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Not Everything in a Garden is a Plant

© Deborah Turton

So you're starting a garden. You've been poring over the seed catalogs, visiting nurseries, and surfing the net for the perfect plants. You've read about every plant that grows in your zone. You know the difference between heirlooms and hybrids; perennials, annuals and biennials; heat days and agricultural zones. You've had your soil tested and stock piled amendments. But most likely, you're forgetting something your garden needs: stuff, doodads, whatchamacallits, etc. See, there's more to a garden than plants.

Your garden needs things - statuary, benches, stepping stones, bird baths, rocks, tree stumps, gazebos, ponds, etc. Inanimate objects provide difference and focus for your garden. They work the same way in a natural setting. When you look out over a meadow, you may see all those flowers and grasses, but your eye is drawn to the boulder hunkering down amid those delicate flowers. When walking through a forest, it's the fallen trees that attract your attention easily. The upturned roots have interesting and unusual patterns that delight the eye. In your garden, natural and manufactured objects also attract the eye and provide interest.

Plan Ahead When you're starting your garden, incorporate objects into the design. You don't necessarily have to have anything on hand when you start. Instead, decide where you want to put objects. Is your garden going to have a formal entrance with an arch? My eldest daughter suggested we put a fence with an arch at the top of my woodland garden. I haven't decided whether or not to do this, but I'm leaving the space open for now. Do you want some moving art to catch the wind? Would a large statue bring focus to your garden? You'll need space to put it and access to whatever space you're saving for it. It may take time (and money) to find just the right object. But if you've already set aside the space for it, you won't have to dig up plants when you find the perfect statue. Of course, the smaller accent pieces don't have to be planned around. You can decide where they're going after you bring them home.

Cheap Decorating Interesting pieces are not always found in nurseries and catalogs. Some of the most interesting stuff can be found free or cheaply. A friend just found a turtle shell she gave me for the kids. It's going in with the trillium I just planted. We're hoping a toad takes up residence there. My husband gave my a garden bench. That's pretty usual, and everyone should have somewhere to sit and enjoy the flowers. We're pairing this bench with an unusual foot rest. We cut down a tree last fall, and one piece was four branches coming together. It was too hard to cut up or split, so we decided to use it as a foot rest. It has an unusual shape that should fit in well with the woodland shade garden I'm creating. The point is, I didn't have to spend money to find something unusual for my garden.