Interior design and garden design have lot of things in common. In home design, a grouping of items on a table or mantle is called a vignette. It’s like a little still life.

You can do the same thing outdoors in your garden or on your porch or deck. A grouping of objects and plants becomes a focal point. Here are four ways to create a thematic vignette in your garden, deck, or yard.

1 Make a still life on a table.

Group small items, such as planted containers (here we used a rusted urn and footed blue-and-white ceramic dish), and pot up with plants. For porches and shaded patio areas, use glossy-leaf tropical plants, such as colorful anthurium. To complete the vignette, add a third item (such as a bowl of berries) and you have a photo-worthy grouping.

See more about using groups of three items to create a cool look.

2 Pull up a seat, then cluster in pots.

A classic element of many formal gardens is a bench. A bench at the end of a path, walkway, or long narrow spot (such as a side yard), creates a visual destination. With a cluster of containers near the bench, you offer a visual welcome as well as a place to sit. 

See more about creating a focal point in your yard. 

3 Create a vertical grouping.

Create a grouping of objects that draws the eye upward. Plant perennial vines, such as clematis or tropical mandevilla in a colorful container, then place a trellis against a wall on your patio for it to scramble up. Instant vertical lift!

4 Create a gallery effect.

Add a grouping of like items (such as metal sap buckets planted with floppy grasses) and line them up on a wall. 

Do you want to create a vignette with indoor plants? Read this!

Written by Karen Weir-Jimerson