ON THE HOME FRONT ...

Given the historic association of art and gardens, it may be that a garden is not complete without a sculpture or piece of artwork. But ensuring each complements the other is the challenge. Those who design both sculptures and gardens understand the importance of scale, texture and appropriate placement, and it’s no less important in a home garden. I’ve always believed a garden is a personal space, accepting of anything the owner chooses to place there. Garden gnomes, super heroes, well-dressed mannequins and even the many nefarious “Lord of the Rings” characters have all found a place in gardens. A monstrous orc, however, would be more suited to a huge gothic garden rather than lurching out of a flower bed, unless, of course, it happens to frighten rabbits. Besides these outliers, an endless supply of decorative, often beautiful accoutrements awaits the browser at every garden show and gift store where there’s something to suit anyone’s taste. Smaller items are useful for punctuating an entrance or creating particular interest within a planting, but too many are . . . well, too many. Plonk something in the middle of the front yard and it’s on public display. That group of fake deer on a country property viewed through a morning mist can for a moment be delightful – or induce a moment of panic – but in the harsh light of midday . . . well, they’re still plastic deer. And massive concrete lions rampant at the foot of a suburban driveway somehow don’t capture the essence of the veldt — they’d be far more effective lurking in the shrubbery. Many an expanse of green lawn does indeed cry out for a focal point, yet it is so worthwhile to reflect on those masters of design when choosing a sculpture and the way they considered theme, scale, location — and the garden. A graceful figure such as Aphrodite, framed naturally in an arch of trees, can be perfect. Position at a distance point to become a silhouette at sunset or sunrise and the effect is magical. When it has attained a rich, mossy patina and is revealed only when a breeze stirs foliage, it becomes an enchanting dreamscape, and sometimes startling feature of the garden.