To Personalize Your Garden, Think Beyond Plants

· Containers. For thousands of years, urns and vases have been used as sculptural elements. Ornate containers are probably most ornamental without plants, so keep greenery simple in these. But the intended use of most garden containers made today is to be planted, and many containers not intended for use as planters are also being used. There are no limits to what you can do. New, used and increasingly more recycled products are on the market.

If you are growing plants in heavy shade or over tree roots, you might try a wheelbarrow filled with containers. Rotate its location periodically to more sunny locations. It's an excellent way to put plants where you wouldn't ordinarily have them. With enough room, light and humidity, you can even wheel them indoors in winter. For plants to thrive, their containers must have drainage. Outdoors and indoors, a hole in the bottom of the container is a must. A soil-free potting medium is superior to soil from the garden. Use a water-soluble, balanced fertilizer, such as Jack's Classic Water Soluble Plant Food (20-20-20). Follow the label directions.

· Lighting. Once you see the difference lighting makes in your garden, you will always want it to be a part of your landscape. Lighting extends the time the garden can be used and offers an element of security and safety, such as top-lighting stairs, walks and entries. It adds enormous value to your property. Purchase quality, low-voltage lighting (12 volt). Don't install a special 120 volt line unless it's needed for other uses. There is quite a selection available as far as design styles and type of fixtures. Try different combinations. Graze walls with light from above through branches, creating a moonlighting effect and a play of shadows on the ground. Aim lights up into small flowering trees for a dramatic effect. Backlight to silhouette a plant and accentuate its form. The effect of backlighting in winter is dramatic, especially behind specimen trees. Hide fixtures and keep light beams from aiming toward people's eyes.

Lighting the garden can bring romance and mystery and completely change a landscape's identity. Just as the gleam of copper or glass can add a new dimension to a well-furnished room, so can the addition of site amenities to a well-planted garden.

Joel M. Lerner is president of Environmental Design in Capitol View Park, Md. E-mail or contact him through his Web site, http://www.gardenlerner.com.