Ornamental products add color
Even a well-manicured lawn or a weed-free garden can be spruced up with ornamental products.
Meghan Pohl of Quality Gardens in Adams Township said ornamental products are a way to introduce color into your property. For example, she has a bright purple bench that would be both functional and decorative.
"Color is in. Neutrals are out," Pohl said.
She said many of this year's products are nature themed.
"Anything nature related is the big thing," she said.
Customers can choose from garden stakes, statues, mobiles and wall art among other items. Pohl said a homeowner can plan on spending anywhere from $15 to $60.
To keep an outdoor collection from crossing the line into tacky, she suggests sticking to a theme.
"You can have eclectic taste as long as you have a color theme," she said.
The color might not be a paint color though, she said. For example, it could be a cast iron, rustic look.
She also said to pick one large focal point. That might be seating or a large piece of statutory, she said. It could be simply ornamental, or something that has a functional aspect such as a windmill that doubles as a trellis.
Ed Hartman of Stoney Hollow Nursery in Worthington said he brings in unique stones from the mountains of West Virginia to his nursery. He also ships lots of the stones to customers in Washington, D.C.These stones are weatherized and come in a variety of hues from red to gray. They are covered in lichen and moss."If you look at them in the sun, there are small sparkles," he said.The stones can be used in landscaping, retaining walls, decorations, and even inside a house, Hartman said.The stones, which are sold by the pound, come in sizes one person can lift to ones so large a machine is needed to lift, he said.Hartman said when considering ornamental products for lawns and gardens, homeowners should not overlook plants like dogwood and rhododendron.While the outdoor season at nurseries has got off to a slow start because of the large snowfall and now saturated ground, Hartman expects weeping plants will be popular this year."Things that bloom, that's what most popular," he said.He said crimson maples and Japanese red maples also are big sellers.A trend to use dwarf Alberta spruces as decorations in landscapes had died off because of the tree's tendency to become infested with red spiders. Hemlocks are facing a similar fate because of a damaging aphid-like insect that is working its way here from the Allegheny Mountains.Mostly, customers looking for ornamental plants are looking for convenience, he said."Everybody loves low-maintenance," he said.
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