Much more than an afterthought, garden decorations can guide how you shape and use your outdoor space and influence how it feels when you’re in it. A wrought iron gate can mark the entrance to a world of green, a tree-hung lantern elevates your perspective, a curved bench inspires a nap. Carefully placed, beautiful yet practical, these elements provide subtle but effective cues: Turn here. Search for. Slow down. They also give a garden space a finished look in all four seasons. The trick is not to overdo it.
Design for outdoor spaces
Just as they remodeled their 1950s ranch house in the style of a Tuscan farmhouse, the couple wanted a landscape with patina. They started by sticking to a simple, mostly green palette of plants with pepper, cypress and Chinese elm among rosemary, acanthus, virginia creeper and white ‘Iceberg’ roses. “Garden decor can get lost in a very colorful landscape,” says Susie. “For us, our mostly stone ornaments are the busy part, and they pop against the green background.” Some items picked up on their travels can be pedigreed and expensive, but they share ground with catalog and nursery finds, so nothing seems too precious. Read on to learn how they used decorative items to create seductive outdoor living spaces.
Dress up garden entrances
Even in a small landscape, a sequence of discrete spaces, connected by corridors and paths, adds a sense of mystery and vastness to an ordinary walk. The Bealls created a journey that begins with a wisteria-draped gazebo near the house and winds down, across terraces, along walks and down stairs that continue the theme of eye-catching, weathered stone. The paths show the way; iron arches and gates—many from gardener’s catalogs and covered with vines—mark transitions to different areas. Potted bougainvillea, citrus trees and palms add additional accent items, as do finials that sit on pedestals.
Repeat your home’s exterior style
Regardless of the style of your home, decorative objects can carry it into the landscape and ground the building in its environment. Here, to harmonize with the rustic stone-clad entrance, iron urns are set atop matching terracotta pedestals. In the courtyard, a pediment decorated with dolphins and holding potted succulents reflects the theme and creates a focal point. The stone of the house is picked up in the paving stones, sewn with grass that softens the walk to the front door.