Garden decor includes just about everything in the garden other than the plants and the functional elements. It includes yard decorations, garden sculptures, statues, bird feeder, birdhouses, fountains, and wind chimes, among other decorative accessories. Such accessories can be purchased or handmade. They made be fine art sculptures or collages of found objects. Whether they are bronze statues or old lobster crates, they serve the same purpose-to add interest to the garden area.

Many gardeners use decorative items to establish a theme for their gardens. No one will doubt the gardener’s devotion to everything nautical with old buoys, anchors, and rope tastefully assembled in the garden. Handcrafted sculptures of animals make it clear the homeowners appreciate wildlife and handmade and primitive art. Wagon wheels, horseshoes, and yokes for oxen create a distinctive western theme, whether the garden is in the west or the east.

Pergolas, trellises, and garden gates serve both practical and aesthetic purposes. They help define a space, support plants, control access, and create places to sit. Tastefully placed, they add structure and beauty to the landscape. While very different from these garden structures, steppingstones and garden paths also combine beauty and function. Brick, wood, natural stone, and manufactured stone are popular and readily available materials. Each gives a different feeling, from rustic to refined.

In terms of sensory delights, gardens are best appreciated for their visual appeal and fragrance. You can add the dimension of sound to your garden with fountains. The sound of moving water is at once soothing and stimulating. And you don’t need a lot of space for a water feature. Another way to add sound to your garden is with wind chimes. Like the plants in your garden, wind chimes are a dynamic element in the landscape, ever changing.

The majority of garden plants have a season or two of interest. A maple tree, for example, is exquisite in fall when the leaves are ablaze with colors. Roses are at their best when they are in full bloom in summer. Bulbs and many perennials provide spring color, while most annuals bloom later. Statues and other garden decor items take over where the plants leave off. They don’t distract from or overwhelm the plants; rather they provide interest when the plants are not at their most striking.

In conventional gardening the plants are grown in soil and take their nourishment from the chemical compounds contained within that soil. The hydroponics gardener replaces the soil with a balanced, nutrient rich, solution that the plant can absorb with ease. Because the plant does not have to work so hard to absorb the available nutrients it saves energy which can then be utilized for stronger growth.

Because of this energy saving, plants grown using hydroponics methods outperform conventionally produced plants in both growth and fruit production. Due to the consistent results and good profit margins, more and more commercial growers are turning to hydroponics production. Totally organic production is possible using specially designed organic nutrients, giving excellent, inexpensive, vegetables and herbs.

There are several different types of hydroponics system, but all share the same basic principle of supplying the plants with nutrients and water. The most common systems are:

Water Culture, Aquaculture, or Nutriculture this is a Hydroponics system in which the plant roots are immersed in water containing a complex mixture of dissolved nutrients. A simple example of water culture is the Hyacinth bulb growing in a wine goblet shaped glass, its roots growing down into the hollow goblet stem.

Aggregate Culture in this system a material such as sand, gravel, or marbles supports the plant roots. It is important to note that the support material, unlike soil, does not absorb nutrient. It merely traps it in the spaces between the grains or stones allowing the plant roots to freely take up the liquid.

Continuous Flow Hydroponics Systems in these types of system the nutrient solution flows constantly over the plant roots. This is the most commonly used system for commercial production. Aeroponics this system is one in which the plant roots hang in the air and are misted regularly with a nutrient solution.

There are a number of pre-packaged hydroponics systems available for both the commercial grower and hobbyist. Individuals, who lack building skills, or are inexperienced plant growers, should consider one of these kits as an introduction to hydroponics, a fascinating and challenging hobby. Similar systems can be built at lower cost, however, by those of you who have the expertise.