Landscape Amenities

Sometimes when I talk about landscaping, I fail to mention the many amenities available in addition to shrubs, trees and flowers. Selecting the right amenities for your yard is a matter of determining your tastes. Amenities don't have to be unusually expensive. It isn't necessary to use bronze sculpture, handmade statues, gazebos, ponds and special lighting fixtures unless, of course, you wish to do so. Generally, though, you should plan amenities just as you planned your entire landscape. Sit down with your favorite beverage - for me it's a pot (not a cup) of coffee - and list what you like and what, if anything, will be appropriate in each area.

There is no sense in adding something that doesn't contribute to the overall theme in your yard. Don't build a wall that isn't necessary, for example. If you don't plan to sit in a gazebo, why build one. Forcing projects into your landscape can create unattractive combinations. Take it slowly. Once you've decided which amenities you like, select them carefully.

Amenities should satisfy a need in your landscape plan. If your goal in the front yard is to call attention to the front door, a gazing globe - those reflective colored balls that sit on what looks like a bird bath base - will not necessarily add appropriate visual interest and even detract from the entry where carefully chosen paint color would be sufficient. Gazing globes are enjoying renewed interest, but perhaps should be used in the backyard to call attention to a far corner. Sculpture comes in many forms, sizes and shapes and from many sources. Many people are purchasing large, properly glazed, works from students at art schools or a local artist to use in their landscape setting.

Statues can add an attractive attention-seeking piece to a landscape composition. I have copper statues of two cranes that work nicely in a bed surrounded by a rose bush on one side and an espalier on the other. When those plants are in bloom, the cranes take a back seat, but during other parts of the year, they add interest to the bed where there would otherwise be none.
You can extend your investment in amenities with outdoor night lighting. If you are considering sculpture, statues, a gazebo or pond, consider illumination as well.

I think the key in outdoor lighting is subtlety. You want to light you patio, gazebo or feature well enough to accommodate viewing and/or to avoid stumbling in the night, but not so bright that you can read. You may want a set of floodlights that can be turned on for a special gathering (or security) or if you do want to read outdoors at night, but it should be on a separate switch form your decorative lights. Lights can be placed on a timer system that can illuminate your surrounding without you having to remember to turn them off or on. Photocells are available to turn on the lights at dusk and off again at dawn. If you don't want the lights on all night, you can use built-in timers to turn them off.

Lights can be as enchanting in the winter as well as on a warm summer evening. Lights flickering off the snow really give your surroundings a year-round elegance.
Another way to grace your home year-round is to invite birds into your yard with feeders, baths and birdhouses. These items, themselves, can add a lot to a landscape plan, but the most important is the added enjoyment of watching the birds that come into your yard.

Adding unique amenities to your landscape plan should start with functional considerations. Remember that each piece should function as an individual or in a setting as well as adding to the "whole."