Those who visited the seven gardens featured on this year's Huntington Junior League Garden Club Tour were treated to a variety of landscape styles. From the opulence of a professionally designed estate to a simple bed along a fence to a floral paradise on a steep hillside, the tour offered lots of inspirational tips to use in your own garden.

The gardens on the tour incorporated most, if not all, of these 10 tips. They can be applied to any garden, whether you have a small lot or several acres.

1. Mulch. No matter what kind of ornamental plants you're growing, they all look better with a layer of fresh mulch at their feet. Besides looking great, mulch helps prevent weeds and holds in moisture.

2. Continuous bloom. Diversity is the key. Plant a variety of perennials which will bloom at different times, then intermix colorful annuals that will bloom all summer and fall.

3. Focal point. This can be as spectacular as a large fountain or a tall urn or statue. Something to draw your attention. Carefully placing it at the end of a path encourages garden visitors to stroll towards it, enjoying your flowers along the way.

4. Specimen plant. This is a large plant off by itself, demanding to be admired. It can be a large stand of ornamental grass or a dwarf red Japanese maple tree. Any attractive large plant will do.

5. Paths and edges. Paths can be brick or stone or mulch-covered earth. Or they can be grass. The point of a path is to lead the visitor through the garden. The edges of garden beds should be crisp and clean. You can use brick or stone or landscape timbers to achieve this. If grass grows next to your beds, use a sharp edging tool several times through the season to maintain the edge.

6. Bones. Every good garden has good "bones" -- large structural plants and trees that form the basis of your garden design. Old neighborhoods usually already have these large trees and shrubs. If you're starting a landscape from scratch in a brand-new house, trees and shrubs should be the first plants you install.

7. Containers. Large decorative pots belong in every garden, or at the edge of a deck or patio. Fill them with shade-tolerant house plants and annuals like caladium and begonias and put them under a tree where nothing else will grow or on a shady porch. Move containers of colorful sun-loving annuals around your garden to areas where you need blooms. In the fall, yank out the tired annuals and replace them with mums. Containers can be expensive Italian pottery or bargain "fakes" from discount stores. They all look good filled with flowers.

8. Structures. Make use of what you have. A fence is a good backdrop to a long bed of flowers or shrubs. An arbor is a perfect place to grow climbing roses or vines.

9. Water. This necessity can be as ornamental as it is functional. Whether you choose a fountain with recirculating water or a pond filled with water plants and fish, some sort of water feature will enhance every garden.

10. A place to sit. It can be a finely crafted bench of wood or stone, or just an old lawn chair, but your garden needs a place for you and others to sit and enjoy. Place it in the shade where there's a nice view.