If you reside in the northern hemisphere, like me, you’re enduring what’s referred to as the dead of winter. Apt. Not much alive out there (garden-wise) except for the evergreens. Snow and ice have pretty much turned the world into a blank-ish slate.

Naturally, I start to crave colour. Colour that occurs naturally, as in flowers, would be nice. But it’s not imperative.

A grouping of plastic flamingoes form an art installation at a show in Reford Gardens, Quebec.

Which is why I find myself pondering the ineffable wonder that is the pink flamingo.

Stranger than fiction

Plastic flamingoes have a certain air about them, to be sure. A slight thumb-your-nose-at-the-neighbours quality that, admittedly, can be quite handy at times. Surprisingly, though, they were once considered very stylish. The Smithonian, no less, reveals in “The Tacky History of the Pink Flamingo” that the plastic bird, born in Massachusetts (not Florida, as many assume), used to be considered a de rigueur touch of tropical elegance for your front lawn when introduced in 1957. Eventually, however, the all-natural Woodstock era put a stop to that. But, soon enough, Andy Warhol and filmmaker John Waters brought them flocking back (sorry) as symbols of a now glorified tackiness.

Whether you regard pink plastic flamingoes as the height of tasteful garden decor or the lowest of lawn ornaments, you can’t deny that a hit of eye-searing pink would probably put a smile on your face, especially right now.

If you’re not convinced that you need some pink flamingoes in your life, keep in mind that you can…

…put your flamingo to work!

• They make excellent croquet wickets.
• Positioned at the entrance to your driveway, their eye-catching colouring will deter visitors from driving off the pavement and onto your lawn.
• With a bunch scattered across the lawn and some large plastic rings, you’ve got yourself a DIY ring toss game that kids and adults will love.
• If you’re tired of hauling all eight of those heavy wooden reindeer out of the garage for your annual Christmas display, light-as-a-feather plastic flamingoes work a charm as replacements.
• Just one can work double duty as, A), a support for a sign identifying your cocktail party’s location while, B), mortifying your children.

The possibilities really are endless.

Or, you could just warm up a chilly Sunday afternoon daydreaming about adding extra wowza to your garden this spring. Bright flowers that set off smiles. A garden sculpture that blows a raspberry. A new planting that turns tastefulness on its head. A way to celebrate your inner flamingo.