As a landscape architect, there are many things that I like to see people add to their lawns and properties to give them the special touches. I love helping people plant trees and bushes in just the right spots and I love turning a yard filled with dirt into a beautifully landscaped lawn the very next year. I have recently been feeling a bit more risky in my profession and so I have been suggesting different things to my clients. My latest risky suggestion is to place gates at random places throughout the yard and lawn.

Now when most people think of gates, they think of the kind of heavy metal gates that hold prisoners in prison or that keep trespassers off of private property. Get these gates out of your head. I am speaking of quaint little decorative gates that can be the perfect adornment for many yards. I guess it all depends on the kind of style you are going for, but I haven't seen many people go wrong when it comes to a well placed gate or two in front of their home.

The best advice I have to give you is to pick up a large stack of current home and garden magazines. See what kinds of gates and other adornments people are putting in their yards and let their ideas inspire your own ideas. There is no better way to get ideas for your home and lawn than to see what other people are doing and then come up with ideas for yourself. See what kinds of gates are being put in lawns and see if you like the look and feel that gates bring.

There are a variety of places to get the right kind of gates to adorn your lawn and garden. Check out home goods stores or gardening stores to start. Or do an online search and see what kinds of decorative gates are available for purchase. You might be surprised once you begin searching just how popular decorative gates can really be. You can also go with more functional gates that are connected to fences that keep animals in or out of your yard. I've seen some great gates attached to fences that simply protect a vegetable garden in the backyard.

Use your imagination to create the home and lawn of your dreams. My advice is to go a little crazy and see what gates could add to the backyard or frontyard of your dreams.