12 Best Garden Decor Ideas for 2021

New Year, New Garden Decor. That's how the saying goes, right? From DIY bird baths to whimsical wind chimes, we're unveiling a dozen great garden decor ideas right here on the Happy Gardens blog. Whether you're sprucing up the front porch, elevating your backyard or simply adding some finishing touches to your outdoor space, we've got the garden decoration inspiration and ideas you've been searching for.

So, without further ado, here are our top twelve ideas for outdoor garden decoration:

1. Invest in the right outdoor plants

While properly landscaping your garden isn't technically the same as decorating your garden, it's equally (if not more!) important. That's because the right greenery lays the foundation for the rest of your outdoor space's ambience. Sure, you can build a vibe with string lights and a few garden stakes. But the results will be so much more remarkable if you invest in a few potted plants first.

One of the main reasons people fail to landscape their outdoor spaces is confusion about what to plant. Thankfully, there are tons of resources that can help you choose the best plants for your climate, style and budget. Check in with the employees at your favorite nursery, consult an online almanac, steal ideas from your neighbors or hire a gardener to help you.

Whether you create a rose garden, stuff fragrant herbs into planters, or simply showcase a few succulent plants in pots is entirely up to you. What matters most is that you make an effort to elevate your space with verdant, vibrant plants and flowers.

2. Add sound, beauty with wind chimes

Wind chimes are a wonderful way to add depth, harmony and texture to your garden. These pieces of garden decor whistle in the wind, bringing calming melodies to every backyard, porch or garden.

In parts of Asia, wind chimes are considered good luck. They are thought to boost the flow of chi, and bring great energy to their surroundings. Plus, wind chimes are available in a wide variety of shapes and styles, so there's something for every kind of home and garden.

You can find vintage wind chimes online or in secondhand shops. For new wind chimes, check out our vast wind chime collection for unique, handcrafted pieces. You can affix a wind chime to a rafter on your front porch or a favorite tree.

3. Build a DIY Garden Path

DIY projects, also known as do-it-yourself projects, are a fun, creative and inexpensive way to add unique touches to your garden. Here are some of our favorite DIY garden decor projects that can help transform your outdoor space:

One way to level up your lawn: add a DIY garden path that leads your guests to your front porch. A garden path defines a walkway, and is a good do-it-yourself project for beginners. You can check out this list of DIY garden path ideas for inspiration. Some of our favorites include:

• An easy, simple path of stone slabs and gravel
• An elegant arrangement of rustic, freeform stone slabs and mulch
• Durable granite steppingstones laid over grass
• Minimalist concrete squares laid over turf or sand

To further define and decorate your garden path, accent the walkway with lights and flowers. Or, for extra points, try to...

4. Craft Some DIY Concrete Mushrooms

Image Source: Crown Hill Day by Day

These eclectic, bold little concrete mushrooms are a great way to bring color and charm to your garden. To complete the project, you'll need concrete, water, plastic wrap, little bowls of sand and acrylic paint in the colors of your choosing.

Here's how to make these adorable concrete mushrooms:

1. Mix the concrete and form the stem

Combine water and concrete mix until it's stiff. Using your hands (and gloves), form a thick mushroom stem under a sheet of plastic wrap. Allow it to dry overnight.

2. Mix more concrete, and form the cap

Next, create a waterier concrete mix, then place it into the small, sanded bowl as a mold. You can use plastic wrap to smooth out the top. Then, push the dry stem into the wet mixture to create your mushroom. Allow everything to dry overnight again.

3. Paint your mushroom

Now that everything is dry, paint your mushrooms however you'd like. Red and white is classically cute, but don't be afraid to go wild by trying all sorts of colors. Or, go glam and paint them gold! For a glossy look, spray the mushrooms with a high-quality varnish.

You can learn more about this process at Crown Hill Day by Day.

5. Display a dog-inspired garden statue

A garden statue or sculpture is an easy way to add instant style to your garden. These statues are available in all shapes and styles, and are sold at just about every price point imaginable.

Of course, we love these outdoor statues even more when they depict man's best friend. To add a little woof to your walkway or front porch, try our best-selling dog statue. It's made out of reclaimed river stones and forged metal. Plus, at around $30, you'll get tons of bark for your buck.

In the mood to splurge? A Jeff Koons balloon dog statue could cost you upwards of $50 million. His statue, Puppy, is a 40-feet tall west highland terrier made from fresh flowers. The piece costs $75,000 a year to maintain. (Um, wow.)

6. Stake metal flowers here, there and everywhere

Metal flowers are a great blend of whimsical and industrial styles, and they look great in just about every style of house and garden. They are especially cute when staked along a walkway, pricked into a planter or showcased during the dead of winter, when a flower in bloom is hard to come by.

Our Happy Gardens shops sells a variety of metal flowers. From oversized outdoor statues to petite flower plant pricks, there's definitely something for everybody in our collection.

One of our favorites? This dainty yellow rose plant prick. And, at $11.99, it's as affordable as it is adorable.

If you'd rather make your own metal flowers, there are tons of DIY ideas online. Over at Birds & Blooms, one blogger has a great tutorial on making unique metal flowers. Fair warning: you're going to need goggles.

7. Add a water feature

Adding a water feature to your garden or backyard helps create a soothing, relaxing environment for both you and your guests. Whether you pay a contractor to customize a koi pond or simply purchase a ready-to-install bird bath, you'll surely reap the benefits of a water feature.

Here are some different water features to consider:

Pond

Building a pond is one of the best ideas for transforming the look and feel of your garden. No matter what style or design you choose, adding a beautiful pond is always a good idea. You can add even more beauty, color and light to a pond with floating plants, waterproof lighting, rocks and stones.

A warning: ponds are not a cheap little DIY project. Installing one can be quite the project, and easily cost more than $10,000.

Bird Bath

For most of us, a decorative little bird bath is a better choice for our garden decor budget. Bird baths are usually sold for under $100, and we have several beautiful options in our Happy Gardens collection. One of our best sellers, a simple two tier bird bath, looks good in every lawn. Plus, it has an extra tier to showcase a favorite potted plant.

A bird bath can also be made from upcyclced materials by even the most novice of DIYers. Whether you use rustic wood, vintage chairs, reclaimed furniture or old pots and pans, making a DIY bird bath is a great way to add personality, color and style to your outdoor space.

Related: DIY Bird Bath Ideas

Fountain

A freestanding fountain is a classic piece of garden decor that'll instantly boost your home's curb appeal. You can turn any space, like a courtyard or quiet corner of your lawn, into a beautiful focal point.

If a full-on fountain is too expensive or fancy for your tastes, you can always add a fountain dripper to a bird bath. Our lotus flower dipper fountain has been a customer favorite for many years.

8. Build ambiance and light with lanterns

No garden decorating project is complete without a little mood lighting. The right lighting can transform a pretty outdoor space into a truly beautiful one.

Best of all, outdoor lighting is available at a wide variety of price points. Even the thriftiest of decorators can find some barely-used lanterns or bistro lights on Facebook Marketplace. No power? No problem! There are tons of solar-powered and battery operated choices sold online and in stores, too.

You can also contract with a local electrician to install recessed lighting or a statement, outdoor chandelier on your back patio. While such a project can be expensive, it's sure to add major wow-factor to your backyard.

For lighting inspiration, comb through Pinterest for some fun and great ideas.

9. Find decorative outdoor furniture you love

What's the point of decorating your outdoor space if there's no place to sit down and enjoy it? Don't be afraid to invest in outdoor furniture that's as comfy as it is chic.

If you have a small space, you likely only have room for a couple of chairs and a small table. Some furniture ideas for small spaces include a boho-style, rattan conversation set, funky Acapulco chairs or a metal bistro table and chairs.

If you have sprawling space, you might want to splurge on an outdoor sofa or sectional. While expensive, we promise you won't regret creating a place to truly relax or gather with your friends.

Other great ideas for outdoor furniture include bean bag loungers, a hammock, and chaise lounges.

10. Style your front porch with wall art

Art... it's not just for indoors! Wall art makes for great garden decoration, too. Whether you display vintage decorative art or pick out some pretty, brand new pieces, hanging wall art will give your patio an elevated, unique look and feel.

Our team of garden lovers has had tons of luck scouring vintage shops, garage sales and OfferUp for unique outdoor wall decor. If you want something brand new, check out our awesome outdoor wall decor collection over at the Happy Gardens online store.

11. Don't fear the fire pit

Adding a fire pit is another great way to create a stylish space perfect for hanging out. There are tons of prefabricated fire pits to choose from: modern, rustic, mid-century, boho... The choice is yours!

You'll want to add comfortable seating around the fire pit, of course. But you'll want to choose furniture safety. Many homeowners and decorators prefer to install built-in seating, or choose heavy seating, to prevent guests from moving their chairs too close to the fire.

You can read more about fire pit safety over at HGTV.

12. Mix vintage finds with new designs

Image Source: Flea Market Gardening

Our twelfth and final idea for decorating your garden: don't be afraid to mix old and new! While we love every single thing we sell at Happy Gardens, we love to see our customers mix and match our handcrafted pieces with vintage finds and estate sale scores.

Here are some great ways to turn vintage pieces into focal points of your garden:

• Turn a cracked, clawfoot tub into a bohemian herb garden
• Fill old coffee canisters with inexpensive flowers
• Fill an obsolete fountain with succulents
• Place LED lights in old lanterns 

No matter how you incorporate vintage pieces into your garden, the one-of-a-kind look you'll achieve will be worth the work!

About Happy Gardens

Happy Gardens is your one-stop-shop for unique, high-quality garden decor. From wind chime to rain gauge, you'll find tons of pretty little things we've carefully selected to complement every kind of front yard, backyard and landscape style.

Our products look great in every style of home and garden, but they shine especially bright in DIY front yard landscaping, which tends to be as unique and beloved as the pieces in our collection.

Want to learn more about our newest and coolest products for your front yard? Get on our mailing list with your name & email address. Craving some cool ideas (and tons of tips and tricks) on your news feed? For tons of garden inspiration, DIY front yard landscaping ideas, budget hacks, and your daily dose of greenery, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

We're always here to assist via chat if you'd like a hand picking out that perfect gift, landscaping your yard or just looking for a little something.