by Dawn E Denmar

Created on: September 24, 2010

Gardens are natural environments and nothing looks better in a garden than natural ornamentation from mother nature herself. Why pay out a fortune for expensive garden ornaments or statuary, when there is an abundance within nature that can be used to decorate the garden?

* Rocks

Any hiking or walking trips into the mountains provide the opportunity to pick up rocks for free. Rocks can be used for a variety of purposes in the garden. You can make a rockery with them and use alpine plants to soften the hard outlines of the stones or you can use them individually within flower borders to highlight plants or shrubs. Look around for unusually shaped or colored rocks which will complement the decor in your existing garden. Nothing looks better than the stark shapes and shades of natural rock against a backdrop of greenery or flowering plants. Rocks can also be used to create centerpiece decorations on patios or decking.

* Shingle, pebbles, gravel

Consider collecting large amounts of shingles, pebbles or even gravel which can be used to add decorative finishes to garden borders, flower beds or containers and pots. Pebbles and shingle look great edging ponds, pathways or surrounding water features.

* Shells

Shells are another great natural material which can make great additional garden decor. The different colors and textures of the shells make them ideal to use for decorating gardens. Again they complement water features extremely well or can be glued over concrete ornaments for a different appearance altogether.

* Wood

Natural wood is another great material to use within the garden environment. If you have contacts in logging or farming you could try to obtain a piece of a felled tree. The shape, colors and texture of the bark look great and natural tree trunks lend themselves for making unusual garden bench seats. The wood can be cleaned up or even coated with varnish to protect it.

Pieces of bleached driftwood are also ideal garden ornamentation for a stark look. The naturally bleached wood in different shapes can make stunning focal points or contrasting colors in the garden flower border. Some pieces of driftwood are naturally ornamental, giving the appearance of bony fingers or strangely contorted figures and they can make an ideal ornamental centerpiece for a decorative display.

All of these naturally occurring materials can be picked up for free when you are out and about. Of course, it can take a while to build up a decent collection of materials but half of the fun of this exercise is the knowledge that all the garden decor has been individually collected and displayed.

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