Garden Ornaments

What garden ornaments are, and what they add

A garden ornament is a piece set outside to be looked at or listened to, rather than to hold a plant or feed the birds. Garden statues are one kind, usually a standing figure on the ground or a plinth, but the term stretches further, from a small figure tucked into a border to a chime swaying from a branch. A well-placed ornament gives the eye somewhere to rest and keeps a corner interesting when the planting is quiet in winter.

Choosing by spot, scale and style

Start with the spot. Stand at the window, bench or door you will usually see the piece from, and measure the space it will fill. A small piece can get lost in a wide border and a large one can crowd a narrow path, so check its height and width before you choose; a piece seen across a lawn needs more presence than one beside a seat.

Then look at the colours around it. Among busy planting a quieter colour settles in, and some of ours come in brown; against plain green or a bare patio, a bolder colour brings a bright note. For a gift, picture the garden it is going to: some of our pieces suit a gift for her and a few suit a gift for him, and a smaller piece is the easier choice when you do not know their garden well.

Placing pieces among plants, paths and patios

An ornament reads best where something draws you to it. Place one at the end of a path, at a bend or where a border meets the lawn, to give the garden a point to walk towards. Set low pieces at the front of a bed so summer growth does not hide them, and raise small ones on a step, a patio wall or an upturned pot. Where a piece shows a bird or a butterfly, and some of ours do, set it among flowers, ideally ones that real butterflies visit, such as lavender and buddleia. Group pieces in odd numbers at different heights, or let one stand alone.

How wind chimes and solar pieces work

A few of our pieces are wind chimes. A typical chime is a ring of tubes or shapes arranged around a central striker, with a sail hanging from it to catch the wind; as the sail moves, the striker knocks the chimes, and longer tubes generally give deeper notes. Hang one from a sturdy hook, a pergola beam or a strong branch where it gets a steady breeze, with room to swing clear of walls, and keep neighbours in mind.

A few of ours are solar. A solar piece runs on daylight gathered by a small panel, so place it where the panel faces open sky and gets direct sun for much of the day. Shade from a fence, hedge or tree leaves it less to work with, as do short winter days, so keep the panel free of dust and fallen leaves.

Looking after ornaments through frost, rain and sun

A little attention keeps outdoor pieces looking good. Clean them with a soft brush and warm, soapy water, then rinse and leave them to dry. A few of ours have a glazed or gloss finish, so skip pressure washers, scouring pads and harsh cleaners, which can chip a glaze, scratch a gloss surface or wear away colour.

Frost is the thing to watch with ceramic, which a few of our pieces are made from: water that gets into a hairline crack or chip can freeze, swell and split the piece. In a hard frost, move small ceramic pieces into a shed, garage or porch, and stand any that stay out on pot feet so they do not sit in rainwater. Strong sun can fade bright colours over the years, so a spot with afternoon shade helps a multicoloured piece keep its colour. Take a wind chime down before a gale.