Enjoy your garden; you've worked enough
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- May 23, 2010
- 481
You might consider a bench. They call them garden benches for a reason. A place to sit and ponder can be something as simple as a tree stump or a more elaborate wooden or iron bench. Wicker-looking benches made from resin or recycled materials are great too, but I don't recommend cushions. Despite what all the magazines and TV shows say, they still get wet, they still get moldy and birds target them with great accuracy.
Lights in the garden can be nice and they allow you to enjoy the space even after the sun has disappeared. There are many solar lights available that require no wiring and no electricity. You might consider lighting the paths between raised beds or spotlights on favorite plants. The garden is a very different place at night, and as darkness falls, we tend to forget it's even there.
Adding a bird bath to the garden will benefit in many ways. Birds are beneficial in keeping pests away, including insects and also bring with them their charming character and song. Birds do not like a bath in full sun or full shade, so positioning your bird bath in a location that is somewhere in between will be more attractive to them. If you start with a clean bird bath adding lavender flowers, not leaves, to the water will keep it from getting slimy. If your bird bath does get dirty I recommend using a wire brush to clean it. Bleach works, but it can be harmful to both the birds and the watershed. Changing the water in the bath every few days makes it easy to keep it clean and a regular stop for the birds that live in or frequent your yard.
My garden actually contains an old tombstone. It's a long story, but I can assure you the only thing buried beneath it is good old Ohio clay soil, another reason my raised beds are a good thing. Adding statuary to the garden is not just pleasant to view, it also provides a perch for birds and beneficial insects. My garden gloves have topped the tips of the wings on the angel statue more than once to dry out after I insisted on working in too wet soil.
Fences are almost a necessity in gardens for keeping critters out, but they can be decorative as well. At times, the prettier fences are cost prohibitive but adding a piece here and a piece there, it might only take a few summers to surround the perimeter. As gardeners, we must think to the future, as we know instant gratification is unheard of in this endeavor.
One day I will add a gate to my garden…and not just any gate. It will match the beautiful bell on the back porch my husband bought me several years ago. I ring it to alert our daughter and the dogs that supper is ready and it's time to come in. The matching gate is way out of our price range, so I will imagine how glorious it will look while I sit, doing nothing… in the garden.