English Ivy is a wonderful groundcover and makes a home look lovely, lived in, and comfy. There is a problem, however. Ivy can kill trees and other plants. It can also cause extensive damage to foundations, siding, and chimneys. An alternative is what I call "Landscape Toupees."

Some people might call fake flowers and foliage an abomination. I call it creative and colorful. They are economical and save time as well. You don't need to fertilize or water, and they can be reused.

You usually only see silk and plastic trees and flowers for inside usage, and it is true that they will not last quite as long outside as they do inside. But, these delightful faux flowers and artificial vines look beautiful and will probably get you through several seasons.

My Landscape Toupees allow me to sculpt and cover problem areas in an instant. We have down spouts that look cold and ugly, but with plastic ivy strung around them, they take on a great look. One window in our living room looks out onto a downspout. Now, it looks out onto an ivy covered architectural feature that has color and charm.

You can also use fake vines to hide cables and wires. Some vines have small attachments so you can loop them on hooks, or a staple gun can give you fast placement, which reminds me of hair plugs.

We bought some decorative and expensive grass last year that is taking a while to flourish. I purchased some darts of grass leaves and threw them into brown clumps of grass for shocks of healthy green. As the grass matures and takes hold, I will migrate the darts elsewhere. Since people don't expect plastic in gardens, they take them at face value. They expect them to be real, and so they are real.

Landscape Toupees are a great decorative tool for your yard and garden. You don't need to be ashamed of using fake foliage. Use it as you need it, and improve the outside of your home quickly, and economically.

Don Doman is a published author, video producer, and corporate trainer. He owns the business training site Ideas and Training (http://www.ideasandtraining.com), which he says is the home of the no-hassle "free preview" for business training videos. He also owns Simple Home Repair (http://www.simplehomerepair.com), which has a multitude of ideas for home decorating and landscaping.