Back in college, we perpetuated a fundraiser known as the “Pink Flamingo Removal Service” We would sneak into the yard at night of our intended victim and plant hundreds of pink flamigos. For a small fee, that person could then hire our services. It actually worked better than you would think – we raised quite a bit of money! I guess pink flamigos were the most hated lawn decoration of the time…

Now, you have so many different choices when it comes to yard and garden accents. There’s designer stepping stones. There’s giant spiders made from bowling balls. There’s just about anything you can imagine!

If you want a more formal look, try a reflecting ball. You can go classic with Greek columns. Or you can go natural with animal topiaries and bird baths. For a more abstract, architectural look, think about salvaging old window frames or wagons.

However, to avoid a flamigo problem, try to keep your decorations all in the same theme. Don’t overdo it – we all know the house with 20 million gnomes. While five might be okay, 20 or 30 can make it look like Halloween. Or a giant Travelocity gnome party – which might actually be fun in Phil from the Amazing Race shows up!

A memory garden can be as big as a whole yard, or as small as a potted plant. Your plant choices are only limited by what grows in your climate. Many people choose to plant trees to honor those they love. You can also choose to plant a flower that is a namesake, such as Daisy or Violet. Another method is to choose to plant favorite plants of those you love.

If you want to plant a garden to honor each child or grandchild as it is born, why not choose plants based on birth month?  The plants are

• January – Carnation

• February – Violet

• March – Daffodil

• April – Daisy

• May – Lily of the Valley

• June – Rose

• July – Larkspur

• August – Gladiolas

• September – Aster

• October – Calendula

• November – Chrysanthemum

• December – Narcissus

Many people plant memory gardens in honor of those they’ve lost. For this type of garden, you should choose flowers or plants that your loved one enjoyed. You can also choose decorations based on what you know they would have liked, or even ones that might resemble them a bit. For example, if your sister was known for good deeds, you might place a statue of an angel in your memory garden.

Your garden should also give you comfort. Make sure each item you place in the garden is one that evokes happy memories of the time you had together and the best features of the one you loved. Just the act of creating the memory garden can help you ease the pain of losing someone you loved and create a healthy way of honoring them.