be able to see more than one decorative element (non growing, "junk", "things") at a time. This sort of describes my woods, front and formal garden. In those places it is the plants that are the most important.

In the front I have grouped the "things" together, more like a vignette. On my porch and in each flower bed on both sides of the front door. You can not see each grouping until you walk up to them.

I like my woods to not be cluttered but have special things tucked in spots where people don`t expect them.

In my woods I have an angel urn just 3 by 4 inches that I used nail glue to put at eye level on a tree that is covered with euyonmous. I also have angel windchimes and bells tucked into a yew. You can`t see the chimes but you can hear them.

In my cottage garden and secret garden anything goes.

Hoo, boy...
Everywhere you look on our patio garden...you see "junk." We are haphazard, disorganized and eccentric.... with NO plan!
A true nightmare for a formal gardener!

well, i personally think that eccentric is much better than stiff and formal. but that is just me.

LOL! It must be my inability to make decisions but I like both.

I think in my garden I use flowers to accentuate my junk.

I love all my garden statues, and decorative things.....wouldn't have it any other way......that's me though......everyone tells me my house is like a garden because I have so many plants, and floral arrangements, and vines everywhere inside......that's how I am....that's what makes me comfortable.....luckily inside and out I have free control of the spaces...my husband doesn't mind all the floral stuff......If he did he'd be in trouble cause I love it!!!

I'm always buying little cute things to tuck into corners of the garden.....peeking out of flowers and whatnot.....

Rue,

I love the idea of things tucked away...little surprises that greet you as you walk through a garden.

Yeah, me too,
like hoses, hoe's, kids balls, hoses, and trucks,
and gardening carts and did I mention hoses!!!

One thing about the formal garden with the restrained placing of non-growing ornaments, it is very peaceful and calming.

I love to sit out there and unwind. And the upkeep is just minimal so when I am sitting out there I don`t feel like I need to be working on the garden, just enjoying it.

Really it is a more relaxed formal because it is in the shade. Something about the shade being more relaxing than a formal garden in the sun.

LOL! I was taking my neice and nephew on a tour around my yard. One is a true gardener, one is a want to be gardener in a condo. When we (the true gardener and I) started talking about the way the dark of the woods accentuates the whiteness of the hydrangea that sits at the edge of the woods the condo niece rolled her eyes and said OK I`m outta here.

OK I can see some of you rolling your eyes!!

rue what are the plants you have in the center of the sections incercling the center piece of your button. I like them a lot. Would you suggest growing one in Canada, ontario area if it was brought inside for the winter? If you want my opinion on the aranging of non-living things I would say the closer you are to having your yard in an actual forest the less non-living things you can put to keep a ballence. In my case where I'm living if I had something as beautiful and peacefull as you button in my little yard everything around it would annoy me! I just don't think it would work with power lines in the background buzzing . In my opinion also I think the smaller the area the more focal points are created exp... in your forest each garden is like it's own little world and each one can be treated as a point of interest/or focal point. In my yard if it was a single focal point(meening it's the size of one of your gardens ) the eye would be drawn into the infinit which starts with a fence, other peoples roofs, power lines, parked cars and it makes it seem like its surounded by junk! Thier in you need more FOCAL JUNK to create a balence.

I think you means the myrtle.

In the big pot are daffodils in spring then during the summer gooseneck, coleus, impatiens, diffenbachia and spathiphyllum.

The pot sits in a bed of myrtle. Then there is the brick path that is ringed by the hosta pearl lakes.

Each corner has the hosta siboldiana elegans, royal standard, a native heuchra with a green flower, wild ginger and trillium.

The outside hedge is boxwood.

When we moved in the bricks were there and nothing else, just weeds and grass.

In the winter I have a green metal tree that had green lights on it stuck in the pot. I took mini multicolored, big multicolored, big white, big round parly multicolored and little white and add those to the same tree. It lights up the whole back yard it is so cool.

Oh I like that poem! Thanks!

Just to be more specific it's on the out side of the circle path and in between the paths coming into the circle. It has the big round leaves with the white flowers! My first explanation wasn't very good, sorry. Hope this one is.
Ps. Glad you liked the poem!

That is the hosta sieboldiana elegans they are about 2 1/2 - 3 feet tall and about 3 - 3-1/2 feet in diameter. These plants are 15 years old. I have taken starts off of them and gotten seedlings from them.

Can they be growen as house plants up here? Whats thier growth rate? I'd like to get one, very pretty!

They can be used as houseplants but will deteriorate if they don`t go through a dormant period.

Three years growing outdoors gives you a good size plant.

What zone are you in?

The description of your garden/woods reminded me of an art exhibit I saw in a park last summer. There was all sorts of new art scattered through this woodsy park near Cologne, Germany. My favorite exhibit was this one where there was a series of door-frames (wood) set up over the path...they were perhaps 6-12 inches apart. Hanging from them were strands (about 3 inch wide) of white cloth which hung nearly to the ground. When you walk through the doorways it feels like walking through clouds, and THEN! you hear this tinkling noise...little bells attached here and there on the strands of white cloth.

It was truely heavenly.

Just thought I would share that.
:rolleyes:
~Amie

I'm with rue, I like a bit of both.

Oh Muskrat what a cool idea.