The garden gnome, concrete animals, rusted metal ornaments, and other such items adorning gardens of today, are they beautifying the garden? This is an individual gardener's opinion, some have great ideas and others with, well, not so good ideas.

The garden gnome, sometimes accompanied by his family, or wishing wells, have been found in gardens for years, protecting the proverbial buried treasure of the house owner. These, presenting an unassuming demeanour, neatly tucked within the confines of a special area of the garden, are enhancements. When presented as major features, placed on lawns well away from the flowerbeds, they take on the scenes of naïveté. This is a my opinion and not that of a major landscape architect.

These little fellows look good when surrounded by ground covers, or low growing shrubbery, even when their position includes the use of white or coloured pebbles. Scenes on the internet, and pictures of the dwarfs with smatterings of snow covering their upper portions, give rise to thoughts of Christmas, in the minds of those of us not blessed with such occurrences.

Now the tendency in the southern portions of Africa is to enhance the garden with concrete images of wild animals. These, if correctly painted, can become images of patency enclosed in a feature within the garden, like wise, they can easily be used on lawns. After all, most would be found in that very posture in their natural habitat. The not so well coloured depictions of the natural animal, avoid them. But, and it is a very big BUT, the placing in the garden of a live size Zebra, constructed of fibre glass, can never be approved as a garden enhancement. Unless featured in a huge garden on a farm, or in a game reserve setting, where there is a possibility of natural territorial occurrence.

Another item of garden enhancement, the rusted metal ornament, depicting differing bird species. These seen in many gardens, normally placed deep within the confines of flowerbeds, unassuming in their depiction of the real thing. These have a special place in a gardener's heart, portraying the type of bird they want in their surrounds. Yet due to the rusty colouring, never presume to detract the eye of the admirer from the colours of the garden. They can definitely be used in most gardens, big or small, as reminders of their live counterparts circulating in their natural habitat.

To those considering the placing of a garden ornament, deliberate the type, size and colouring. Will it enhance the garden, attract the attention to a special feature, or even improve the colouring within the planted area? Give careful thought to how it will fit into the surrounds, and will it become a feature, or have a nullifying effect on the garden.