10 Fun Features to Bring Your Landscape to Life

Try something wonderfully unusual — think a moon gate, art-bedecked boulders and colorful trellises — to give your garden pizzazz. Daring to be a bit out of the ordinary can be richly rewarding. Here are 10 head-turning ideas to take your landscape to the next level.

1. Gnome tree. An enchanting addition to a children’s garden, a gnome tree like this one sparks imagination in kids of all ages. Have yours customized with swings — or, with a hollow interior, it could be a playhouse.


2. Outdoor windows. Like hidden ruins stumbled upon on a walk in the woods, a garden wall complete with windows makes a striking garden feature. It also provides an excellent wind block, making it a great place for a sitting area.


3. Moon gate. If you want to cultivate a mystical, Zen-like mood in your garden, a moon gate is what you need. The curved shape fits harmoniously in landscapes of all kinds and makes entering the garden a memorable event.


4. Colorful trellis. Why stick with plain wood when you can have glossy purple, chartreuse or fire engine red? Make a bold color choice with your trellises and watch your garden come to life.


5. Bean tepee. Beans grow quickly and are easy to grow even for beginning gardeners. If you are thinking of planting beans, there’s no need to keep them along a fence in neat rows — try a tepee instead.

Pick up a dozen or so bamboo or willow poles at your local garden center and drive them into the ground at even intervals around a circle in the dirt, leaving a gap for the entrance. Plant a bean seed at the base of each pole and train the beans onto the tepee as they grow. When the plantings fill in, this will make a stellar playspace for kids.



6. Hanging birdbath. Love birdbaths but need to keep your feathered friends away from the felines? Try a hanging birdbath. The birds will love being out of harm’s way, and the hanging bath will provide visual interest.


7. Birdhouse and bee house tuteurs. Set atop colorful tuteur-style bases, these birdhouses and bee habitats are as beautiful to look at as they are beneficial to the garden. Grow climbing plants around their bases to integrate them into your landscape.


8. Art boulders. A huge rock (or three or four) can do wonders to bring focus to your garden — define a zone, add interest to a grassy area or accent your favorite spot with just one great big rock. Plain boulders are beautiful on their own, but painted ones are another option to consider for an artful twist. You can either purchase rocks with painted designs or create your own.



9. Suspension bridge. If you have a creek or pond on your property, make it into a destination with a striking bridge like the one shown here. A suspension bridge is unexpected in a backyard and adds architectural interest.


10. Bench with a view. What garden is complete without a bench? Before positioning yours, take the time to consider both what you will see from the bench and what views you will have of the bench from elsewhere in the yard. Consider a view of a water element or vegetable garden, or position a bench at the end of a winding path that can be seen from the house.

Tell us: If you could add anything to your garden, what would it be?

More: Explore Your Garden Personality: The Romantic

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