Thread: Garden Decor

One thing I haven't seen many people do is to use veggies or herbs in their gardens. Plants like Lavender and Sage can really be beautiful when grown in pots or in clumps in the garden, and some herbs also look great when added to flower arrangements or dried.

As for veggies, try swiss chard (there is a rainbow-stemmed variety that is absolutely brilliant as an ornamental as well as being delicious in salads!), ornamental peppers, differently colored tomatoes (golden, raspberry, white...) or just go with the plain old veggies everyone grows, and grow them into a pole bean teepee or tomato vine arbor. Your neighbors will envy your gardening style, and you'll have fresh veggies all summer! (It's really no more work than planting flowers, either).

If you are set on flowers, search out wildflowers that are native to your area. Some can be dug up and transplanted right into your garden while others may be available from friends or neighbors. Gathering wildflowers can be an easy and fun way to spruce up your garden, especially if you like the less-ordered look!

I hope that gives you some ideas. You can run a search on "edible landscaping" for further ideas that combine edible plants with gorgeously landscaped yards.

Edit: Another cheap way to decorate the garden is to salvage stones or pavers that were broken or tossed out from someone else's renovation. You can either break them up to make a mosaic-like pathway or use them as-is for a cute little garden path, turn bigger stones into benches or statue bases, etc... Check FreeCycle or craigslist for garden goodies near you!

thanks much ! i got lots of ideas that i can implement from your post....Exactly what i needed