How to Decorate Your Garden

A garden is a haven, a place to renew and refresh the spirit. From the wildest and shaggiest of wildflower gardens to manicured rose gardens and knot gardens favored by the Victorians, gardens feed the soul and bring peace and beauty into our lives. Decorating your outdoor living space can help you enjoy your garden and make it part of your outdoor living space. Here are five ways to decorate your garden and add to its beauty:

1. Plan your planting so that there's always something in bloom.
There's no better way to decorate your garden than with flowers, but planning an ever-blooming garden can be tricky. Before you start planting, sit down with a good garden planner and work out a blueprint that includes plants that flower at different rates and in different parts of the spring and summer.

There are several ways to make sure that your garden is always in bloom. The easiest is to choose flowers that bloom all summer long, and then stagger plantings so that as one group of flowers has reached the end of its flowering period, the next is just bursting into bloom. A second way is to pick your flowers. The purpose of flowers is to set seed, and a plant will continue to flower until it has completed its task. If you pick the flowers before they go to seed, it will continue to make more flowers to fulfill its purpose.

A third and most versatile way is to choose plants that flower at different times during the season. If you are not an experienced gardener, you will find many online nurseries that offer preplanned gardens, complete with seeds and bare root plants, a blueprint and planting instructions.

2. Decorate with life.
Hummingbirds, butterflies and birds add an element to a garden that you can't get in any other way. There are many ways to attract butterflies, bumblebees and birds to your garden. One of the most simple is to add a bird bath to the décor. Birds need a source of still water, and will find your birdbath and add the chatter of life to your garden. Other additions that bring birds to your garden are birdfeeders and birdhouses. Just be sure that you choose squirrel-proof bird feeders unless you want to deal with the little rodents chewing away on your plants.

A second way to bring butterflies and specific birds is by planting flowers that attract specific species of butterflies or hummingbirds. Butterfly bushes attract butterflies, of course, and flowers with long necks and sweet nectar attract hummingbirds if you live in an area that invites them. If you do not want to do the research to choose your plants, you can turn to gardeners' catalogs and nurseries that package hummingbird and butterfly gardens that will attract the life of your choice.

3. Decorate with water.
There are dozens of styles of water fountains available online and in stores, as well as easy to install ponds, waterfalls and streams. Water features are a perfect addition to your garden. They attract wildlife like butterflies and birds, and add the sound of running water to your environment – one of the most restful and peaceful sounds in the world. You can buy a simple water fountain for as little as $30, and set up a pond with a filter for less than $100, but the effect is priceless.

4. Decorate with furniture.
Add furniture to your garden to make it easier to enjoy. Whether you opt for a full patio set or a garden bench, you need somewhere to sit and enjoy what you have built. Choose colors and styles that suit the style of your garden. There are hundreds of choices, from a basic park bench to planter benches that you can fill to overflowing with plants and flowers. Add trellises, statuary and other ornaments to bring everything together and make your garden the perfect retreat.

5. Decorate your garden with light at night.
Don't forget to decorate after dark. Your garden doesn't go away when the sun goes down, and night lighting can extend your enjoyment of your outdoor space. There's a wide choice of lighting for different functions, including spotlights for dramatic effects, path lighting to outline walkways and accent lights to highlight special features. Look beyond safety to decoration when choosing lights for your outdoor space – even something as simple as a string of miniature white lights strung through the trees can transform your garden into a magical place.