I finally took a photo of the roundest, fattest bird statue in my neighbour’s garden! She has dozens of statues in her garden, but this is my favourite. The flowers flourished so much this year it got swallowed up by leaves and I hadn’t seen it for a few weeks.
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Sofia’s not so secret garden and her giant pretzel or green heart. Green space is what makes home my home. It’s like a thumb print, what you put into it, is your personal preference, making use what is available. A creative ode. It is also a reflection of kindness when you can identify what you have exchanged or what has been gifted to you by ways of cuttings or repurposing items that could of ended up in the tip.
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The Statue in the Garden - Piero Marussig, 1917.
Italian,1879-1937
Oil on cardboard, 65 x 50 cm.
59Long gone are the days when a garden ornament meant a plastic gnome or a marble Greek goddess.
From these two ends of the spectrum a whole host of alternative visions now exist with designs and materials from around this ever shrinking world.
We now have a multitude of choice of characters and animals in resin or cast stone for the average garden, with garden centres providing the most convenient selection of mass produced examples.
While the growing trend of online stores has allowed for the creation of more independent sites providing a more varied selection beyond that found at your local garden centre.
The latest trend has seen a great deal of interest in metal garden ornaments, with larger and more colourful offerings now becoming available. With even older and rusty examples providing additional character to a garden.
While many wall hanging ornaments have also become very popular, especially Butterflies and Gecko outdoor ornaments.
The classic optioned preferred by the Victorians of Roman and Greek figures has now been expanded to include more exotic options from around the world, from ’The Buddha’ and Easter island heads to totem poles and INCA statues.
These are now available in both traditional and more modern materials, such as a fibreglass and cement combination for larger pieces, providing a significant price saving over standard cast stone examples.
A demand also exists for other traditional materials like wood, though this remains limited due to the types of wood suitable for outdoor ornaments. With teak and oak being among the most popular examples.
This has created a niche market for chainsaw statues, which has grown significantly over the last few years as more traditional wood carvings have declined as teak stocks have been reduced while prices have risen.
While carved solid stone pieces are also now available at prices far lower than previously possible, by harnessing the skills of skilled craftsmen from distant lands where stone mason skills are still practised and where more workable stone is still in abundance, it is possible to obtain a garden ornament that could still be good in hundreds of years from now.
With this array of choice it is now possible to find your perfect garden ornament at a price to match any budget and taste.
So why not check out some of our recommended sites for yourself and see what is out there beyond your local garden centre.
Many of the same issues apply to water features, though the variety of materials maybe different, with more use of glass rather than wood. However, the innovation of materials continues to grow with the use of Bamboo and Terrazzo just two more examples that have now been adopted for both garden ornaments and water features.
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Figures with Dolphin - Candace Jans , 1985-86
American, b. 1952
Oil on canvas , 40 ¼ x 34 ¼ in.
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This is a set of two adorable dark green and yellow birds. The description stated one bird is black but looking closely it actually looks very dark green. Either way, I love them and the color doesn’t matter to me. The birds are beautifully hand painted and very detailed and lifelike. They are made of a resin material, which I am so pleased about because they are more durable and will last a long time. I have been trying to get away from products made of chalk and ceramic because these products break far too easily. There is a protective coating on each bird to ensure that it doesn’t fade in the sun and water. The birds are as large as real birds, maybe a little bigger.
These lovely birds would be so nice in a garden, yard, on a porch or patio. They also would be very nice decorations in the home on a table or shelf. I have not decided how I will use them yet. I have placed them on a shelf with a pretty vine and loved how they looked. Even though winter is still holding on here, I took them out and placed them in my flower garden with some rocks and they looked so pretty out there so I am having a hard time deciding where to put them! I honestly, may have to think about getting another set so that I can enjoy having a set outside and inside both.
You can find these lovely birds here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5XSL43
0We are now the proud parents of these two stunning creatures. (Thanks to Olive & Sage )
Apologies for the kitchen backdrop and polystyrene all over the place. More pics to come when the weather picks up and they get put in the garden.
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