Photo by Stacey Brandford
Accessorizing your garden, especially with sculpture, is like accessorizing an outfit: less is more. A single accent can make a huge statement and literally transform your garden. Sculpture is also a useful tool for drawing people into and through a garden. Here’s a few tips to help you adorn your space.
## Choosing Style:
* Contemporary sculpture comes in the widest range of materials, from synthetics such as fiberglass, to wood, ceramic, bronze and steel. While it takes imagination and confidence to display a piece of non-representational art in a garden, there’s no denying it’s a strong way to make a statement.
* Classical statues such as a Grecian Goddess, infuse a garden with an instant hit of history, even if the piece comes from your local garden centre. Choose classical statues that hold some kind of symbolic value for you, or go with a theme. For example, Neptune, the god of the sea, would be ideal in conjunction with a water feature.
* As a rule, exotic, Asian-inspired sculpture works best in similarly themed gardens or informal woodland spaces.
## Deciding on Placement:
* Create a focal point or a destination—choose a place in your garden where you want visitors to stop and admire the view. For example, in a small city garden, try placing sculpture at the rear of a narrow garden. It draws the eye along the full length of space, making the whole yard look bigger.
* Conversely, don’t make sculpture the centre of attention. Instead, use it to create symmetry and add dimension to a view of the garden. For example, use a pair of sculptures to bookend a favourite hedge, doorway or shed.
* Sculpture can bring a bit of whimsy to a space; for example, tuck a small sculpture in a lush curtain of greenery. The discovery can be surprising and pleasing.
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