How to add character to your outdoor space
BENGALURU: Over-crowding your outdoor space with just plants can make your garden less interesting. Garden ornaments play a very important role in enhancing the overall look and feel of a space. Having a selective variety of healthy plants in interesting planters along with eye catching accessories adds more character to a garden space.
Today, there is a wide range of garden ornaments and accessories available in the market for both professional landscapists and amateurs looking to exercise their creativity. These are used to add a decorative element or functionality, and may be made from a wide range of materials, such as copper, stone, wood, bamboo, metal, glass, clay, concrete or iron.
It is very important to choose decor products that suit your space. For example, a classical statue may look lovely in a formal design but might not work in a cottage garden. Products should not be very brightly coloured or very large if your garden space is small.
Sometimes plants which are not very attractive start to stand out just by placing the right accessory beside them! Some of the typical popular garden ornaments include sculptures, water features, urns, bird baths, bird feed, stepping stones, wind chimes, gnomes, lanterns, etc. One need not always buy these accessories from the market.
You can beautify spaces using odd-shaped driftwood pieces, urli and other traditional bowls, hand-crafted chimes, bead strings or antique stone bowls that can function as a bird feed too. Repurposed treasures have a place in the garden too. Creative gardeners have incorporated fallen logs, rusty tools, old cycles, tyres, old bells, discarded old machinery, or other “finds” into their landscape to spectacular effect!
Enhancing the mood of a space is another role an ornament plays. The soothing sounds of a fountain, for example, might be best appreciated near a quiet seating area where you like to unwind. Place a birdbath relatively close to a water source, and you will be more likely to keep it filled with fresh water. You can place a bird feed with some grains close by too.
Size too plays an important role. Any ornament you choose should be of an appropriate scale: Big enough to have visual impact but not so large that it overwhelms its surroundings. Objects that are too small can get lost, so choose wisely. Right use of accessories can be an expression of your personality in a creative way, so do it tastefully. So go get creative, indulge, let your imagination go wild and add some excitement to your garden space today.
Veena Nanda
The author is a landscape designer, architect and founder of Sunshine’s Nest & Gardens.