How to decorate your garden
A garden that looks styled in April must still be waterable in June. Decorate in this order: circulation, shade, planting, then objects.
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How to plan the space
- Mark a straight path from door to the place you actually sit. Decor that blocks that path will be hated within a week.
- Add shade before furniture — a sail, umbrella or pergola. Unshaded metal chairs become unusable after 11 a.m.
- Group planters in odd numbers and keep one height family so the edge looks designed.
- Use outdoor-rated fabrics and rust-resistant frames. Indoor cushions die in one monsoon.
Why cheap garden decor disappoints
Thin plastic pots bleach, thin metal rusts, and unweighted lanterns blow over. Indian summers cook dark pots; terracotta breathes but dries fast. Buy fewer, heavier pieces. A stone-look planter and one good bench beat twelve novelty items.
Planting that behaves like decor
- Structure: money plant on a trellis, areca, snake plant, ixora, hibiscus, dwarf foxtail palm where frost is not an issue.
- Colour: seasonal marigold, pentas, bougainvillea on a sunny wall.
- Pots: one material (terracotta or fibre-clay) in two sizes looks calmer than mixed cartoon colours.
Finish with lighting from the outdoor lighting section — warm path lights and one uplight on the best tree.