Creative ornaments add color, motion, light and pizzazz

In my tenure at Gardener's Supply, I've been staff horticulturist, retail nursery supervisor, and product information specialist. For a natural teacher, avid gardener and plant geek, my work here is a perfect fit.

Twenty-five years ago, the yard around our old farmhouse was a blank canvas of lawn waiting to be planned and planted. The native shrub and tree borders I planted back then now shelter and feed scores of songbirds. Our fertile soil supports productive vegetable gardens and flowering perennial beds. I've also added fruit and nut trees, blueberries, raspberries and elderberries that feed my family and visiting wildlife. Fussing with chickens and tropical houseplants keep me occupied during the long New England winters. My education is in horticulture and landscape design, and I've authored four gardening books.

The handcrafted Beaded String Stake sparkles with glass beads that bob and sway in the breeze, sending color dancing all around.

Daisy Bouquet Stem Stakes

Landscaping Ideas

• Add color, texture, light and motion to your beds with our collection of yard and garden decor.
• Filling Flower-Garden Gaps: Techniques that use annuals, perennials, planters and decor.

FLOWERS are the stars of the garden, but what do you do when a plague of beetles, drought or neglect knocks out a section in the border? Experienced gardeners know that it helps to have a few well-chosen ornaments on hand. Garden art gives your space personality and true perennial pleasure — up close or from a drive-by distance.

Solar-powered Morning Glory Lights

Choose pieces that fit your garden's theme or character: playful or serene, spare or eclectic, colorful or color-themed. Determine whether the pieces will be viewed from the street, a footpath, porch or window. Bright colors, light reflection, movement and large, bold pieces are good attributes for distance viewing and public garden spaces. In smaller, more intimate gardens, choose decor that matches the scale, with subtler color, sound, size and motion.

Next time you feel your garden needs "a little something", consider a well-placed ornament or sculpture. Here are some ideas to get you inspired:

Trickling water brings serenity to intimate spaces and helps mask neighborhood noise.

Daisy Bouquet Stakes bloom year round and add a pop of color to ferns and shady garden corners.

Bright colors, such as the blue in these pots, draw the eye through the landscape.

A family of stone owls anchors the end of a stone wall and serves as a focal point against green groundcovers and shrubs.

Still water with floating glass orbs reflects light and makes a small space seem larger.