So you're planning a garden. Let's see if we can help you avoid one of the huge mistakes that most people make at the beginning of this project. I'm talking about garden decoration of course, and the tendency to think only about the plants and where they will be placed. A properly set up garden is much more than just a collection of plants. In this article series, I hope to help you choose the other features and accessories, and come up with a true showpiece of a garden that you and your family can enjoy.

Your outdoor garden decor is going to be a function of which puzzle pieces attract you and how you put them together. The list of additional features for your garden is just about endless nowadays. Here's just a partial look at what you can add:

Garden paths, potted plants, garden fencing, ornate and sculpted garden gates, a garden bench for you and your loved ones to relax on, a water feature, a picnic table, a griddle, bird houses, and maybe even a little bridge over your very own garden strain. There really is no end to the variety that you can include in your home and garden decor.

So, where are you going to get ideas for your garden layout? Well the 1st Pl. I always look is at my local library. I'm sure that just as I did, you will find a whole shelf full of books. One thing that I recommend is that you take a look at the title page, this is usually just inside the front cover before the table of contents. It will show you what year the book was published. Why is this important? Well, it's because garden styles and ideas go in and out of fashion just like home decoration ideas for the inside of your house.

Flip through some of those books and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. The gardens that are pictured in a book from the 1960s will be very different from those in a book or on a website that was set up recently. New home garden decor and ideas are centered around functionality and entertaining, rather than more ornate designs which are constructed simply as something beautiful to be viewed.

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Garden Decoration - Part 3
Outdoor Garden Décor - Part 4

Another place to find ideas about what kind of garden decor you need is in your own neighborhood. Take a look up and down the street and check out your neighbors gardens and backyards. Chances are most of what you see will be kind of tacky (pink flamingos, anyone?). Aside from tacky yard gnomes in such, another common mistake is a mismatch in the design in. Of the garden as compared to the home. You'll find that properties that present an integrated appearance and common design fame are much more pleasing to the eye.

The best way to picture your garden is as if it is a beautiful photograph. And what is the first thing that we pick when we're thinking of presenting our photograph for the world to see? That's right -- it's a frame. In this case it means beautiful garden fencing and garden gates. Depending on the design of your home and when it was built, you may believe that a garden wall is more appropriate. This is fine. Just make sure that the structures and decoration in your garden are complementary to the exterior of your home.

The other thing to want to think about when considering what sort of garden fence or wall you want to install is what its purpose is. By this I mean do you want to keep something in or do you want to keep somebody out? Another thing to consider is the effect on your neighborhood. Nobody wants to feel like they lived next door to a fortress. With a little imagination and flair it won't be difficult to come up with a design that gives you the privacy protection you need and still adds to the beauty of the area in which you live.

Well, this is getting pretty long. In our next installment, garden decor part two, we'll be talking about garden paths and the different services you can use a paid some, garden edging, and will start to dip gently into the wide selection of interior features that you will no doubt want to add to your own beautiful garden. See you after the jump!