By Wendy Diaz, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County
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Delights of Art in the Garden
While I was looking out my kitchen window on a cool overcast January morning, I realized how much I appreciate my garden décor this time of year and how I underestimated its impact in the winter months. We had a lot of rain this winter (no snow yet), consequently, I can’t even take a stroll out the back door for fear of compacting the clay soil so that I can catch a breeze and enjoy the fragrance of my flowering Edgeworthia (Edgeworthia chrysantha). Nevertheless, I have a clear view, from inside the house, of my formal stone-carved bird bath close to the bay window, a concrete statue of St. Francis facing the bird feeder and farther out in the woodland perimeter my ‘chainsaw chairs.’
(Left to right, top to bottom) Fall foliage and the St. Francis statue facing bird feeder. The chainsaw chairs are located behind the fringe tree bed and between the woodland buffer in the backyard garden. (November 2021) Closeup of St. Francis statue and chainsaw chairs. (February 2024) Cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) taking a drink in the birdbath in the winter. (December 2021) Snowy winter scene of garden decor with long shadows on the snow surface. (January 2018) Edgeworthia (Edgeworthia chrysantha) in the foreground and the grey carved limestone bird bath that looks nice next to the maroon lenten rose (Helleborus x hybridus). (February 2024) (Image credits: Wendy Diaz)
These garden accessories or ornamentation are more clearly seen in the winter when they are not partially hidden from view with the abundant foliage in spring and summer. They fill in the bare parts of my leaf-covered ground layer while I transition to a native woodland-type garden with more formal cultivated and intentional nooks nearer the house.
I have added these additional elements to my landscape to enhance the visual appeal of my backyard garden and enjoy watching the wildlife frolic on them. Without knowing it at the time, but because I was inspired when I first saw them, I have created nodes of interest in my fledgling garden. In the case of the wooden chairs, I asked my husband to carve a dead maple log with his chainsaw after seeing a similar stump chair at the Chelsea Flower Garden Show in 2001.
These are what landscape design experts call focal points or accents in the garden that draw the viewer’s eye through the landscape. Using focal points is a fundamental landscape design concept[1] and is a key element needed to spatially define an outdoor room while making the garden interesting and inviting. They also add to the additional layers of the garden view, breakup the plant cover in spring, and fill in voids by adding depth and disrupting the flat look of the monochromatic winter landscape. Even though landscaping is a creative endeavor and an art form, in and of itself, the garden is also a great place to position individual art and sculpture pieces to draw the eye or create focus for year-round interest. Since ancient times gardens “embrace both art and science,”…and…their design is one of the major contributions to the visual arts.” (N)o two gardens are ever identical,” according to the Oxford Companion to Garden.[2]
Over the past few years, the Master GardenerSM volunteers of Durham County have gone on many field trips where art as well as plants were the principal interest in the gardens. I have also noticed lately, touring both private and public gardens on my own, that original sculpture and other artworks have increased over and above the classic garden features of fountains, sundials and pagodas.
Dancing Faun, bronze statuette, found after excavating a Roman villa in Pompeii, Italy and now in the Naples Museum Pompeii: Sculpture https://www.tota.world/article/3014/). (June 2005) Restored and relocated (from Duke University’s East Campus) Roney Fountain, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, NC. (October 2018) (Image credit: W. Diaz)
Artists are creating beautiful sculpture for outdoor gardens and parks that invite the visitor to experience more meaning during their visit, linger longer, and interpret their surroundings. Locally, the North Carolina Botanical Garden hosts Sculpture in the Garden every fall in Chapel Hill, NC, which is a great place to purchase garden art and get free ideas.
Generations, an interpretation of family and hope for the future, a bronze & Corten steel sculpture by Edwin & Veronica Dam de Nogales near Hendrie Park parking lot at Royal Botanical Gardens at Dan Laurie International Sculpture Collection Burlington, Canada. (May 2023) Playful steel sculpture at the entrance of the North Carolina Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill, NC during the 35th annual autumn Sculpture in the Garden exhibit. (October 2023) (Image credit: W. Diaz)
Inspiration from Memorable Garden Art Installations
I invite you on a visual journey of some of the more memorable garden décor that I have photographed on my own and with fellow Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers.
Dale Chihuly outdoor sculpture exhibit at the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina, Master GardenerSM volunteer field trip, September 2018
(Left) Portion of the Pergola Garden with Fiori, 2018, which are black and green modernistic glass blown sculptures that surprisingly suit the moss-covered classical bust on a pedestal under the pergola. (Right) Electric Yellow and Deep Coral Tower, 2017, stands out in the Walled Garden at the Biltmore Gardens. The bright orange, red and yellow curly blown-glass sculpture looks especially striking next to the Carolina blue sky. (September 2018) (Image credit: W. Diaz)
Dale Chihuly exhibit at the New York Botanical Gardens, September 2017
(Left to right, top to bottom) Yellow Chihuly glass-blown sculpture appears bold as the sun goes down in front of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory building at New York Botanical Garden. Sapphire Star, 2010, looks regal next to the conifers near the Ross Conifer Arboretum. Red glass spires catch the evening light magnificently positioned in the reflecting pool. (September 2017)
Chelsea Flower Show, Vendors of bronze and other metal sculptors, May 2001
(Left to right) Very charming bronze garden elf happily balancing on a urn, realistic looking but huge metal mushrooms, and a modern interpretation of abstract fruit sculpture. Life-sized black bronze gorilla, probably not for a small English courtyard garden, nevertheless, very impressive and memorable for me to this day. (May 2001) (Image credit: W. Diaz)
Private Magnolia Gardens, Orange County, NC , Master Gardener SM volunteer field trip, April 2018
(Left to right) Striking concrete dragon sculptures on pedestals marking the transition from the formal garden to the meadow beyond. An affordable reproduction of the one of the most famous sculptures in the world David by Michelangelo watches over the rare blooming yellow magnolias (not pictured). (April 2018) (Image credit: W. Diaz)
10 Principles for Incorporating Art in Landscapes [3]
If you are inspired like me to enhance your landscape for year-round interest, depth, and creativity, here some some basic guidelines for how to incorporate art and sculpture to really make both the art and your garden shine.
1. Create Outdoor Rooms in Garden Spaces
A garden space can be divided into ‘outdoor rooms’ defined by the function of the room, like a vegetable garden or wildlife viewing area. I am working to develop outdoor rooms in my own backyard. Within each room you should have a focal point that is a carefully positioned object which directs the person’s line of sight and lures the visitor into the garden. This encourages movement and entices the visitor to make a decision of where to go next.
2. Use Focal Points to Lead the Eye
A focal point propels the garden visitor on their journey. If you put it in the center of your view, it automatically draws attention to it. Even small gardens need a focal point “which draws the eye to a special feature…and helps give the garden a more orderly look.” Focal points can even be a thoughtfully placed specimen plant or a piece of art, sculpture, statuary, bird bath, or a dual-purpose functional ornament such as a bench, couple of chairs side by side, or one distinct whimsical artistic chair. Sculptures can also provide a foundation for a low and otherwise obscure plant and draw attention to the plant in the garden landscape, whether cultivated or not.
(Left to right) An open gate invites the visitor to walk down the brick path while focusing on the arbor-covered bench as a destination to rest at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia (May 2017); Whimsical brilliant red outdoor chair is a sculpture that you can actually sit on. Chapel Hill North Carolina Botanical Garden Sculpture in the Garden exhibit. (October 2023). Sedum has found a home as the hair for this female bust. Magnolia Gardens Master GardenerSM volunteer field trip (April 2018); Lichens have slowly developed intricate circular patterns on this stone female statue over many decades in Allerton Garden at National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kauai Island, Hawaii. (December 2019)
3. Illuminate Garden Art
Garden art can also be illuminated for nighttime viewing which creates more depth in the garden and ‘”enhances the overall aesthetic appeal of your garden,” especially in winter. It is worth noting that lighting can have a detrimental impact on wildlife and on humans (less sleep and limits star gazing), therefore you may consider episodic/periodic solar lighting instead especially during the growing seasons.
4. Consider Size and Proportion
Make sure to consider the size of the art element. The dimensions of the artistic embellishment should be in proportion to the size of the garden or garden room. Generally, our gardens are on a smaller scale and the garden elements or features should be on the same scale as your size of garden room. Even tiny gardens need a focal point and one appropriately-sized sculpture can provide that without taking up too much space by adding style and also distracting the eye from the lack of space[4]. Conversely, it should be large enough to make an impact on the landscape.
inside Biltmore Conservatory. (September 2018) (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)
5. Choose Art that Reflects Design Theme
Choose an art piece that enhances your garden type, style, and personality lends itself to the garden atmosphere you want to achieve. After all, you will be the principal viewer and must enjoy your décor.
If the garden theme is informal, choose a sculpture that is less classical–for example a whimsical animal statue perhaps like those in the photos below. These lend levity and a bit of the unexpected to the garden scapes.
Even the utilitarian vegetable-type garden can be more attractive with art. Vegetable gardeners spend a lot of time in their landscapes. Why not incorporate art that makes a statement, and like a scarecrow or kinetic mobile, can also be functional in the space?
(Left to right) Kinetic colorful metal sculpture at the Briggs Avenue Community Garden, Master GardenerSM volunteer field trip. (May 2016) Typical folk scarecrow built with discarded items at the Duke Farm, Master GardenerSM volunteer field trip (June 2018), and folk art scarecrow inspired by Bob Ross at Cheekwood Estate’s Seasonal Garden (September 2018). Unique pocket planter at the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, NC. (April 2019) (Image credit: W. Diaz)
Different types of gardens have essential, distinctive design elements and art objects that distinguish them from other types of gardens. Some great examples of the marriage of art and materials that compliment a unique design style are carved stone lanterns in an Asian garden and the use of natural materials like rock and bamboo. As evidenced in the photo below, the small Japanese lantern is prominently placed and draws the eye along the path that marks the curve in the pond.
6. Evaluate Location and Purpose of Objects
Location is an important factor when placing garden art. Decide if you want the sculpture to be the primary attraction or complement the flow of the plantings, especially trees and shrubs. Try positioning the art in a corner of your garden because our eye is naturally drawn to corner places. Consider filling an empty space with a piece of sculpture that compliments the foliage or perhaps denotes a turn in a path.
7. Assess Color for Complementary and Contrasting Values
When choosing garden art, consider the color of your piece and whether it complements the colors of your flowers in different seasons or contrasts with them to enhance the garden’s vibrancy. For example, the bright colors of Chihuly blown-glass sculptures in the photo below are reflected in the lily pools of the Italian Garden at the Biltmore and really energize this peaceful display while reflecting the different colors of water lily foliage and flowers.
(Clockwise, left to right) Ceramic sculpture that pays tribute to owls looks especially pleasing because of the fall golden color and browns that also match the Visitor Center building at North Carolina Botanical Gardens Sculpture in the Garden exhibit. (October 2023) White granite Japanese lantern is accentuated by the similar pale cherry blossoms next to it and vice versa. Sarah P. Duke Gardens. (March 2016) Silver-colored stylized leaf sculpture looks great next to the purple-bluish color of Eastern aromatic asters (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) at North Carolina Botanical Gardens Sculpture in the Garden exhibit. (October 2023)
I like the interesting long dark shadows that the St. Francis statue casts in the winter time in my backyard, especially on snow.
Steve Amerige, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Wake County, interprets the concept of color in a winter garden as a term synonymous with something other than vibrancy we think of in the spring landscape. He asks us to consider dimensions of color that excite the other senses such as an “(a)rchitectural structure in plants and (the) artistic elements like sculptures that can bring additional layers of color to your outdoor spaces.”[5] Shadows cast by art objects can definitely provide dimensional color and contrast.
8. Have an Editorial Eye
Don’t place too many objects in the same garden room. I remember our former NC State Extension agent Michelle Wallace, trained in landscape architecture and co-author of the landscape design chapter in the North Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook1, instructed us as Master GardenerSM volunteers that when it comes to garden art and sculpture less is more. We should not have too much of one artistic element like art objects because it renders the view too busy and detracts from the overall visual appeal of the garden. In the photo below, I know what the owners were trying to achieve in this driveway garden–no lawn! But a few more plants and ground cover would be better for the environment and curb potential stormwater runoff. From an artistic point of view, a few less sculptures would be less confusing to the eye next to the attractively decorated shed.
9. Consider Natural Elements as Art Objects
Don’t care for sculpture or manmade hard statues in your garden? Consider a well-placed boulder (irregular-shaped boulders should have the widest portion set into the ground surface like nature settled it there through erosion processes–not sitting on top where the underside is exposed) or rocks to line a walking path (preferably from a local bedrock source like the black diabase rock in Durham County that weathers a characteristic rusty brown color). Locally sourced natural rock such as our local diabase or a round granite millstone that was used to grind corn at a former North Carolina river mill or a tobacco barn can really add to the sense of place in our gardens unique to the place we inhabit. Plants are the focal point in The Butchart Gardens in British Columbia, but the remaining bedrock exposures from the former quarry cliff and the stairs leading up to a look out point blend in and add immeasurably to the garden design.
This backyard is literally a blank slate for garden design. It also came with a pile of local diabase boulders which will be the inspiration for further garden creativity. Note the large diabase boulder in the background that can be used as a bench (focal point) after the invasive species are removed along with other items, of course, in Durham, NC. (October 2023) Stairs to a viewing platform blend in beside the limestone outcrop in the Sunken Garden which occupies a former quarry at the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. (September 2016) (Image credit: W. Diaz)
10. Infusing the Landscape with Meaning Through Art
Consider meaning in your sculpture choice. Art sculptures can also educate the public about our combined history and add to the sense of community, place, and belonging in public gardens, parks, and urban landscapes. A great local example is the metal sculptures with historical marker (foreground in photograph below) on edge of the Black Wall Street Gardens in downtown Durham, NC. This work commemorates the financial and professional impact of the African American community along Parish Street (right side of photograph) in early decades of 1900s during the South’s Jim Crow Era. It also casts an interesting shadow on the red brick (historically common building material in Durham) sidewalk along Parish Street. (February 2024) (Image credit: W. Diaz)
(September 2018)
(Image credit: W. Diaz)
Like public spaces, maybe we can add more meaning to our private garden sculpture selections as well by incorporating our concerns for our world into our choice of ornamentation as focal points. The stewardship of my own small piece of Piedmont North Carolina is important to me, and I worry about the environment and wildlife habitat destruction due the building of housing subdivisions we inhabit. I have added features made out of natural local materials that will degrade and enrich the garden soil over time, do less cultivation, and stopped mulching. I let nature lead the way to the more casual, informal native woodland garden in my back yard. Thus, I have incorporated recommendations of more environmentally-sensitive approaches to garden design by using organic architecture (made from natural or plant materials) to create a softer approach to landscape design and play a role in sustaining floral and faunal diversity as championed by Rick Dark and Doug Tallamy[6]. Not to mention, it is less work and more sustainable for my back! You can find this type of organic sculpture more in public landscapes like some I have seen in local museums and botanical gardens.
Creating Rooms featuring Art Objects in My Garden
My garden is a work in progress, and because it is pie-shaped, the widest portion is in the backyard. It also slopes downward from one corner to the other. Several garden rooms exist in my backyard. I relocated the rustic cedar bench that my husband made from a fallen cedar tree on our property to a lower elevation at the end of a moss path because it was too close to the chainsaw chairs (remember: less is more). Now it creates a focal point that makes this narrow side yard look wider and creates a visual cue that anchors the space in this more natural side garden surrounded by native wildflowers and cedar trees.
The cedar bench serves a dual purpose as a ‘look out’ resting place and as another vantage point from which to view upwards the higher portions of my backyard. Being parallel to my neighbor’s lot, it also marks the property boundary as well.
The northeast corner is dominated by a large beech tree where I am nurturing a native woodland garden surrounded by a moss path. This garden room is about creating a more natural and less formal garden that provides benefits to wildlife (home for the fireflies in the leaf litter) and creates biodiversity in our suburban neighborhood.
So, as of now, it does not have a lot of embellishments other than some weathered tree roots. But I hope to eventually purchase a small Japanese lantern (carved granite) as a finishing touch to this corner of my garden, where the moss path I am nurturing turns around the beech tree on the outside of the tree apron. I don’t think the wildlife will mind my finishing touch after all; rock absorbs heat and cold blooded animals relish relaxing on them.
Conclusion
Most of us can’t buy an original bronze, a hand-carved marble statue, or a blown-glass Chihuly sculpture, and we don’t have the sweeping vistas for an outdoor sculpture exhibition like the Biltmore Estate. But we can draw inspiration from such displays and add some art appropriate to our personal style, design, and size of garden.
(Top to bottom) A fairy garden made of discarded household items, dwarf plants and moss, pine cones, cedar discards from the bench construction, and the tips of my neighbor’s discarded bamboo stalks. It was a pandemic project during a particularly wet spring in Durham, NC. (May 2020) Art from my friend’s backyard garden. She said, “The orbs broke off the original clay sculpture made by my son in high school, so I purchased a metal frame meant for glass bottles at a nursery and repurposed the clay orbs.” The cobalt blue orbs complement the yellowish foliage of nearby plants. (February 2024) (Image courtesy of Wanet Sparks)
Just like leafing through plant and seed catalogues in winter excites and motivates the gardener about spring gardening, so too can we be inspired by virtually visiting (through photographs) local public and private gardens with sculptures on display. This can inspire us to add ornamentation to our personal backyard gardens and help fill the empty spaces that appear especially during the less vigorous growing season. It was enjoyable going through my photo archives and literally revisiting some of the beautiful gardens that I have had the pleasure to walk through over the years with my family, friends, and Master GardenerSM volunteers. It is a good activity during the cold and wet winter months when you can’t tend to your own garden for at least it will inspire you to create your own small living outdoor masterpiece that you can view out your window.
Notes
[1]North Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook Second Edition https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/19-landscape-design#section_heading_6156
[2] Jellicoe, Sir Geoffrey and Susan, Patrick Goode and Michael Lancaster editors, The Oxford Companion to Gardens Oxford University Press 1986
[3] https://www.trianglegardener.com/garden-statues-7-tips-for-the-perfect-placement/
[4]Triangle Gardener, Your Guide To Enjoyable Gardening; The simplest tips to decorating your garden by https://www.trianglegardener.com/the-simplest-tips-for-decorating-your-garden/
[5]Triangle Gardener, Your Guide To Enjoyable Gardening; Seasonal Color tips for inside and outside! Color Your Winter with texture, scent, taste and more! By Steve Amerige November-December 2023, Page 8 and 9.
[6] Darke, Rick & Doug Tallamy The Living Landscape Designing for beauty and biodiversity in the home garden. Timber Press, published 2014; 392 pages.
Resources and Additional Information
In addition to the NC Extension Gardener Handbook section on landscaping principles mentioned above, IFAS Extension, University of Florida offers some additional thoughts on landscape design at their website.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP37
To see more examples of sculpture in notable outdoor spaces, see “7 Sculpture Gardens that Merge Art With the Landscape,” the September 5, 2020, an article by Thessaly La Force for the New York Times.
https://nytimes.com/202/09/05/at-home/visit-sculpture-gardens.html
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