Give your outdoors some personality with ornaments

The little details are essential — every good decorator knows this. Great mirrors, dynamic artwork, that quirky arrangement of objects on a mantel are what bring a room to life.

The same goes for an outdoor space. If you have a garden that lacks ornament, all you've got is a bunch of plants.

Outside, accessories can add structure, texture, drama and wit. Think of a bench beckoning at the end of a path, a statue semi-shrouded in foliage, a fountain bubbling on a patio, a gate that suggests more green delights beyond.

"Ornaments are something that can really reflect your personality in a garden," says Inta Krombolz, who has spent nearly 30 years turning her three-acre West Chester, Pa., property into an award-winner.

Even more than the plants you choose, perhaps, "(the objects) you put in your garden say a lot about you," Krombolz says.

Plenty of history

Ancient Egyptians accented their green spaces with pools, pergolas and trees in earthenware pots. The Romans, with their villa gardens full of statues and columns, took the concept even further. And later, Europeans turned ornamental gardening into high art.

Books on garden decoration

"Garden Ornaments" by E. Ashley Rooney (Schiffer Books).

"On Garden Style" by Bunny Williams (Simon & Schuster).

"Garden Accessories: Designing With Collectibles, Planters, Fountains, & More" by Terri Dunn (Metro Books).

But here in the United States, we've been latecomers to garden decoration. That's because we were mainly a nation of farmers until the last century, says Elizabeth Schumacher, owner of Garden Accents in West Conshohocken, Pa.

"If you're growing vegetables to feed yourself, you're not thinking about the garden design you're creating," she says. "Garden ornaments developed as cultures had more time and money for leisure.

"I also think there's a problem with the term," says Schumacher, who launched her business two decades ago. " 'Garden ornament' sounds like 'lawn ornament' to many people."

As in pink plastic flamingos and garden gnomes.

Instead, we're talking about trellises, arbors, strategically placed furniture, even small buildings.

"Ornaments can be structural and functional as well as pretty," Schumacher says.

It's the element of surprise and whimsy that garden ornaments can provide that makes them essential to the design of her garden, Krombolz says.

"I love stone and steel and things that are long-lasting," she says. "And I love color."

Krombolz's lush garden includes salvaged wrought-iron window grates, an old grinding stone and unusual cedar Adirondack chairs made by a craftsman in Virginia. Those chairs recently got a coat of vivid blue paint; so did an array of cement spheres she has arranged in a shade garden.

Keep 'em moving

"Those balls were in the middle of the lawn last year," she says. "I move things around all the time."

You don't need to be an artist to work ornaments into your garden effectively, says Schumacher.

"Go into your house and look out the window," she says. "Or sit on your patio and see what you see. After you've framed a view, you want to think about creating a focal point."

That could be a statue, a bench, a sundial or an arbor. A tiny urban garden might have only one focal point. A suburban spread could have many. Just keep the ornaments spread out and relatively sparing.

"If you have too many things, it's not restful," Schumacher says.

On the other hand, ornaments can also "solve problems and expand a garden's use. An eye-catching bench or convivial arrangement of chairs in a rarely used corner can draw visitors and invite them to linger. The sound of a fountain can mask street noise. A garden mirror can help brighten a dark spot.

And your ornaments needn't hew to the same style. A garden is a great place to indulge an enthusiasm for both Japanese stone lanterns and classical statues — though never near each other, Schumacher says.

"You want them to be in separate areas of the garden."

Beyond adornment, perhaps the most valuable quality ornaments bring to a garden is a sense of permanence.