. You need to find another way to make your garden quintessentially you.

One of the best ways to do that is through the use of garden accessories. Call them what you like—garden art, garden décor, garden ornaments or even garden junk. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive, they just need to be an expression of who you are and reflect the other facets of your life outside of gardening. They can be a new take on an old classic that sets the mood for your entire garden or a playful eclectic piece that reminds you not to take yourself too seriously.

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Great garden ornaments should speak to you and make you smile when you see them displayed in your garden. Like the other elements of your garden, they should be thoughtfully placed and should appear to be part of the design. They can be permanent fixtures that add structure and style to your garden, regardless of the season. Or they can be small movable pieces that beckon visitors to a hidden corner one year and then are up-front and welcoming visitors the next.

Artfully placed, a garden accent can help draw attention away from a spot that is less than desirable. Movable garden ornaments are helpful for filling in bare spots in your garden as you’re waiting for shrubs and trees to mature. You can use them to add a splash of color to an area where the flowers and shrubs have already bloomed.

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In order to avoid a haphazard look, consider a unifying theme when choosing garden accessories. Perhaps you want to incorporate a collection of birdhouses or copper pieces or even items with the same shade of blue. Whatever the theme, an overall unifying motif will help keep your garden accessories looking more like a thoughtful collection and less like a bunch of junk.

When it comes to accessorizing your garden, remember to choose accents that let your unique personality shine through. Have fun and keep in mind that some of the most unique garden pieces are repurposed and recycled items never meant for the garden.

Your garden speaks volumes about you, even if you don’t realize it. Listen to your garden, what is it saying about you?

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