As the largest state in the continental U.S., Texas contains outstanding biodiversity. Within the same borders, various homeowners can successfully fill their gardens with bone-dry cactus and water-loving roses. As a result, Texas land tends to be some of the most beautiful in the union. However, there is more to decorating a garden than planting brightly colored blooms and interesting greenery. To create an alluring environment, you need even more diversity in your décor, which means you need to add non-living ornamentation, as well. Fortunately, it is as easy to decorate with inanimate objects as it is to create a gorgeous Texas landscape. The following tips and tricks will help you add life to your garden – without precisely adding any life.
Sculpture and Statue
Perhaps the most classic way to ornament a garden is with sculpture. That doesn’t always mean you need to commission a marble Greek goddess, and it also doesn’t mean you need to deface your perfect landscape with gnomes and flamingos. There are garden sculptures that suit every style and budget – it’s just a matter of finding the right décor for your space.
First, you should determine the overall style of your interior and exterior spaces. If you can, you should try to put a name to your preferred theme, such as shabby chic, contemporary, or coastal. Having a short descriptor will help you narrow your search for decorations, so your garden will look cohesive within itself as well as with the rest of your home.
Next, you should consider the size of sculpture your space can sustain. If your yard is small, you probably shouldn’t plan for an eight-foot-tall statue or a sprawling fountain. Instead, you should look for more diminutive – yet still tasteful and attention-grabbing – décor. For example, if your home boasts an Asian-inspired style, you might place a sitting buddha amongst the flowers. If you have the acreage, you can consider larger, more elaborate sculpture. You could even consider structures like arbors, gazebos, and pergolas, all of which add character and atmosphere to outdoor spaces. It is possible to overdo it with garden sculpture, so you should restrict yourself to three items in a smaller yard and eight in a larger area.
Containers
While you might already have well-established beds around your yard, you should still consider adding a few pots and planters – or other containers – to give your garden a range of interesting and attractive colors, textures, and shapes. You shouldn’t be limited by the average terra cotta pot; you should draw inspiration from your surrounding area and use your containers as decorative flair as much as practical planters. For example, if your home has a rustic feel, you might bury dahlia bulbs in an antique fishing creel. Alternatively, if your yard is clean and modern, you can use stark concrete troughs to hold succulents or wild grasses. Almost anything can be transformed to hold flowers and greenery. With containers, your garden doesn’t have to grow in the ground. While many areas of Texas boast soil and climate ideal for growing a verdant and gorgeous outdoor space, you might not live in those places – or you might not have the room, time, or energy for such elaborate garden life. Fortunately, anyone anywhere can create a garden using containers, and because containers lend such variety in shape, color, and texture, your garden will be as attractive as anyone else’s.
Borders
Unless your outdoor space is unbearably small, you should try to divide the garden into discrete areas for different activities. For example, you should have an outdoor living space with tables and chairs, a recreation space for yard play, a contemplation space for relaxation and review, and more. To demarcate these different regions, you can use borders, which will add to the overall decoration of your garden. Once again, the theme of your home and yard will determine what you use as borders, and once again, almost anything can be used to create an interesting and beautiful effect. If you want lower borders, you might lay large river rocks in a line or use red bricks to create edging around different areas. You can recycle glass bottles and old pots in a variety of ways to create a more eclectic look. For barriers between regions of your garden, you can install picture-perfect picket fencing, or you can create a more industrial look with low gabion walls. Borders are functional and decorative elements of your garden, just like the furniture, the playhouses, and even the plants. If you are serious about outdoor decorating, you will consider them integral parts of your scheme.
