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GLT's Grow: Yard Decor Tips

Jeff Kramer
/
Flickr via Creative Commons
Garden decor should enhance the landscape, not dominate it.

It's fun adding decor to our gardens. But go too far and you'll end up in tacky territory.

  • Statuary in garden decor was originally a way for the well-traveled to display their acquisitions.
  • The gazing ball started out as a way to scare critters in the garden. They were put on the ground and when a garden pest saw its reflection, it would flee. Eventually, gazing balls moved into decorative territory and gardeners began placing them on pedestals.
  • Some lawn ornaments can be too much. A collection of 47 gnomes and a life-size Sasquatch statue can prove distracting. These might work best in the backyard. The backyard is where you can have fun with garden ornaments and let whimsy reign.
  • Give the eye something specific to gaze on to distract from other unpleasant parts of the landscape, like a neighbor's garden shed.
  • The front landscape is meant to frame and bring scale to the structure on the property and draw attention to the entryway. If you want gnomes, consider the style of your home. If it's small and cottage-like, then a couple of gnomes out front will look charming. The gnomes will clash, however, if you have something more in the way of Bauhaus.
  • Sleek and modern designs would be well-served by a sculpture with clean lines.

GLT's Grow is your source for sage gardening advice and down-to-earth tips. Host Patrick Murphy and co-host Laura Kennedy are ready to take on all your gardening questions, so submit yours today.

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Reporter, content producer and former All Things Considered host, Laura Kennedy is a native of the Midwest who occasionally affects an English accent just for the heck of it. Related to two U.S. presidents, Kennedy appalled her family by going into show business.