. .
Take the Quiz
Spring Refresh Bundle
A frog as a joyful feature at The Frick Collection Museum - Garden Design Stories

Spice Up Your Garden With Joyful Features

diy garden projects garden design basics

With little joyful features, I don't mean focal points, you know. I'm talking about the tiny little things that only you know to be hidden in your garden and which people might overlook at first glance.

Or something that works beside a central focal point that gathers all the attention first. A fun not-so-obvious detail can make even an elaborate garden area feel personal and give it the final touch.

 

Joyful Garden Features in Action

Have you ever visited the Frick Collection in Henry Clay Frick House at 1 East 70th Street, in New York? There is a famous inner courtyard called The Garden Court. It used to be an open carriage court of the residence.

When the residence was renovated to be a museum, John Russell Pope designed it into this elegant courtyard that reminds of Roman atriums.
It is gorgeous - the stylish fountain, ornate pool, lush planting, and high glass ceiling — with the sounds of dripping water.

 

 

However, what makes it so charming, are two little happy frogs in the pool that sprout water from their mouths towards the pool's center.

The frogs are tiny features in a glamorous court. They are not the ones you notice first. Still, the frogs are the thing that makes the whole courtyard so lively. THEY put a smile on your face.

We all need some fun. And joyful details delight you in your garden every day.

So you're ready to try?

 

3 Tips to Choose and Place Joyful Garden Features

 

#1 Add a tiny sculpture or other feature into your garden

It can be something very small or natural, like the frogs in the Frick Collection. Or a little naturally rusted, metal bird in the planting area among evergreen in our garden.

What would you like to add to your garden? Would it be an animal figure, a bird, or a fairy?

 

 

 

#2 Choose a surprising or slightly unnoticeable place

It's good to distinguish that you are not placing a focal point now. This tiny feature is a supporting actress or actor in your garden play. Or maybe it only has a cameo role to play. You know the part that surprises you and gives the joy of recognizing the familiar person, or in this case, your lovely little secret creature.

 

 

#3 Maintain the hiding place, or change it occasionally

Your garden is a living thing. If you place your fun garden detail among the vegetation, you need to maintain the plants so that the place is suitable for it through the seasons.

As the fun features are often pretty small, they can travel. To keep the surprising joy fresh, you can change its' place. In that way, you won't get too used to this tiny feature and start overlooking it. Let it surprise you, and enjoy your garden's hidden secret.

 

There you have it - three tips on how to choose and place the joyful feature in your garden. Did you already decide what your garden's little secret would be?

 

 

 

 

WHAT'S YOUR GARDEN DESIGN STYLE?

Turn your Pinterest board full of garden dreams into reality with a set of solid guidelines to follow. It takes only 3 minutes, but the results will serve you for a lifetime.

TAKE THE QUIZ