Garden Decor Blog

Garden lights are a great way to make use of your garden at night and to add an impressive display for outdoor living. Most garden lighting is very affordable these days and many of the products that are on the market can be installed quite easily by the home gardener.

You can light areas where you will be sitting, or outdoor dining areas, or you might just want the lighting for effect where you can shine the light on feature trees or plants in the garden.

Garden lighting can also add a degree of safety to your property by lighting steps and walking areas. You can use this lighting to assist people to find entrances to your house and even use it for security purposes where the lights can come on automatically if there are intruders on the property.

The range of lighting equipment that is available these days will allow you to create almost any effect that you desire in your garden.

Before buying any lighting for your garden it is best to decide what the purpose of your lights will be. You will need to create a plan that will determine which areas need lighting for safety and where you want lights for dramatic effect such as up lights on a specimen tree.

Once you have a plan for the lights you will be ready to choose and decide on what style suits the style of your house and garden. Not all garden lights run on electricity and this variety enables you to match your lighting to your garden decor.

Outdoor candles are romantic and can also deter insects. The light may not be bright enough to read by, but not much beats sitting on a verandah with your partner, enjoying a glass of wine and a cuddle, surrounded by (safely placed) outdoor candles.

Garden torches are another popular choice, especially the oil-based tiki style. The oil needs to be specially prepared for lighting and comes in various scents, many of which contain bug deterrents. Like the candles, they give a romantic, sweet-smelling light and a degree of warmth if the evening is a little chilly.

Solar lighting is another easily-installed choice and can provide general background lighting, light an individual plant for focus or even be bright enough to read by. The styles tend to be a little unimaginative unless you shop around but the main advantage is that after pushing them into the ground or hanging them from a wall hook, they require very little maintenance.

For electric garden lighting, you can get professional help or install the lighting yourself as most garden lighting runs on low voltage for safety and there are kits that make installation very easy.

If you want the lighting for ponds and pools then additional care will be needed as safety is a concern with water and electricity and in these situations it is wise to get a professional to do the installation.

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What is the point of having a beautiful garden if you do not have a good vantage point to see it from? Setting a garden bench in the midst of your garden gives you the perfect place to sit, relax, and watch your garden grow. A garden bench is not only an inviting place to sit, it is also a beautiful visual addition to almost any garden.

No longer restricted to the traditional “public park” style, garden benches now come in a wide range of styles and materials.

Wooden Garden Furniture

A wooden tree seat makes for a beautiful feature in any garden. Not only do they provide a useful seat in the shade or shelter of a tree but they make a lovely flower bed where otherwise there wouldn’t be one. Usually made of wood, they come in pieces which slot together round a favorite tree and can easily become the focal point of a garden.

A teak garden bench is a traditional, beautiful addition to a garden. It is hardwearing and durable, with a warm finish that becomes even more attractive as it ages. Outdoor teak garden furniture will always be a popular and stylish choice for any garden design.

Aluminum Garden Furniture

Aluminum is an ideal material for outdoor furniture. It is strong, non-rusting, and retains its good looks through blistering summer suns, drenching thunderstorms, and vigorously romping children. Quality aluminum furniture is durable and can last for a decade or more. It is lightweight, making it easy to move, and requires minimal maintenance.

Cast aluminum is usually investment furniture. It is often so exquisitely detailed that it seems to have come from a museum. But, like tubular aluminum, it is also amazingly durable and easy to maintain. Quality cast-aluminum furniture can be costly and is not for the family that craves a new look every few seasons. But, if you acquire pieces over a number of years, you will end up with exactly what you want – an outdoor room that is second to none.

Outdoor Furniture Cushions

The very durability that makes wood or aluminum garden furniture such popular choices can also make it uncomfortable to sit on for very long! There is now a huge choice of cushions for such furniture, not only from the original manufacturers (which are often garish or very restricted in colorway). It’s definitely worth hunting around for cushions that fit the style and theme of the rest of your garden decor, and most come in standard sizes. If in doubt, measure your furniture before you go shopping.

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Hanging baskets have been popular for summer decorating for many years. They even go back as far as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. These fantastic gardens were considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and the builders certainly knew how to maximize the use of landscaping and plants for garden decor.

Size and Position of your Baskets

Hanging baskets are an attractive way to decorate porches and verandahs with beautiful colors and different plants. Usually the kind of flowers you plant is based upon the position they are in. Baskets in full or part sun will need different plants than baskets that are mainly in the shade.

Use your imagination and personal preferences to decide what flowers to plant. You can go with all one color, mix your colors, use holiday themes or any theme that suits your garden. If you want, you can use all the same flowers in your flower baskets, window boxes and planter stands for a unified look, or mix sizes and colors.

If you are in a warm climate you can start your hanging baskets and planters early and enjoy them for many months. In the UK there’s a saying “ne’er cast a clout till May be out” which basically means, don’t put out your tender summer plants until June.

Try putting hanging baskets in other places besides the front porch. Use a shepherd’s hook with a hanging basket beside your front steps or mailbox. Build an arbor and decorate it with hanging flowers. Frame your sidewalk, patio and entrances with colorful hanging baskets. You can make a stunning display if you take the basic design of your garden into account and use baskets to accentuate your garden decor.

Creating your Hanging Basket

When you are ready to plant, decide what kind of planter you want. Most come within the range of 6 to 12 inches.  Larger ones are available but are heavy to lift into position and need very secure fixings. Choose a size that is appropriate for the area where it will hang. 

When you have the container, then you are ready to put the moss in the pot. Sphagnum moss used to be the liner of choice because it holds moisture and helps plants grow better. However, it’s now considered more environmentally friendly to use a biodegradable cardboard lining which comes premade in various sizes.

After the moss or cardboard is fitted into the container, then you can add the potting soil and polymers. Potting soil by itself does not hold nutrients, so polymers need to be added periodically. Peat free potting compost is lighter than the traditional peat-based one and there are now several varieties on the market mixed specifically for hanging baskets. A mixture produced for tomato container bags contain extra nutrients which help the flowers to form and give a wonderful display.

When you have the pot prepared, place your flowers in and water them. Plant the largest flowers first and follow with the smaller ones and the fillers. Push the plant roots through from the outside in, through the moss or cardboard, don’t try and force the plant itself through the basket wires.

Some popular flowers that are recommended for hanging baskets are petunias, impatiens, pansies, ferns, ivy, mums, coleus, fuchsias, and many others. 

Care of your Baskets

Hanging pots are easy to take care of and many come with an external saucer or an internal disk that holds water, which is then drawn up into the plant.  You will probably need to water daily if your baskets are in full sun and there are various systems on the market that allow you to either lower the baskets on a pulley to water them or alternatively reach them easily from the ground.  Continue watering and fertilizing through the summer and you will be able to enjoy your beautiful plants the entire season.

Hanging baskets do not take up a lot of room and are pleasing to look at, being at eye level. Start planning your flower gardens now and enjoy a creative, beautiful growing season.

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