Just about any object can establish a focal point in the garden. For the time-pressed, a pink flamingo, a gazing ball or a birdbath will do.

But for many experienced gardeners, the desire to add drama, design complexity or a sense of whimsy to their plots leads them straight to the past. The time-smoothed lines and weathered imperfection of old objects - a bench, a wheel, a stone fragment - can create an especially soothing aura. Nestling the right stone cherub or terra cotta fragment into the garden can add depth, even dignity, to even the newest plantings.

The addition of aged or simply weather-beaten objects "gives the garden a feeling of being long-established. It seems gentler, more languid," says New York horticulturist and gardening author Teri Dunn. "I think it has an effect on your mood." A perennial renter, Dunn is a longtime enthusiast of pairing old objects with new gardens and she treasures a couple of garden relics that she uproots and replants when she moves to a new home. Her favorite, a fat, carved baby angel, has anchored gardens from Portland to New York City. Another regular companion, a section of cast-iron fencing, forms a perfect trellis for clematis when tipped up on its side.

But Dunn has seen garden drama created with far more common items. In Oregon, she once spied an old garden shovel planted, blade up, in a lush, shady patch along the coast. The well-worn handmade blade was less than perfect, but the shape echoed the spade-shaped leaves surrounding it. Exposed to the elements, the tool obviously would not last long - but in the garden, what does?

"Of course, the wooden handle was going to rot after a while," she says, "but I think part of the point of these objects is to let nature take its course." Many of these objects can play multiple roles, depending on their use and placement. Working an old bench into your design is one way to create a new destination, Dunn says, because it gives people a place to go. Wrought iron pieces can stand on their own as sculpture or fade into the background as support for climbing vines. An old pot can become a standout in a shade garden, providing a colorful contrast to surrounding ferns or hostas.

Keeyla Meadows, a Berkeley, Calif.-based landscaper and garden sculptor, suggests simple collections. Consider terra cotta pots stacked into small pyramids, or painted and placed as decorative objects on ledges. Or, thread copper tubing through the handles of a row of planted shovels, making an abstract trellis.

Meadows suggests that creativity and the willingness to find inspiration in unusual places are the most important characteristics of the successful budget-conscious gardener.

"If you're not going to spend a lot of money, it's good to stretch your imagination," she says. "Sometimes I just go into a hardware store, and walk around looking at the shelves thinking, 'What could I do with this?'"