How to Use ornamental in a Sentence

ornamental

1 of 2 adjective
  • The garden has many ornamental shrubs.
  • Many ornamental pots have only one small drainage hole or none at all.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Jan. 2026
  • And its ornamental design adds a homey feel even when it’s not lit.
    — Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Use wire to gather a few stalks of ornamental corn.
    — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2025
  • There are sweet basils, Thai basils, holy basil and ornamental basils.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2022
  • Stalks of ornamental corn serve as a lofty focal point.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Pumpkins, gourds, and ornamental corn all have a place, too.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Beyond the iron bars, some ornamental trees and a small expanse of lawn could be seen.
    — Rachel Cusk, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025
  • And the ornamental stones carved into the chunky rings and bracelets on the runway?
    — Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Water ornamental purslane when the soil has dried out or the leaves look shriveled.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish.
    — John Tufts, IndyStar, 29 Aug. 2025
  • These dwarf fruit trees are ideal for small yards and have high ornamental value.
    — Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 8 May 2026
  • An ornamental collection can glide along a wall or above a shelf.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 25 May 2026
  • There was a full orchestra, a full choir, two dozen ornamental bay trees.
    — Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Dec. 2023
  • The door to the west wing, filled with flowering and ornamental plants, was open.
    — Emilie Hardman, JSTOR Daily, 6 May 2026
  • Cut back ornamental grasses at the best time with these expert tips.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Cutting back ornamental grasses helps make way for new growth in spring.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Opt for a small in-ground pond that can function as an ornamental water feature.
    — Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 10 Mar. 2023
  • All of these products are safe to use on both ornamental plants and edibles.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2023
  • So are ornamental species such as spirea, mountain ash, goatsbeard, and ninebark.
    — Deb Wiley, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Feb. 2024
  • Rhubarb is often grown as an ornamental plant because of its vibrant red stalks and bright green leaves.
    — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 11 May 2026
  • Rhubarb is often grown as an ornamental plant because of its vibrant red stalks and bright green leaves.
    — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 11 May 2026
  • This ornamental perennial can grow up to four feet high and bears blooms that smell like fresh pineapple.
    — Laurren Welch, Country Living, 28 July 2022
  • An easy to grow hedge or foundation plant, one of the best ornamental fruiting shrubs.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 22 Oct. 2022
  • Read on to learn whether winter is the time to tackle your ornamental grasses.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 16 Dec. 2025
  • This ornamental thyme can be used to fill in the sandy spaces between stepping stones or crevices in rock walls.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
  • While bees love to indulge by eating these ornamental onions, humans should not eat them.
    — Patricia S York, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Milk sprays have shown promise in vegetable crops, but little is known about their use on ornamental plants.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
  • Milk sprays have shown promise in vegetable crops, but little is known about their use on ornamental plants.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 25 May 2026
  • Add an ornamental throw over your duvets to tie it all together.
    — Halee Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Jan. 2024

ornamental

2 of 2 noun
  • The garden has many beautiful ornamentals.
  • But the form is far from ornamental.
    — New Atlas, 20 Nov. 2025
  • They can be found on many fruits and vegetables, ornamentals, and shade trees.
    — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2018
  • While there are more than 50 species of junipers, less than a dozen are grown as ornamentals.
    — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Water ornamentals only when the soil is dry, once every week or two or three.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
  • Catnip is the least ornamental of the three but most alluring to cats.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 28 Nov. 2025
  • Greywater is best used on trees, shrubs, and large ornamentals.
    — Deanna Kizis, Sunset Magazine, 30 Mar. 2023
  • If herbicides are used, do not plant herbaceous ornamentals or shrubs in that area.
    — OregonLive.com, 21 Oct. 2017
  • Prune ornamental grasses to within a foot or two of the ground before growth begins.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Ornamec kills grasses and can be applied over some ornamentals.
    — Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2017
  • Foliage of some of the most common garden ornamentals will last up to a year or more in dry arrangements.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The beds are planted with a mix of edibles and ornamentals that can be enjoyed from the sitting area.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Many of the plants on this list can be interplanted with ornamentals in garden beds and around your patio or deck.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2026
  • Watch fruit trees and ornamentals such as pyracantha, for signs of fireblight.
    — Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, 31 Jan. 2018
  • Dark Opal) is the most ornamental of all herbs with pink or purple flowers against a background of dark foliage.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
  • My plantings grow clustered with other ornamentals kept in containers or in the ground.
    — Tom MacCubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, 4 Apr. 2018
  • The virus affects many other plants, such as tomatoes, squash, beans, cucumbers and some ornamentals.
    — Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, 23 Aug. 2017
  • Favorite foods include crinum lily, amaryllis and day lily plants, but they may be found on other ornamentals and edibles.
    — Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2023
  • Water ornamental beds no more than once every week to 10 days, allowing the soil to dry out in between.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
  • The mold that affects turf is usually blue in color but yellow and pink forms may cover the stems and leaves of low-growing ornamentals. Slime mold does not seem to harm turf and can be brushed, raked, mowed or hosed off the grass.
    — Tom MacCubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, 15 July 2017
  • Such was the objective in pruning hardy kiwifruits planted as ornamentals at old estates.
    — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 6 Feb. 2018
  • Caterpillars will feed on the foliage and flowers of ornamentals and the foliage and fruit of vegetables.
    — Dan Gill, NOLA.com, 13 May 2017
  • If the lanternfly moves into your garden, the biggest problem may not be its weakening of ornamentals.
    — Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 26 June 2019
  • Among trees listed on the plans are maples, birch, ginkgoes, white firs and white pine, along with such ornamentals as redbud, dogwood, magnolia and lilacs.
    — Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 17 June 2019
  • The temperatures are still cool, the sun is still low in the sky and the days are still short enough to water all ornamentals just occasionally.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2023
  • This bed is planted with a mix of herbs and ornamentals, including succulents, lavender, basil, dill, and rosemary.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
  • There are lots of varieties, some ornamental and others edible.
    — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 26 May 2022
  • Grow tall shrubs and perennials towards the back of flower beds and plant low-growing ornamentals and groundcovers towards the front.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Deep green, textured foliage makes this variety an excellent ornamental for arbors or training against a wall.
    — Earl Nickel, SFChronicle.com, 7 Aug. 2020
  • And as the flowers appear just a step ahead of the leaves, the showers of pink flowers from these three star ornamentals are particularly dazzling.
    — Earl Nickel, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ornamental.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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