Garden Art Effects

Being Artistic with Flowers, Shrubs and Grasses

• Consider the artistic effects of the flowering parts of your plants as well as their greenery and height at maturity. Choose color combinations that you like. If you choose annuals and you aren't satisfied with the colors, select another color next year. Perennials will come back year after year so pick your favorite colors. Many leaves and grasses are variegated, meaning there can be striations in color. This can sometimes add an amazing effect, though too much variegation can be difficult to view. Plant taller growing plants along back rows so you don't block visibility of plants which don't grow as high. Also consider the bloom times. If you always want to have continuous color in your garden, find out what season each plant blooms and for how long.

Statues, Fountains and Other Lawn Ornaments

• The variation in style is tremendous when it comes to placing artistic objects in a yard. The choices are endless. Some of the pieces you can use for artistic effect are birdbath fountains, decorative windmills, fountains, gnomes or religious statues, flamingos, gargoyles and gazing globes. When making your purchase, consider the size, color and placement of the garden art. Try to envision how the garden will look when you've placed a piece in an area and what you'll place around it to enhance the effect. Consider the lighting effects. How will the rays of the sun enhance or diminish the artistic effect? Will placement in full sun cause the object to fade or otherwise deteriorate? Fountain installation may require underground plumbing installation. Consider the possibilities or impossibilities.

Walkways and Arbors

• Looking at a garden may be lovely, but walking through one can be romantic and enchanting. If you are considering a walkway or garden path you may want to consult with a professional landscaper. Walkways that use brick or any type of paving stones may require specialized layering due to frost heaves in the winter months. Arbors and trellises are a great enhancement in, near or through a walkway. These can be custom built with the help of an architect or landscape designer or purchased as a kit and are available in a variety of sizes, designs and materials.

Lighting

• Lighting is critical in a garden. Most importantly the plants that you have will have specific sunlight specifications. Too much sun may harm or kill one plant while too much shade will harm or kill another. Certain structures in your garden may be enhanced by the filtering of the sunlight at a certain time of day, while at other times may have shadows drawn to them causing a loss of visibility. Another consideration for lighting in the garden is that of artificial lighting. Strung lights buried among the branches of a large tree or along a trellis are quite simple and can bring a nice feeling to a garden at night. Lighted sculptures along a walkway can be quite beautiful. Many sculptors will travel to your garden, provide a draft, build the sculpture to your specifications and actually install it for you. You can also purchase sculpture and statues ready made.