Garden ornaments for a modern world
Long 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 option 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.