| Birdhouses and garden gnomes are fine if you don't | | | | accent the backyard's entrance or arrange them in |
| mind having the same garden decor everyone else | | | | uniform rows. Create your own backyard museum |
| has. If you're looking for a way to express your | | | | piece by standing a topiary on a pedestal. If your |
| unique personal style, though, don't just settle for the | | | | landscape has a more laid-back look, just let the |
| ideas you get from your local home and garden | | | | topiaries grow a little more freely and put them |
| store. Take home a few of these less common | | | | anywhere they fit in. In any garden, topiaries also |
| decor pieces and make your backyard truly your | | | | make attractive "fixtures" for landscape lighting. |
| own. | | | | Sophisticated as they look, small topiaries costs very |
| Gazing globes | | | | little to make. All you need to create one is a pot, a |
| These glass garden accents were popularized during | | | | windng plant like ivy geranium or English ivy, and a |
| the Victorian period when 4-inch hanging balls of | | | | frame such as an upturned tomato cage. |
| either gold or blue were used to scare off witches. | | | | Rain chains |
| Miniature gazing globes are designed to hang in the air | | | | Rain chains, called "kusari doi" in their native Japan, |
| along a garden path or beside a pond. Today's globes | | | | make beautiful and practical backyard decor. Although |
| are typically ten to twelve inches, but globes as small | | | | rain chains have been used for centuries in Japan to |
| as five inches and as large as twenty inches can also | | | | gather water, these days in the west they're used |
| be found. Blue and green globes capture light well, but | | | | primarily for draining water from the roof. However |
| if you want a clear reflection of your backyard, go | | | | they're used, rain cascading down these chains |
| with silver. Warm colors like red or gold work well | | | | makes stormy weather look and sound a little more |
| near seating or above plants of a similar color. Gazing | | | | cheerful. Usually made from copper or stainless steel, |
| globes can be placed directly on the lawn or in a | | | | the chains may be simple interlinked loops or more |
| flowerbed, but they reflect light better if mounted on | | | | fanciful rows of tulip or lily cups. To use a rain chain, |
| a stand. Stands are often works of art in | | | | just remove your downspout and put the rain chain |
| themselves, ranging from classical Greek columns | | | | in its place. To complete the look, place a matching |
| with scrolls and acanthus leaves to whimsical designs | | | | copper rain basin under the chain. |
| with animals, fairies, and other figures. | | | | Miniature fountains and waterfalls |
| Sundials | | | | Would you love to bring the calming sound of running |
| A backyard sundial not only makes a unique | | | | water into your landscape, but don't have room in |
| conversation piece, it's also functional. When installed | | | | your backyard for a full-sized fountain? If so, a |
| correctly, sundials keep quite accurate time. While | | | | tabletop or wall-hanging water feature may be your |
| horizontal sundials are the most common, there are | | | | solution. Self-contained wall-hanging fountains are |
| also vertical sundials that can be hung on a wall. A | | | | easy to install on any sturdy garden wall. For very |
| more unusual design is the reflected ceiling dial. This | | | | small backyards, there are fountains and tiered |
| horizontal sundial uses sun reflected from a mirror to | | | | waterfalls just 15 inches that can be placed on |
| drawn the hour lines on the ceiling. For many home | | | | tabletops or in flowerbeds. Choosing a solar-powered |
| landscapers, though, time telling comes second to | | | | fountain will also save you the trouble of working |
| aesthetic value. In addition to hour lines, the sundial | | | | with electrical wiring. |
| plates are typically enhanced with a design such as an | | | | With these five simple, affordable decor ideas you |
| animal or leaves, and many carry inscriptions. Usually | | | | can liven up your backyard in a single day. Remember |
| the dial's gnomon, or hour hand, is also incorporated | | | | that although you might save a little money buying |
| into the design on the dial plate. | | | | mass-produced items, you'll get higher quality and |
| Topiaries | | | | more unique backyard decor from professional |
| Topiaries--trailing plants grown on wire forms--make | | | | artisans. One-of-a-kind, handmade garden art not only |
| eye-catching backyard decor for both formal and | | | | adds personality to a home's landscape, it can also |
| casual landscapes. For an up-scale look, use several to | | | | become a treasured family heirloom. |