Beauty Of Garden Ornaments
Garden centers are full of statues, planters, birdbaths and other ornaments that can add character and beauty to a garden.
Unfortunately, your garden can begin to look like a junkyard if you don't use these decorative items correctly.
Steve Orr of House & Garden magazine visited The Saturday Early Show with guidance on how to make the best use of garden ornaments.
He says it's best to think of ornaments as accents in your garden and as focal points. They help focus your eye when you're looking out over masses of leaves and flowers. But, he warns, some people overuse ornaments, and their gardens can start to look junky. He says a little restraint makes for a better look.
Orr showed an armillary sphere, which is a classic garden ornament often displayed in the center of a flowerbed or at the end of a formal hedge. Centuries ago, pieces like this were used as sundials. Now they add a touch of elegance to the garden. Most importantly, Orr says, they serve as a focal point in a garden.
Another piece that naturally serves as a focal point is a metal obelisk. It can be used to support climbing vines in a perennial bed or a vegetable garden.
Of course, it's possible to have more than one focal point in a garden. Orr says a good rule of thumb is that you should never be able to see more than two or three garden ornaments from any vantage point. You can have more objects in the garden, he says, you just need to place them where you can't see more than two or three other at a time.
Orr says he loves creating hidden pockets in gardens where beautiful objects can be placed as an "element of surprise." When someone wandering through your garden stumbles across this "hidden" space, they will feel as though they've made a special discovery.
But Orr warns that there are a couple of exceptions to this rule. He says a few things can look appealing when they grouped together. He showed two examples of ornaments that look good together: the Province-style, terra cotta pots designed by Guy Wolff; and spheres made of a variety of materials and in a variety of sizes that, he says, look nice sitting together on a terrace, in a flower bed or even on the lawn.
Finally, when using decorative items in the garden, Orr says make sure they are in keeping with your garden's style. He suggested some ornaments for the three main categories of home gardens:
- Traditional gardens composed of tidy flower beds and grass
Porcelain Garden Seat: A drum-shaped seat covered in hand-painted florals and vines.
Pine Cone Finial: A terra-cotta pine cone on a platform.
- Rustic gardens that resemble an English country garden
Twig Tower: Hardwood saplings nailed together, then bound with pliant vines. Also available: low fences made from this material that really dress up a simple flower or vegetable garden.
- Modern gardens that are minimalist and sleek
Wabi Basin: Looks like a rough-hewn rock that holds water, and can be used as a birdbath.
Copper Wind Sculptures: Hang from trees or the eaves of a house.
Taste is a personal matter, but Orr recommends not using too many figurative statues such as those of cute animals or children. He says he would steer clear of items meant to be funny, and hokey sayings.
Orr says when you buy garden ornaments, look for those made of sturdy materials, such as objects made of stone and metal that can take the weather without fading or corroding. He says there are also many good plastics that have the appearance of metal but cost less.
He suggests it's worthwhile paying for good quality ornaments such as Seibert & Rice terra cotta, which is made from a special Impruneta clay from Italy that weathers well and lasts a long time. And he says ornaments that are not mass-produced and have a handmade quality, such as the Luton Bird Feeder, may be worth the purchase. Garden antiques are high-ticket items that you would buy as an investment, Orr says, just as you would an antique for indoor use.
The following is a list of ornaments Orr displayed on the Saturday Early Show to consider using in your garden:
Winterthur Armillary Sphere, $179
Winterthur Porcelain Garden Seat, $165
White Flower Farm Decorative Garden Ball, $25
Seibert & Rice Fruit Basket, $350
Seibert & Rice Pinecone Finial, $325
Stillbrook Horticultural Supplies Pineapple Obelisk, $170
White Flower Farm Rustic Twig Tower, $54
Kinsman Company Luton Bird Feeder, $154.95
Smith & Hawken Guy Wolff Douro Pottery, small - $54; medium - $74
White Flower Farm Terra-Cotta Sphere, $15
Stone Forest Beige Granite Spheres, 4 inches - $12; 6 inches - $29; 8 inches - $39
Stone Forest Copper Spheres, 8 inches - $38; 10 inches - $72; 14 inches - $124
Smith & Hawken Copper Wind Sculptures, Infinity - $60; Orbiter - $90