Desert Gardner: Accessorizing your landscaping
There are many ways to liven up your landscaping. These will depend both on the type of landscaping and personal preferences.
A typical front lawn can be successfully dressed up with a fountain or statue. It can be informally accessorized with a huge rock or two in the center. Or with cute, little figures. There are many varieties of these. I have seen various animals of different sizes; many are deer or dogs and kittens. Some front yards are decorated with a raised garden, circular or square, with flowers to brighten up the green lawn.
A stony front yard can be dressed up with a cactus or two to break up the monotony of all the desert-looking stone. Another common way to vary the desert look is to place different-looking stones to make an illusion of a dry wash in the desert and then adding cacti or other features. Some of these yards have flowing, wavy lines dividing stony areas with desert plants of several kinds from beautiful, grassy areas
Several years ago I saw a yard in an expensive California area done as a desert landscape. This was memorable because within the stony stream-looking area flowing through the center was a broken down half of a rowboat. It gave the illusion of sinking in a river. Other desert accessories that can be placed around the area include animal skulls (fake ones are available), large rocks, broken jugs, “abandoned” tin cans and other things that a prospector or wagon train may have left behind. Your imagination can be your guide.
Your backyard can be just as well-themed as the front, the same or different type. That's your private, family area. Even mix up the types you use, if you wish. Smaller areas may work out best with a single theme or at most two. Again we can use a grassy area with flowers in gardens, or a partial, or full, desert area as mentioned for the front landscaping. Your accessorizing could be similar to the front or completely different.
I have seen ads for many different small figures that can be used. Many of the small figures are children in different sizes and activities. By a backyard pool, a boy and/or girl fishing could look really relaxing. Do you fish? Small bridges of many types are available to span the water or provide the illusion of a stream over grass in the open area. There are figures of all ages sitting on benches to be placed in the garden.
Of course, there are fairies, angels, gnomes and trolls that can be purchased to use. One catalog even has a 24-inch-high Statue of Liberty that could be used in the front or backyard. Or would you rather have an Uncle Sam figure? Flags? Flamingos and other birds, large and small, are available, too.
Other cute accessories include lighthouses, troll cottages, decorative birdhouses, butterflies of all sizes and both solar-powered luminous and not, a skunk in front of his outhouse, castles and various wind chimes to hang up, both to be decorative and, in a gentle breeze, to provide a gentle, musical melody.
Many of these and the bird figures are solar-powered lights, too. Of course, there are solar-powered lamps to light up the pathway in the front yard or the back. The latest item out is an owl figure that is a solar-powered bug zapper.
The list is endless. There will probably be more things out by the time this article appears in the column. Let your imagination be your guide in accessorizing your landscaping areas. It can be great fun.
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Beverly Peterson is a Master Gardener and member of Yuma Garden Club. She can be reached at ptrsnbvrly@localnet.com. Members of the Federated Garden Clubs of Yuma write articles for this column.
