Treasure Hill Cottage

Whether you’ve been invited to a housewarming party, or simply know a couple new homeowners, a housewarming gift is a time old tradition which will delight new homeowners and allow you to make your mark on their décor.  For townhouses and condominiums, consider a lighting fixture.  Whether it be a lamp, lantern, or glass sculpture; chances are the new homeowners will have some area of the home that could use a bit more light.  For a house with a yard, garden decor is a great addition that new homeowners are sure not to have.  Consider statuaries, fountains, or unique stepping stones. 

Whatever you decide to buy, be sure to find something both you and the new homeowners will appreciate.  It will make your day to come over to their home another time and see your gift on display.

Traditionally gardens are thought of landscapes to be viewed and appreciated during the daylight hours.  However, with an outdoor lighting system, you can appreciate your garden in the early morning or evening hours as well.  Outdoor lighting systems can include simple fixtures like the garden lantern, but also ground lighting or outdoor lamps.  The goal is to accentuate the different types of flora in your garden with light to be viewable and also appear different than during daylight hours. In addition, you will be able to see and hear the nocturnal insects and animals that live in your garden but are inactive during the day. 

Is your garden looking a little plain?  Have you got the flowers, the shrubs, even a couple trees, but still can’t figure out what’s missing?  Adding stonework to a garden can soften the landscape and bring a more natural feel to a setting with extensive vegetation.  Amongst garden stonework, there are dozens of options including statuettes, chiseled rocks and boulders, fountains, and garden stepping stones. It doesn’t take an expert to place these kinds of stonework in an attractive manner.  Treat them just like plants, clear out a space, note the height and girth of the stonework (ensuring they don’t dwarf or become hidden behind the surrounding vegetation), and simply place them to your liking.

Sometimes a garden just isn’t complete without a cotton hammock.  They can be a peaceful place to enjoy the silence–to read, sleep, write, hang out with a pet or two, and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. 

If you feel more like socializing, maybe a swing or some chairs would be more the thing.  You can chat with someone else while taking in the visual treats nature has to offer.

The appearance and feel of a garden has a great deal to do with the garden décor we choose.  There is no need to have a set garden theme, but if you do choose to have one, there are many ways to go.

For a whimsical garden mood, there are seasonal-themed signs, folk-art inspired animal figurines, and gnomes—awake, asleep, or just hanging around.  If you want a more reverent feeling, there are sculptures of angels, St. Francis, and cherubs.   No matter what you would like your garden to say about you, there is garden décor available to make it happen.
 

I can’t believe that Friday is the 4th of July and I haven’t finished my water garden.  It’s been a very busy spring!  Between caring for my one year old grandson and doing the usual spring clean up in the yard I haven’t had time to concentrate on my special project.  Water gardens provide a pleasant source of sound and a sparkling focal point when incorporated into the landscape.
   
Before considering a large water garden with a fountain, waterfall, stream, and a variety of fish and plants, make a starter garden first.  Starter gardens are more manageable and require less than an hour of maintenance every few weeks.  I am incorporating a fountain into a small existing bed with a few small shrubs and ferns in the surrounding area. You’ll find that a small-scale project offers experience helpful when tackling a larger project later.

You can make a water garden with a fountain that’s formal or informal.   A fountain is the logical choice for small yards or patios and mini gardens since they all provide a point of interest in a courtyard or in a tiny space outside of an apartment.

With my gardening maintenance caught up, I can now devote more time to my water project.  Enjoy the Holiday!

During the summer, it’s a great idea to start cleaning up that backyard and really grow yourself a nice little garden.  Some of the most understated accent pieces are decorative birdhouses.

By getting a bird house, you can really add some personality to your backyard and make it inviting for both our winged friends, as well as our actual human friends.

Do you want to add interest and color to your entry way, patio, or garden?  Do you want a larger variety of plants, but do not have the space?  Containers are a great and inexpensive way to brighten any space.  The best part is that the project can be an ongoing work in progress.  Start with a few planters at first and add as your budget permits.  Add more interest by introducing a statue or a fountain if the space permits.

Here is an interesting article I came across at www.Move.com .  The article, written by Meg Sparwath, gives some tips on how to pick or make containers for planting.  How to select the right soil, and plants for your container garden.

With a little patience and creativity you can transform any space in your garden into a showplace of interest and discussion.  Visit http://www.treasurehillcottage.com for our full selection of garden accents.        

Trying to plan and landscape your outdoor patio can be difficult.  By adding a wall fountain, you can make your patio simply beautiful and bring things to life. Wall fountains take up very little space, meaning you have less to landscape while still offering an amazing patio design.

If you are going for an outdoor patio design that will have a sitting area, you can use wall fountains to border the sitting area. You could also set a standing fountain in between four chairs, and it will become the center of almost every discussion. A shorter fountain is best suited for this design as it allows everyone to see one another and not have to talk over the fountain when engaged in conversation. 

Hanging wall fountains look amazing when surrounded with different colors, so if you are landscaping with flowers, you will want to designate an area where your fountain will stand. You can plant shorter flowers around the entire perimeter of the fountain, or place it right in the middle of an existing flowerbed.   Wall fountains also look great when plants are placed on either side of them, especially if they are symmetrical. You can plant tall flowers or even small trees on either side, to draw attention to your beautiful fountain. Stick to similar colors on both sides, since different colors can actually throw off your entire design. Concrete patios include a number of different outdoor patio settings; therefore, your planning options are many.

Gardens are beautiful places of relaxation and beauty. The higher oxygen levels, the aroma, and the pleasant colors ease one’s mind, body, and soul.  It is for this reason that so many people enjoy growing and keeping gardens, often using various schemes of garden decor to keep the garden interesting and stimulating.

There are many different garden decor styles with the fantasy land decor as one of the most common. This includes fairies, gnomes, and other imaginary figures and scenes painted on clay or porcelain for decoration. Another very common garden decor is the natural life decor. This style includes the arrangement of statues, fountains, other figures and stepping stones made of various materials set into natural garden scenes. The road or path to heaven is also very popular which features very heavy religious undertone and a remembering of those who have gone before us.  You can choose one of these styles of garden decor or mix and match them any way you like to create the garden of dreams.

The garden itself can be greatly enhanced by the addition of garden ornaments. Such garden decor can often be set right into the landscaping without disturbing the existing garden; or they can be placed in an area where nothing seems to grow. There is so much that can be done with garden decor that it is little wonder that it is so popular with those who have gardens.