Accessorize It! Ideas to Beautify Your Landscape

by Nancy Moffett

After the cold and snowy winter we recently experienced, spending time outdoors has taken on a high priority for most folks in the Lehigh Valley. Our outdoor spaces beckon us to lounge, play, entertain, cook… all the things we had to do indoors during those long months.

Whatever type of outdoor space you have – patio, deck or lawn – make the most of it by accessorizing to make it comfy and inviting. Besides the usual plants in pots, there are many products that can liven up your outdoor landscape, both during the day and on balmy summer nights. We asked two Lehigh Valley experts to share their finds and ideas, along with our own discoveries.

Neighbors Home & Garden, Hellertown

When I visited Neighbors Home & Garden just as the outdoor season was getting into swing, there were already many decorative and practical items on display that would enhance any outdoor space. I especially liked a large, pop-up FlowerHouse greenhouse that allows you to get a jump on the growing season. Why wait to start gardening when all chance of frost is gone? You can start seedlings, harden off indoor plants that you’re moving outdoors and use it during the summer months to protect plants from insects and the elements. With screened vents and windows, the Conservatory model on display could double as a screen house with a bistro table and chairs inside for bug-free meals. Especially intriguing is how to assemble and disassemble them. A video demo on flowerhouses.com shows how easy it is to set up these portable greenhouses, and then fold them up for after-season storage.

The Grownomics handcrafted line of raised garden beds and planter boxes allow even the casual gardener the joy of raising their own herbs, vegetables or flowers. The beds and boxes are made of Western Red Cedar and handcrafted in the USA. They can be stained or allowed to weather naturally. Neighbors had a Modular Rustic Garden Wedge on display with X-shaped legs. This attractive piece would fit even on a small condo or apartment balcony… anywhere you want to add some greenery. They slide together easily without tools and are great for people with back or mobility issues. (gronomics.com)

Whatever type of outdoor space you have — patio, deck or lawn — make the most of it by accessorizing to make it comfy and inviting.

Also found at Neighbors was a display of wrought iron garden products from Deer Park Ironworks. Trellisses, arbors, topiaries, windmills, bakers’ racks, planters and armillary spheres have a durable, powder-coated finish in Natural Patina. “Resin fades,” explains Glenn Panick, owner of Neighbors. “These USA-made products will last season after season with minimal care.”

How about setting aside an outside corner for a collection of animal sculptures from Set in Stone? These stone-bodied, metal-featured chicks, horses, peacocks and cranes will add a touch of whimsy to any outdoor space.

Songbird Essentials offers the Gord O line of bird houses painted up as ladybugs, chickens, pigs, cats, cows and birds, etc. They’re hand carved from albesia wood, a renewable resource, and hand-painted with non-toxic paints, and then coated with polyurethane to protect them from the elements. These cheerful bird houses add color to your landscape while providing a safe, cleanable environment for raising a new generation of backyard birds.

Panick pointed out that garden spinners are popular additions to outdoor décor. They can range in height up to 84 inches in styles from modern to more traditional. I first admired these pinwheel wind sculptures a few years ago in Utah and Colorado, and I’m glad they’ve made it to our area. He also likes wind chimes hanging off stakes such as a shepherd’s hook to add soothing sounds to your landscape.

Pharo Garden Centre, Bethlehem

Vicky Leister, co-owner of Pharo Garden Centre, says solar-powered decorations are popular with her customers. Birds, frogs, lady bugs or dragonflies can be placed around the garden or hung from hooks to give a nice evening glow.

They also carry a line of wrought iron products, such as trellises, arches and hanging planters, from Panasea and many styles and subjects of cast stone statuary, bird baths and benches from Campania. “I like Soji lanterns in different colors strung around patios and porches to add a festive touch,” Leister says. She also recommends oil lamps with colored glass globes burning mosquito-repelling products on a patio table to make nighttime dining comfortable and festive.

And more…

I’ve fallen in love with L.L. Bean’s lounger with built-in footrest. While it resembles the traditional Adirondack chair, it’s practically indestructible… made in the USA of recycled plastic. And, it comes in five different colors. I wish I had space for one in my small yard.

Ten-inch diameter art glass flowers on metal stakes found in a Whatever Works catalog would be beautiful grouped together or scattered in a planting bed. Appearing in the same catalog, glazed ceramic garden seats make great side tables or extra seating for guests.

Gardeners.com has a stunning line of solar illuminated planters that are frosted white by day, but glow from within at night in either a single color or changing colors. They come in various heights in a contemporary design and look great
in multiples.

A quick walk through Plow & Hearth at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley yielded a glowing starburst on a stake, a metal moose fan, a crouching dragon sculpture with a solar pearl, a Pigasus flying pig recycled metal side table and a galvanized steel and mango wood drink tub with a lid that would be terrific for weekend picnics. Balcony railing planters, fiber optic solar lights, morning glory accent lights, outdoor rugs, rainbow bottle brush trees all struck my fancy with a few Google searches.

When shopping for outdoor accessories, look for something that speaks to your sense of color, design or whimsy… something that will make you smile year after year when you bring them out in the spring.

From the many places I’ve lived over the years, my favorite outdoor items are the macramé hammock I knotted from a kit way back in the 1970s (yes, it’s still in good shape) and a three-foot-tall resin Happy Hoi Toi laughing Buddha I searched high and low for when we moved to our present home. Every spring I look forward to seeing Hoi Toi standing on a rock near our deck amidst a bed of ferns, arms upraised in joy to match the grin on his face. He and the hammock hanging nearby say “Summertime is here” to me. What will your favorite outdoor accessories say to you?