Here’s how to add an artistic touch to your North Texas garden

Decorators “accessorize” our homes. They gather personal effects and other items of interest to tie their interior designs into an attractive and appealing look. They put the sizzle into our indoor living spaces.

Garden designers can do the same thing with your landscape. Once all the trees, shrubs, groundcovers, vines, and turfgrass are in place, you might think that your landscaping efforts are finished. But that’s the time to put the cherry on top of the sundae: art in your garden. It comes in many forms. Let’s talk them over.

Fences and walls

We need these for privacy. We use them for enclosure. We are happy when they’re attractive. We hope they’re long-lasting without a lot of challenging maintenance.

Wood fencing is certainly most common. That’s because it rates high in privacy and is comparatively affordable. But it can be rather stark, and it does have a life expectancy, especially if it’s not regularly maintained. Explore your options in types of wood, stains and sealants, and contractors and their reviews.

I’ve been watching vinyl fencing for 20 years, and the companies that use the best products seem to build fences that last. Again, do your homework and ask for references. We have vinyl products on and around our house and I’ve been very pleased with their looks and durability.

Wrought iron fencing on its own doesn’t give much privacy, but it’s the ultimate in good looks and permanence. Combined with brick or stone, and attended by attractive landscaping that blocks unwanted views, most would agree that wrought iron is the number one choice for making your gardens look great.

Walkways and paths

Concrete is always available, but it’s stark and less inviting than most of your other options. If you do decide to use concrete, try some other way of finishing it so it will look more decorative. Pour it in blocks and finish them with rock salt to give them a pock-marked appearance. Use sweeping curves for more natural lines.

Antique brick pavers are great, or pour your own concrete paving stones if you want a do-it-yourself garden walk you can lay atop a bed of packed sand. Be sure it drains well, and if you make individual steps, be sure they’re done at a comfortable stride. Use very low groundcover plants between them for a woodsy effect.

Statues and pedestals

These ramp the garden up to a much more formal level. Fine art houses sell sculptures and statues as well as other lovely garden art pieces that are intended to go right out into the weather.

Others of us take a more simplistic look at our landscapes. I live in a forest, yet I collect sundials. They’re totally non-functional because of the shade cast by our trees, but we enjoy their great design and style. Gazing balls are another fun option.

If you enjoy browsing antique malls, you’ll find some unusual treasures that will fit right into your outdoor collections. Smaller pieces of farm equipment, weathervanes, and rusty dinner bells are just a few good examples.

One classy gardener I saw in a magazine collected gristmill wheels. They’re very heavy, but they’re lovely in the right setting. There’s something for everyone.

Fountains and watercourses

You can’t beat the sound of burbling water on a warm summer day. It makes your garden so much more appealing, not only to you, but to the birds, butterflies, and other fun wild things as well.

If this strikes a chord with you, employ the help of a skilled designer to lay the pool or fountain out for you. They’ll know the details of siting it for best viewing, avoiding leaf fall and wash into the water, and plumbing and powering the pump and lighting. Yes, you can probably do it yourself, but the results may be much more rewarding if you leave this task to the pros.

Fountains always look best when they’re backed by dark colors, whether it’s a hardscaping surface or by dark green foliage. Water droplets show off to their best advantage with that distinct contrast.

Many gardeners prefer to have their water running through a small stream bed rather than being pushed up by a fountain. Again, these waterways add excitement to a landscape, yet they don’t have to take up much space or use much water.

They arise from a hidden spot beneath a planting of shrubs or out of a gathering of river rocks, and they trickle down a water course along a path or beneath a walk to the spot when they empty into a small pond or re-enter the ground and are pumped back up to the source. The secret is in having it all look like it was there when your landscape moved in, and that’s where a skilled designer can bring nature’s art into your garden. They perform magic.

Sometimes your plants become the art

Finally, most of us also use plants to punctuate our garden designs. Primarily we count on containerized plants, whether it’s patio pots or decorative hanging baskets. We use them for seasonal color and unusual texture. We enclose our patios with them, and we use them to frame our entries and exits. Plants in containers add that third dimension to our landscape designs.