There is an artful way to select and place statues in the garden. Landscaping with statues can quickly go from elegant and whimsical to tacky and cluttered as well. To avoid making your garden look like a yard sale, plan ahead and use these tips to create art in the garden.
Steps to Using Garden Sculptures Well
Most neighborhoods have that one yard that make the rest of us cringe. This is the home that includes a seemingly endless number of gnomes, metallic spheres, and concrete wildlife in an overly cluttered yard. To avoid being that neighbor, try these steps for including statues and sculptures in a way that looks just right.
- Start with a plan. Making a plan before buying or placing garden statues can be very helpful. The time you put into a plan now will be time saved later, not to mention money saved on statues that don’t work well in your landscape.
- Consider theme. Is your garden naturalistic? Is it a whimsical fairy garden? Is your garden a place to relax or inspire contemplation? While making your plan for including statues, think about the theme and feel of your garden so that the sculptures match it. For instance, if you plant native species, statues of wildlife native in your area would be appropriate.
- Think about scale. Your plan should also account for scale. If your yard is large, smaller statues will get overwhelmed and overlooked. If your garden is small though, you’ll need those diminutive pieces to match the scale.
- Garden to match a spectacular piece. In some cases, it makes sense to start with the statue. If you have a very special sculpture, something that is large and striking, you may want to make it the centerpiece of your garden. In this case, you’ll place it first and plan your garden around it.
Where to Place Garden Statues
Maybe you don’t need garden statue ideas and you know exactly what you like and want. Knowing how to place those sculptures for maximum effect isn’t as easy as you may think though. Here are some tips to help craft your plan:
- Surround your sculptures with plants for a natural feel but avoid those that will grow over and obscure it.
- For a more modern style, surround the sculpture with stones or gravel instead of plants.
- Frame a statue with an arbor or row of trees.
- Choose plants to complement your statues by color, texture, or growth habit.
- Consider how your placement will look in all seasons.
- Place statues along walkways, next to water features, or even on patios and patio furniture.