Creating a focal point in your garden can make all the difference between a landscape that is ordinary to one that has a designer feel. The focal point can be as simple as a large container or even a pair of garden chairs placed in a strategic position. In this article which I found on the Houzz website Lauren Dunec Hoang explains how to achieve this effect.

Using focal points in the landscape is one of the easiest ways to transform a ho-hum garden into one that feels more designed and intentional. The simplest of objects ? an empty ceramic container, a potted plant or a pair of garden chairs ? can be used as focal points. The key to hitting the mark designwise is all about placement. Here are 12 ideas for how to use garden objects and standout plants to draw and direct the eye in the landscape.

Scott Brinitzer Design Associates

1. Inviting seating nook. Draw a visitor into the garden by putting chairs, benches and lounges where they can act both as inviting destinations and as focal points. To do so, place seating where it can be viewed from other areas of the garden or from inside the home. For example, a pair of Adirondack chairs at the end of the walkway makes an attractive vignette viewed from the house and gives a reason to wander down the gravel path.

Bliss Garden Design

2. Container among foliage. Work focal points into garden beds to provide a resting spot for one?s gaze amid drifts of plants. For example, an empty ceramic container nestled in the bed draws one?s focus and then encourages the eye to wander over the surrounding plants in a slower appreciation of the bed.

Banyon Tree Design Studio

3. Pathway pivot. Corners and pathway intersections are prime spots for adding a focal point. In this garden in Seattle, a glazed ceramic container set against a lattice screen creates a place for the eye to rest as one walks down the pathway from one garden area to the next. The wooden chair acts as a second focal point for the latter part of the journey.