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How do you incorporate your personality into your garden? With garden accents. These ornaments give your garden a unique statement that your neighbors and friends will talk about
Sure, flowers and plants make a statement, but it’s the ornaments that give you the bold statement you want.
“The greatest thing is plants don’t help personalize the garden, it’s the ornaments that do,” says Elizabeth Schumacher of Elizabeth Schumacher’s Garden Accents. She continues, “The goal of the garden ornaments or accents is to create a beautiful picture.”
Kensington Smith, an artist who creates artisan design for home and garden, comments, “My pieces are like metaphors without being too heavy-handed, with lines and simple design that someone can read, and connect into their own life.”
Garden accents can also add functionality to the garden. If you add a chair, bench, or even a table, you’ll be able to enjoy your garden even more.
Kensington Smith Design
Smith says, “I try to walk on the line of functional and being art, and my pieces can endure the weather and last for generations, also making the pieces relatable to the client and the people looking at the designs.” Having pieces be functional indoors and out makes for another requirement when looking at garden accents. The homeowner wants to invest in a piece that lasts more than just one bad storm or season.
Sometimes people don’t have the time to put the colorful flowers in their garden. They rely on the accents.
Photo by Elizabeth Schumacher
“It seems people are too busy with their lives, where they won’t add in color by flowers. It’s the role of garden ornaments and accents to help bring the color and picture you want into the landscape or garden,” Schumacher says.
So how do you add these garden accents without making it too tacky?
Schumacher says make one piece the focal point. “If you have too many focal points or things to look at, then the viewer’s eyes will be all over the place, and it won’t create the picture.” Too many different pieces will be lost in the garden and will be unpleasant to the viewer. If you make one piece your wow piece, then it will create a neat-clean look in your garden.
Kensington Smith Design
Smith says use the piece as the structure of your garden and build around the accent. “It acts as the framing device, and helps with the space design.”
Ann Waters of Eastern Horticultural Services, Inc. says to never lose the style or form you’re going for in your garden.
“When garden accents become too tacky it usually occurs when the garden form or style is forgotten,” she says. “This can occur for several reasons: new homeowners, new gardener or company, or simply the garden gets overgrown and the style gets forgotten amongst the plants.” Keep the plants well groomed, or your style will be lost. A garden is a constant upkeep.
Add pieces that compliment the scenery. These pieces are supposed to enhance the garden, not tarnish it.
Smith says, “The designs highlight the beauty in the surrounding nature because it’s based off nature.”
Schumacher advises thinking about where you’re going to place the piece. It’s all about setting.
Stone Statue lingered in the store for 10 years before shining in a new setting. Photo by Rob Cardillo
“The big secret that everyone needs to know is that the setting is the most important part.” She reaffirms this notion, describing a piece that was in her shop. “We had a brick sculpture in the store that didn’t sell for 10 years, and it was a beautiful sculpture. It didn’t catch people’s eyes until we placed it in the right setting.”
Photo by Rob Cardillo
Waters agrees placement or size of the ornament can hurt the overall design of the garden. “This can also be said with objects like statues. Yes, they will be the same size when you purchase it, but place it where it will add to the garden not be in the way or where a plant may eventually hide it.” An oversized statue around small plants might come across as awkward and unpleasant.
How do you make the plants and accents complement each other? Schumacher says, “My biggest advice is to have a plan; if you don’t have a plan then you will make mistakes.”
Another tip for a garden or landscape is to have fun with it, and focus on adding your own personality into the garden. Waters says, “People need to realize a garden truly isn’t a garden until their personality is there as a foundation block.”
Never forget your garden’s best accessory is your personality.
