Homemade Decorations for Herb Gardens

Start an herb garden for inspiration.

Herb gardens are rewarding to work in as each year they come back more mature and more productive. Adding some homemade decorations personalizes the space and makes it even nicer. You can be as creative as you like, but there are a few items that have a practical function within the garden. Generally, they add an artistic touch, but some will attract butterflies and other beneficial insects, which will pollinate your flowers and keep away pests.

Birdhouses

Birdhouses add charm and whimsy to an herb garden. The birds that nest in them help keep the bug population in check. One idea for a simple birdhouse is using a cigar box. Drill holes for the openings and hang them where the birds will have a little privacy. The hinged lid serves as the door you can use at the end of the season to clean out the nest. Bright colored paints will contrast with the plants in the garden.

Stepping Stones

Personalized stepping stones just make an herb garden yours. The materials are easy to come by, and you can use molds like inexpensive disposable plant trays. Marbles, shells, pebbles and beads are typical decorations you can sink into the concrete, either randomly or in designs. After the steps dry for about a week, they are ready for use.

Hummingbird Feeders

Homemade hummingbird feeders can be as simple as a clear plastic bottle and a 4- to 6-oz. plastic snack container with a tight-fitting lid. The bottle cap should have a 1/4-inch hole drilled through the center for the sugar water to pass through. A hole the size of the bottle opening in the snack container lid connects it to the bottle. Four drilled holes on the container lid around the outer edge are the feeding ports for the hummingbird. Once you hang your feeder with bendable wire, the hummingbirds will help pollinate the flowers in the garden when they come for some food.

Birdbaths

The splashing of little birds in a homemade birdbath certainly adds charm to your herb garden. Mounded sand makes a good mold, and you can add large leaves to lie over the sand for designs in the finished product. If you drape some thin plastic film over the pile, it will create a smooth finish inside the birdbath, and straw added between layers of concrete will reinforce the bowl.

References

• Oregon State University Extension Service: Garden Hints
• Washington State University: Carving Concrete Stepping Stones; Karen Gilliam
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Helping Cavity-nesters in Florida; Joe Schaefer