garden art

Modern living has ceased to differentiate between indoors and the garden. As land available for housing diminishes (especially in big cities), blocks of land have become smaller and gardens have changed. Gone are sweeping lawns and herbaceous flowerbeds. Today, new homes are making the transition from inside to out and gardens have become an extension of the living area. Gardens are decorated and landscaped to match the décor of the house.

Make your garden both interesting and a place to live in.

Decorate the fences and walls with wrought iron panels and plaques. Add a feeling of space by painting a mural or gate on the wall at the bottom of the garden or narrow side corridor.

Install a small fountain. There is nothing more calming than the sound of splashing water. Freestanding fountains can be completely self-contained. Make sure that the pumps are 24 volt and that any outdoor wiring is installed by a qualified electrician. 

Garden sculpture can be of your own making. Your imagination is the limit. Drift wood, large boulders, shells and tree stumps can all be turned into decorative features.

A mirror on the veranda will reflect the garden adding an extra dimension. Large mobiles, wind chimes and coloured balls can be hung from the lower branches of shade trees.

Pictures decorate the walls inside just as wall art should be used selectively on the outside. Framed mosaics, carved stone plaques, framed stained glass sculptures or wooden masks add atmosphere to outdoor living.

Create an area to sit and read a book with a small wooden or aluminium bench beneath an archway, or create a coffee stop with a cafe style mosaic tablesetting. A garden can have 'rooms' just as a house can.

For those of your who are busy, there are many wonderful outdoor statues and ornaments ready made for you.

Kids love to garden. Make them an area in which they can plantcolourful annuals in delightful tin figurines and bugs.

A copper flamingo or rooster can stand guard under the trees. A Balinese carving can sit in a grotto of foliage beside the pathway.

Pots and urns always stand out filled with tumbling colour or ferns.They can also be used as candleholders at night to fend off the mosquitoes. Stone carved lanterns and pagodas create a peaceful atmosphere.

Just ensure that whatever you decide to decorate, that your design is large enough and bold enough not to be lost in the outdoor space.