A garden feature can be a fountain (see photos), a group or row of trees, a significant planting, a statue, urn, mirror or plaque. All are ways to visually “magnify” an area, attracting the eye and inviting comment.

Gardens seem somehow smaller when there is nothing to reflect on between the house and the back fence – if the eye can pause at a structure and then move on from it, the garden is emphasised and extended. Tucking a simple bench into a garden bed will illustrate this effect.

Changing the positioning of existing pots, furniture and statues, the way we sometimes move the lounge room around, can completely alter the garden’s atmosphere, and is worth having fun with.

The garden itself will provide focal points through the seasons as plantings colour and fade seasonally. Impatiens, Cyclamen, Petunias and Pansies, among others, can illuminate an outdoor table.

Lighting will give the feature another magical life as darkness falls.