FERGUS – Many of us worry about doing the right thing when it comes to being creative in our gardens.
What looks best? What works with the current garden? What ornaments work? How much is too much? What will people think?
Well I am here to tell you it is your garden and an expression of who you are so throw caution to the wind. Have fun. Be creative.
You can always change what you have at any time so don’t worry. And who knows? You might become the talk of the neighbourhood.
In recent years it has become commonplace to re-purpose items scheduled for the landfill and place them in a garden.
Toilet bowls, painted bicycles, farm implements or other eclectic and perhaps eccentric items – they keep popping up in gardens.
Some call these whimsical gardens.
Some traditional gardeners refuse to mix plants with any other material that can be a distraction to their overall beauty. Supposedly dedicated gardeners don’t do whimsy.
Many career gardeners and bloggers will speak candidly about leaving gardens pristine in their “natural” beauty.
Perhaps the issue is a matter of taste but that is the beauty of it. We all have different tastes and the reflection of our taste in our gardens will make us feel good about our accomplishment.
But the one caveat might be “less is more.” The total arrangement should never look cluttered.
I love the idea of being creative and re-purposing objects as accents or even centre pieces in your garden. Or introducing many ornaments found at nurseries or craft shows when we are allowed to have them again.
My wife is looking at a beautiful antique wooden toy wagon we have for one corner of our garden. And I think she has her eye on the peddle car I got for Christmas when I was three years old!
The trick is to develop a flow and positive relationship between the plants and the item or items you place in your garden.
They might be a centre piece or an accent in a corner. A focal point in one area of your garden that pulls that area together as a grouping.
These ideas challenge you on how to use space wisely.
What plant or plants work best with that item? Do you want plants growing out of it, surrounding it, or a blanket covering the item? The choice is yours. Just remember whatever you do, it should never look overdone and cluttered.
These are elements of design that can be used to create groupings in your garden. Some gardeners seem to have the knack of understanding design flow and keep their presentations in just the right balance.
To quote an article from Ron Stevenson a revered former Fergus Horticultural Society member: “Stand back and evaluate your total presentation considering the overall effect. Avoid loud colours. Choose items that are related. Birdhouses, terra-cotta items like weathered wood all present a unifying vision. Natural found items are much easier to coordinate. Grapevine wreaths, bird nests or water features. Adornment of any kind should compliment or accentuate, never overpower.”
But at the end of the day remember a garden should reflect you.
This is key. This is your personality. Have fun.
By Ken Johnston
Fergus and District Horticultural Society