Outdoor Decorations
TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-610 -- More Projects »
Gardener/landscaper Mike Bowman shares ideas for creative outdoor decorations.
- Birdbaths attract birds and other wildlife into the yard and make a great decoration. They vary quite a bit in price and size, but you can make one by balancing a terra-cotta saucer on an upturned pot, a stack of bricks or even a tree stump (figure A). Then add a rock or two in the middle so that your fine feathered friends have a place to perch.
Have a window box but nowhere to hang it? Build a ground stand for it with bricks (figure B). It's a great way to add height without attaching the window box to a structure, and the box can be placed at varying heights anywhere in the yard. Buy a small potted shrub or tree and wrap the pot in a piece of burlap to give it a rustic feel (figure C). Tie the burlap with a piece of twine and display the shrub by the front door or anywhere in the yard.
Personalize terra-cotta pots by painting the rim with chalkboard paint (figure D). When the paint is dry, use the chalk to mark the pot with the name or type of plant, or to add any other kind of message. The best part about it is the chalk can be erased so the markings can be changed.
Add height to potted flowers by stacking them on terra-cotta pots. Place one pot upside-down on the ground, then balance a potted flower on top (figure E). Create displays of varying heights with different sizes and shapes of base pots.Take advantage of a climbing plant in a container by shaping it into a topiary (figure F). Cut a piece of 10-gauge wire to the desired size, or just fashion a clothes hanger into a topiary form. Leave a stem to insert into the soil and make sure it goes deep enough. Soon the plant will grow to cover the wire, making for a beautiful, living topiary.Gardens are fun for young and old alike. Give a child an empty container to fill with the plants of their choice. Have them decorate it and take responsibility for caring for it.Paint the home's address on a terra-cotta planter to add a personalized decorative touch. Keep in mind that this should not be the sole address marking for a home.
Guests Mike Bowman
Manager, Sunnyside Gardens
3723 W. 44th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55410
Phone: 612-926-2654
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