Gardens have, throughout time, been a sanctuary where people enjoy the presence of nature, appreciate the veritable blooms of their labors, share the company of friends and family, or renew the self with a few quiet moments.

Apart from the beauty of the plants themselves are the elements added to enhance its essence. These items include tables and chairs, statues and stepping-stones, works in metal and stone, and all things in between. Some items serve additional duty as the music of the garden: wind chimes, fountains and a crackling fire make both a visual and an aural contribution.

Helpful & Interesting Ideas

   If you've bought a cast-concrete statue, container, or pedestal and want to give it more depth and interest, you can do as the manufacturers do: add a stain or color with products specially designed for coloring concrete. Just be sure that you protect the area with a tarp or other covering as you work, so you don't inadvertently color your concrete patio or driveway!

  Acid-based stains (widely used on concrete walls) are available from construction supply companies. A terra-cotta hue is one good choice for garden ornaments. You brush the stain on the piece in a circular motion and then let it dry. At first it will look green, but after an hour or so it will turn a deep rust or terra-cotta color. Wash off the excess stain with a garden hose.

Practical Décor In Your Garden

Think of that strategy when you plan your garden. Our first instinct is to fill the space, to put things in certain places. But look up and about. Perhaps a bird feeder should hang from a tree branch. Or wind chimes could catch the breeze that flits by a window. Place a prism where it can cast rainbows on a white sculpture. Think in three dimensions. Garden décor is a 3-D pursuit!

The container garden is not excluded from the concept of décor. In fact, given that most homes that have container gardens are very limited in free space, the garden area often does multiple duty as a recreation area, outdoor parlor—even a place to eat and drink. Although limited by smaller available space, the garden can still have practical items within it that enrich the enjoyment of the garden itself. Chairs and a table (s) certainly are a part of this décor. Whether made of rustic wood, wicker, iron, or even plastic, the addition of this furniture adds an atmosphere of relaxation. Even a spatially challenged location like a balcony can accommodate this kind of furniture.

An important note here is that, given the mobility of the containers themselves, the space can be rearranged to accommodate garden décor. Nor does a particular arrangement have to remain static. As the seasons change, new plants can be added, or if a gardener grows weary of the look, plants and garden furniture can be moved to create a new vision for the garden.

The selection of what type of garden furniture to introduce into the garden area is as subjective and individualized as the garden itself. Whether the look is of the elegance of a miniature English garden, the serenity of a Feng Shui sacred grove, or just the quiet beauty of a collection of colors from nature's own paintbrush, there is garden furniture to match all styles and budgets.
The only real restriction that should be placed in selecting your decor is to make sure that whatever the choice, it is pleasing to your senses and your soul.

With this in mind, explore how the décor of a garden adds the essential ingredient to the whole experience—where the gardener can truly be at home and share with friends and family the joy of creating this natural environment.   

Ornamental Décor in your Garden  

If furniture is the bread and butter of container garden décor, then the ornamental items added to the garden are the jam, so to speak. As with all aspects of container gardening, the key words are space-intensive, mobile, and thematically constant when selecting the decorations that will define your garden. Classic items such as stepping-stones, ceramic plates and statues come in a wide variety of sizes, styles, materials and costs to suit just about every taste in container garden decoration. Plain or glazed, angels or animals or bas-relief, the choice is up to the gardener. These items are a perfect fit for the container garden and, given the wide selection, relative affordability, and mobility of such creations; there is no reason why a container garden could not be "reinvented" in style merely by changing the type and number of ceramic enhancements.

Trellises, fencing and the like, although certainly available to the container gardener, are not as flexible and are often ruled out by spatial considerations. Still, if one desires, the use of small decorative fencing around some of the containers can serve to highlight the plants within and add an additional depth to the overall image.

Although not often thought as an element of garden decorations, lights and lighting are elements to be considered. While space is not really the issue—think of how many patios and balconies have some kind of lighting on them—the power source for the lights is a consideration. One would certainly not want a garden whose theme is woodsy and rustic to be cluttered with wires or light fixtures. Where an electrical supply is available, however, the addition of subtle ground lights, decorative lamps, or similar illumination devices can give the container garden a richness that even the dark of night cannot hide. In this same vein, non-electrical sources of light, such as candles and oil lamps, can be added to enhance a container garden's theme. Proper care as to safely using these types of lighting must be taken. Yet again, being small and easy to move, the use of these items adds a feeling to the garden that can swell the heart with joy.

As the popularity of container gardens continues to grow, more and more diverse ideas emerge about what should go into garden design and decoration. Classics, such as painted watering cans (often used as containers themselves), birdhouses and bird feeders will always be popular. However, some fresh approaches to garden décor are on the rise.

The use of chimeneas, particularly in those container garden designs that have a southwestern theme, is becoming a popular addition to decorating concepts. Originating in Mexico, these clay-fired outdoor oven/fireplaces were used both to supply heat and to cook. Standing roughly three feet tall, the chimeanea is perfect for the space requirements of the container garden and, with its multiple uses, adds functionality to the garden as a whole. 

Feng Shui gardens have also developed in popularity in recent times. Here, the emphasis is on meditation and the creation of "secret places." By rearranging the containers themselves, a gardener who wishes to create a contemplative area can actually use the very make-up of the garden as the decorative motif.  By adding miniature obelisks, planters and ornamental holder for candles, this part of the garden (or the garden as a whole, if preferred) becomes a place for spiritual renewal and of quiet enjoyment.

A discussion of décor would not be complete, however, without a mention of some of the more absurd, albeit classic, garden decorations. Yard sheep,  yes, the ultimate—the plastic pink flamingo—all have their place in garden decoration. It's up to the gardener to decide what would fit and would not . . . in either case, there is no wrong choice.

No matter what theme, what decorations, and what plants your container garden has, there are design and decoration ideas in abundance for your use and enjoyment. Above and beyond that, however, is the fact that the garden is, truly, the fertile ground for the joining of humankind and nature.