A home landscape is like an artist's canvas. The overall design, mixture of color, and plant textures are an important way to show your individual personality. There are great things that can be done beyond the traditional trimmed hedges and uniformly arranged plants and flowers. For example, remove several trimmed hedges that are in front of a picture window and replace them with an attractive birdbath. Place colorful flowers and decorative mulch around the base of the birdbath to fill in the bed. This will allow a more attractive view from the window and from the street. Another idea is to use potted plants in flower beds and not just on the porch or patio deck. Still another idea is to find an attractive structure, such as a small English garden windmill, and place it beside a cedar container filled with seasonal flowers. A small fountain or water feature beside a deck or between trees adds a creative and serene dimension to any home landscape. These are just a few in expensive ways to dramatically improve a home landscape by adding some points of interest.
Make your landscape a garden retreat or haven. Then sit back and enjoy nature's beauty after a hard day at work. Just remember-'Less is more'. Keep the landscape interesting but simple and avoid a cluttered appearance.
David Gary, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
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