We all are familiar with plant material, timber lattice screens, free-standing masonry walls and fences to define and separate spaces in the residential garden. An item that has been underutilized for this purpose is fabric.

The last 25 years has seen some major strides in the quality and durability of outdoor material (fabric). The landscape magazines are a great source for the new generation of outdoor fabrics used for exterior furniture, cushions, drapery and awnings, shade canopies, outdoor carpets and flags.

Textile companies that manufacture long lasting and attractive outdoor upholstery include Sunbrella and Outdura. These outdoor materials are often woven acrylic, vinyl, polyester and canvas. They are often sold touting their mildew and stain resistance. Fading colors are a thing of the past. The patterns and colors are extensive from simple earth tones to bright geometrics to tropical foliage themes.

There is a vast opportunity to employ outdoor fabrics beyond the expected. Why not use them as space definers, as in screens and walls? Instead of a hedge of pruned viburnum , why not a colorful series of staggered panels of material?  The panels could be backlit for an after dark featured wall affect. They could be affixed in a rigid frame, or allowed to move with the wind, providing a soft undulating privacy screen from next door properties. They could be aligned to frame a distant view and /or add life to a dull corner of the garden.

The well known artist Christo installed the ‘Gates’ project in Central Park, New York City, using thousands of orange fabric festooned arbors aligning the pedestrian paths.  Just one of these simple, yet striking features placed at the entry point to a backyard space could be a whimsical and memorable addition to a back yard (and possibly a front yard gate).

We have seen the holiday/seasonal banners (pastel Easter flags, autumnal earth tones of fallen leaves, Christmas themes, even ghoulish Halloween flags, etc.) usually at the front porch. A year round celebration applying waving colored fabric in the garden can add movement and life to the residential setting.  The ‘Tibetan prayer flag’ style is very appealing: a tall pole (bamboo) with a long vertical and narrow banner. These are especially striking when used in a massed arrangement.

Some other ideas for using fabric outdoors are:

-a filler panel in handrails / deck railings;

-a drop-down awning from an arbor facing west;

-an outdoor minimalist painting affixed to a side of a house, or out building, or bland fence or wall;

-a decorative wrap of outdoor objects like pots, statues, or even dead trees;

-a frilly ‘skirt’ for a bird bath, table or column ;

-exuberant layers of material for dining tables outdoors; strips of fabric hanging from horizontal tree limbs;

-as outdoor lanterns (fabric on frame with a light inside);

-a kinetic sculpture in overlapping and waving layers.

Nothing is more eye-catching and friendly than a splash of moving color in the garden.  Hone in on what colors you like and that fit your landscape and start experimenting.  You may surprise yourself.