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Landscaping Ideas: 5 Easy Tips for Adding Fun and Humor to Your Backyard

One of the best ways to add your own personal signature to your garden is to infuse a little humor. Here are some helpful tips for creating a fun backyard that lightens your spirit and makes you chuckle.

Choose Comical Garden Art . Look around and you will find all kinds pieces sure to give you a laugh. It could be as simple as a silly bronze frog sun tanning on a lily pad to put by your pond, or as wild as pair of concrete ruby red sparkly “Wizard of Oz’ Dorothy shoes that would look cute peeking out of some greenery.

One of the funniest pieces I’ve ever seen was “Smoking Joe” - a custom chainsaw carved face of a rough, cigar smoking homeowner, made from a tree stump.

Include Whimsical Garden Ornaments That Bring Back Memories These can be memories of a special time in your life, a special person or pet. One amusing backyard I visited was themed after the homeowner’s childhood memories of growing up in England. It had fairies of every type peeking out from behind the greenery. There was a spot to play hopscotch and marbles, and the owner had built a gigantic size chess set made of patio tones and two foot high wood carved chess pieces!

In another yard, a landscaper incorporated a very original backyard design idea. Guests got a giggle out of a miniature toy train that carried drinks from the bar area, through the garden to poolside lounges.

Add Color

A small burst of color in any part of your yard sends a lighthearted message. Imagine an electric blue mosaic birdbath in a formal yellow rose garden, or bright red Adirondack chairs in a rustic all brown yard. Group two or three items of the same color together for an even more lively punch of fun.

. Place Everyday Objects in the Garden . Let your imagination run wild! Take serious edge out of backyard by including unusual objects that make you look twice. I’ve seen all kinds of crazy things used as garden décor like: Old rubber boots planted with flowers, a Victorian wire headboard, a dressmaker’s dummy, dishes and teapots, and even an antique bathtub!

Showcase a Collection

Displaying your favorite things is another way to add some playfulness to your yard. Unusual antique garden tools hung on a wooden fence gives guests something fun to look at and talk about. A collection of unique lanterns arranged on a patio table, or grouping of wire insects arranged in a flowerbed are sure to put a smile on your face.

Finally, if your sense of humor runs on the wild side, why not express that in your backyard with an old favorite- a Pink Flamingo or even a whole gaggle of them!

Sure they’re campy and tacky, but that’s the whole point. They’re the ultimate way of showing that your backyard is the place to have fun and you’re somebody who knows there’s no point in taking life too seriously!

Deborah Boland © 2006 All Rights Reserved

Deborah Boland is the host of the popular HGTV Canada TV series, Backyard Pleasures and author of Backyard Pleasures: 7 Simple Steps to Transform Your Ho-Hum Backyard into a Breathtaking Oasis. Sign up for her FREE e-course 7 Secrets to Creating Gorgeous Garden Rooms at www.backyardpleasures.com & or visit her blog at www.backyardpleasuresblog.com

Small garden bridges have become an all-time favorite form of garden decor. They add just the right touch that will turn a mediocre garden into something quite splendid.

This small structure is an ancient design that has been used across the ages for foot traffic and decoration, and it goes by many descriptive names: Foot bridge, ornamental bridge, landscape bridges, timber bridge, oriental bridge, Japanese bridge and garden bridge are just a few.

Small garden bridges are gently arched structures that span lengths from 5 feet to 20 feet, and are usually about 3 feet wide. Some bridges feature a flat platform.

The simplest garden bridge is the arched or flat plank structure without hand or side rails. More decorative garden bridges are built with ornamental and functional posts and side rails. Some side rails are specifically designed to protect children and other pedestrians; other side rails are strictly for decoration.

Garden landscaping bridges are not just for large, elaborate gardens. Many gardens that are small in size are large in beauty simply because garden bridges have been added in just the right places. Used over a small stream, rough terrain or even a little pond, bridges can add a wonderful, new dimension to any garden.

With such popularity, small garden bridges are easy to find. Garden centers and home improvement depots carry them, and one of the best places to find and compare garden bridges is online. Most bridges are shipped requiring some assembly.

How To Select Small Garden Bridges

Choosing the right garden bridge is easy with just a little planning. Look at the space you have and decide where a bridge would fit in. Consider more than one area and then choose your favorite. Always measure the area you intend your bridge to span.

When you measure the distance you want an arched garden bridge to reach across, you need to know exactly how long the bridge will span. Measure the actual span length of the distance you wish to cover and not the arch length. Some bridge builders may sell an “8 foot bridge” but it will actually only span about 6 or 7 feet.

Make sure the bridge is made of weather and water resistant wood, or sealed and stained wood. Most small garden bridges are constructed of cedar, teak, pressure treated pine, spruce, redwood, and birch planks and posts. You can also find garden bridges made with an attractive steel frame with wooden planks. The construction of the bridges should also use only stainless steel or galvanized hardware such as bolts, washers, nuts and screws.

Try to find a garden bridge that is very easily assembled with only a few tools required. Find out if the manufacturer numbered and labeled each board, each post and rail - so when it’s time to assemble it, you just match the numbers and put in the screws and tighten.

For Do-It-Yourselfers, building a small garden bridge is a great project. Garden foot bridge plans are always available at the same places you can find the actual bridges for sale.

Small garden bridges can be used in a host of garden and landscape settings. As a foot bridge over a stream, or as a decorative accent through a large flower bed, these simple structures instill a functional and captivating charm.

Copyright 2006 Robert Mosse

Robert Mosse is a gardening and lawn care specialist and author of the “Easy” Lawn and Gardening Book Series. Visit Robert at www.lawn-and-gardening-tips.com for great, hands-on gardening information.

Landscape lighting can add a beautiful quality to any home. There are many choices available to someone who is considering it. Landscape lighting, and any outdoor lighting, can help protect a home as well as keep people from stumbling in the yard. Mainly, people purchase landscape lighting to enhance the appearance of their yard or landscaping.

There are many types of landscape lighting. You can purchase low voltage landscape lighting is recommended if you are interested in conserving energy. Another option to conserving energy is solar landscape lighting. Solar, or from the sun, is powered from the suns rays. It stores energy during the day while the sun is out and then, at night, when it is dark, they are lit using this saved energy. They give off a faint glow that really can light up a little area or large area. These types of outdoor landscape lighting can be great ways to light your yard cost efficiently.

If you are considering doing work on your landscaping, consider landscape lighting design. Designing a beautifully light yard can be tough work, but there are professionals that can help you. For example, something that can be done is light a walkway to the front steps to your home or line the driveway with lights from the street to your garage. Maybe you would prefer to focus your lights on a single bush or tree that is special in some way or to shine on a flag.

When considering landscape lighting, ensure that you think of safety first. Consider speaking with a professional to help you design what you would like your yard to look like. Consider as well using energy efficient landscape lighting such as solar or low voltage. Landscape lighting can add beauty and charm to a home when it is done properly and safely.

About The Author

Mike Yeager, Publisher

http://www.a1-lighting-4u.com/

mjy610@hotmail.com

If you are put off building a pond because it looks difficult, then think again. With some readily available information and instructions, the installation of a water garden can be as simple as digging a hole.

Since most soil is unable to hold water, some sort of retainer is necessary to stop the water from escaping. Some landscapers have chosen to build a pond using concrete, but this can be extremely difficult work. A rubber EPDM liner can also be utilized, but a liner pond requires much preliminary design work. The use of a preformed pond is cost-effective, and it allows you to build a pond without the hassle of pre-planning the design of your pond. Preformed pond shells are made out of plastic in various customized shapes. If you are building a pond for the first time and have no firm idea of the shape of pond, the preformed pond is your ideal choice.

There are many preformed rock pond shells in the market, but these tend to be extremely large and cumbersome. However, one manufacturer, Algreen Products Inc., has recently introduced a new granite flexible rock pond kit that can fold up and fit in a small box. The new folding rock pond includes 3 built-in plant shelves, is weather-resistant, and is able to withstand extreme temperatures from 0 F to 105 F. Each pond shell features textured ridges, which are strategically placed to allow beneficial bacteria to form growth colonies, which significantly reduces algae-buildup in the pool.

Currently, there are two sizes of granite pond shells available from GardenSuperMart (GardenSM.com): a 144 gallon shell, and a 72 gallon shell. They both come complete with everything you need for your backyard water gardening project: the preformed pond, a matching streamlet, a submersible pump, fountain heads, tubing and clamps, and a free SuperGlo underwater light. For more information about these kits, please go to http://www.gardensupermart.com/buypond/pics/granite_preformed.html.

About the Author

Gerry Fung is the Vice President of Northbridge Products Inc.