Accentuate it! That’s what my mother, a retired interior designer, used to say. In other words, there are some things that are best “hidden” by calling attention to the area in some way. Do you have a bare spot in the garden? Put a brightly colored bird bath, potted plant or garden ornament there. Is there a fire hydrant in the front yard? Paint it bright red, orange, pink or all three colors and plant some equally brilliant flowers around it. “Ta-da! Here is the FIRE HYDRANT!” such a planting will say…not to mention make it instantly noticeable should the fire fire department need to find it.
As we clear out gardens in the fall, sometimes they appear barren and this can take some getting used to. A visual problem? Accentuate it! If you have a bench or a couple of nice garden chairs, place them in this area. You don’t have to sit in there…these seats are more sculpture than they are functional furniture. If the seating you choose is a bright color, that’s even better. Since we’re going into the season where it gets dark at 5 PM it can also be cheering to string lights over and around that garden furniture. When you see these with small Christmas lights around them, you will no longer see that empty bed. Instead, you’re mind will say, “Yay! It’s a brightly lit chair!”
Bet you didn’t even see the hose in this garden, right? The gardener used these painted seed heads to call attention to the bare area with soaker hose….which makes both those things it disappear.
