Ornaments : Adding Oomph to the Outdoors

Plants may be the raison d’etre of a garden but ornaments, such as sculpture and art pieces, are what gives the outdoor space its finishing touch. If you are on the lookout for that whimsical piece to place near the pool, beside a pathway, or on the patio, check out the tips and tricks and takes of ornamental options.

Art for Garden Pizzaz

These days, DIY and garden centers stock a dizzying array of art pieces and hardscapes, and if you have until now only relied exclusively on plants to shape the style of your garden, then you have probably missed half the fun.

Ornaments that furnish the garden spaces help express your personality and the ideas that inspire your design. They add life to the outdoors and can be employed to surprise or stupefy, distract or delight visitors exploring the garden grounds.

Sculpture lends unity to a garden composition or simply helps mark a path. It aids in creating a direction or movement in a garden landscape. A piece of sculpture can lead you down a meandering path and gives you the impression that you are heading in the right direction.

Sculpture is often used in the crossroads of intersecting garden walkways in a sprawling traditional garden while in a small urban garden, it can be used to screen off an unwanted view such as a neighbor’s dining area or family room.

Material Matters

• The choice of material is dictated by the style of the piece. Wood, stone and marble are used for carvings while castings are fashioned from bronze, terracotta, resin and cement.
• Stone is ideal in a courtyard and is also a natural choice for calligraphic inscription.
• Wood feels right at home in the garden.
• Synthetic materials such as polyresin and fiberglass, albeit not eco-friendly, can be finished to imitate natural materials such as wood or stone.
• Glass and metal are increasingly used in a modern contemporary garden.

Ornament Savvy

The choice may be limitless and personal. Still, check out the following tips on selecting and decorating with ornaments.

• Choose pieces that hold up and weather well in a garden, such as ornaments of stone or terracotta.
• Buy pieces you love, and not just to fill in the void spaces. Trends or fads should also not dictate your choice. Do rely on gut instincts in your choice of garden ornaments just as you would for choosing the bric-a-brac for the house.
• Ornaments should look as if they have always been a part of the garden; which is to say they don’t have to be chipped or cracked, derelict or distressed, just comfortable where they are.
• A question of scale. Choose a suitably sized ornament for the space in which it will be displayed. For example, a six-foot sculpture will look out of place in a small lawn.
• Beef up an object’s presence by placing it on a pedestal, a pergola or a partition.
• Group families of ornaments together. Natural materials such as terracotta, stone and timber will sit comfortably together while fiberglass, steel and glass will resonate with modern contemporary chic.
• Experiment, by all means. Move the ornaments around until you find just the right spot for each piece. After all, finding what fits and what doesn’t is always an intuitive exercise.
• Visualize the ornament in the garden before purchasing. Ask yourself if the color matches the patio tiles or the brickwork of the boundary wall. Will the style of the object clash with that of the other garden elements?
• Focal point or accent piece? Choose a striking bronze sculpture of you want to let the eyes come to a rest, or go for a small figurine if only to provide accent. This will guide you in planning your plantings such that the plants either direct or distract from the ornamental piece.

Care Tips

• Before you paint your outdoor ornamental pieces to stall the destructive process of rusting, use a wire brush to remove rust. Then coat the pieces with a primer before painting it. As rust bleeds through light-toned paint more easily than through dark colours, use multiple coats to cover a rusty surface.
• Display only teak, mahogany or hardwood pieces in the garden.
• As marble is highly susceptible to high humidity and rain, have the surface of any marble pieces professionally sealed. Never place iron ornaments on top of marble. This can leave a rust imprint which can be difficult to remove.
• Never use bleach to get rid of organic matter, such as algae, from ornaments. Instead, direct a jet of water from the garden hose on the object and use only mild detergent, if necessary.
• Do not roll terracotta or concrete pot on its sides as this can split it into half.