Using statuary and art in your garden can make it pop in the off months and seem more worldly in the rest. Many gardeners add there own bit of whimsy as they go along, whether it be a colorful glass bottle tower, a single concrete or stone statue, or a magical fountain. Art in the garden can take many forms.
However, not every landscape is bettered by a piece of art. Foundation plantings often lack the necessary plant material and mass to successfully incorporate art. Foundation plantings are described as landscape beds surrounding a house or building, with beds 6 feet wide or less. They often contain only a single or staggered row of plantings, maintained to a high degree, with much space in between plants.
I generally consider gardens or landscaping to be separate from foundation plantings. Gardens contain rooms with walls of trees, shrubbery, fences, arbors, trellises, and tall plants (such as grasses). In these garden rooms there is often the need for some focal point of art or other. Sometimes a bench fills the spot, sometimes a specialty plant, and sometimes art.
In my own personal garden, I put together 5 different sized, rusty wagon wheels for an interesting, artistic grouping. In another corner of the yard, a trellis made from old metal bed frames hides an open spot of siding on the house, while also creating an interesting focal point. In yet another spot, there will soon be a grouping of metal farm parts for native plants to flourish around.
Among groups of annuals, statues and fountains lend their old-world charm to the garden. Add a piece of art and transform your yard!
Happy planting!
