Creative Design Ideas for Your Garden

You don't have to be a master gardener or an artist to come up with beautiful, unusual designs within your yard or garden. No matter how big or small your outdoor space is, you can incorporate creative focal points and details that will bring your garden from boring to spectacular, with minimal time and effort. Here are a few ideas to get you started in creating the garden of your dreams:

Utilize unexpected accents and focal points such as the Vintage Garden Sculpture Sprinkler, pictured left. This copper sculpture brings a sense of whimsy and delight to any outdoor space, bathing your garden in a beautiful and dramatic pattern of water as it spins. It attaches to any standard garden hose, and comes complete with a stake and hose connection. Each one is hand-sculpted and personally signed by the artist.

Use stepping stones to create winding paths, central courtyards or to create shapes on the ground. You can use either simple concrete stepping stones found at any hardware store, or get creative with mosaic styles. Stepping stones are inexpensive and extremely easy to move around to your liking, and you can continue changing them to create new pathways and designs.

Find an outdoor fountain that really complements your personality and acts as a reflection of who you are. Whether your garden design is playful and whimsical, formal, Zen or eclectic cottage-style, you can find a garden fountain that will fit in perfectly and provide beauty and relaxation. Fountains also attract wildlife such as butterflies and birds, making your backyard feel like a nature retreat. For the best selection, check out the garden fountains category at KineticFountains.com.

Placing statuary at well-chosen points throughout your garden will enhance its look and give it lots of charm and character. For a more dramatic effect, try using a statue that's also a water feature, such as the Goldfish Pair Pond Spitters shown at left. These pond spitters can be used with a pre-existing pond, pool, or any watertight container large enough to accommodate the water flow.

Create a mini bird habitat that includes a bird feeder, bird house and bird bath. Place the feeder and bird house in a nice shady area, and the bird bath out in the sun where birds will really enjoy playing in the water. A great choice is the Balmoral Copper 2-Tier Solar Birdbath Fountain, pictured left, which has a pump that operates on solar power to keep the water flowing so it's clear, healthy and oxygenated.

Create eclectic, interesting mixes of color and texture with your landscaping. Container gardening is a great way to give your garden more pizzazz with little effort and can be utilized even in small outdoor spaces. Place larger containers behind smaller ones on the ground, or mount them to the wall. Mix texture, color and height both in the plants you choose and your containers for more interest.

Looking for some more ideas and suggestions? Check out these previous articles: Hottest Trends in Outdoor Fountains, Find Inspiration in Your Own Backyard, Spa Fountains - Creating a Soothing Outdoor Oasis, and Children at Play! Fun Fountain Ideas for Your Child's Play Area.