10 easy ways to spruce up your garden

Looking for ways to add some style and flare to your garden without breaking the bank? Here are some easy garden decor tips that can spruce things up on a dime.

Invite guests to stay awhile by hanging a colourful hammock or canvas swing in a corner, or by arranging an iron bench or vibrantly painted Adirondack chairs amid the blossoms.

Use concrete garden ornaments, gazing globes, antique signage, vintage sap buckets and architectural elements to decorate your outdoor digs. Hang a mirror on a fence or garage wall to create a plant-reflecting faux window, or pile gleaming glass orbs in a birdbath.

Group pole-mounted, painted birdhouses in the centre of a border, or suspend a cluster of whimsical bird feeders, wind chimes or ceramic ornaments from tree branches. The visual focus will add interest to your backyard.

Put up a picket or an iron fence; frame your garden beds with decorative wire, bamboo or twig edging. A simple fence creates definition and colourful contrast.

Install chromatic striped awnings over stoops, decks and patios for weather-protective pizzazz that shields from both sun and rain. If you'd prefer something further away from the house, check home improvement centres for easy-to-raise iron gazebo kits that you can cover with mosquito netting to fashion good-looking, pest-free garden retreats.

Lay a gravel, stepping-stone, brick or flagstone path that invites and leads visitors through your gardens to special areas or features of interest, whether it's a flower bed, small pond or garden ornament.

Switch out dated light fixtures, hang attention-grabbing house numbers, lay a pretty welcome mat, mount a new mailbox and paint your front door a dynamic hue.

Punch up your home's facade with a coat of fresh paint on siding and trim; embellish windows with shutters and planting boxes; upgrade concrete steps by resurfacing them with stone or brick veneers.

Bring the sound of cascading water near your outdoor living space; use a pond kit to fashion a small water feature, or simply plug in a ready-made fountain.

Set solar lights along pathways and hang strings of lights through tree branches and shrubbery to keep landscapes lively after the sun sets. Plant a moon garden by incorporating white-blooming roses, moonflower vines, nicotiana and four o'clocks with silvery artemesia and ornamental grasses for an after-dark tableau that shimmers with ghostly hues and spills over with heady fragrance.