Garden ornaments
One of the most polarizing garden things is the use of garden ornaments. Much comes down to personal taste and we do have the freedom to do whatever we want with our gardens (as long as it is legal). So, with people being so very different, so are the garden ornaments that people place in their gardens.
Some garden ornaments were originally functional. An example of this are the stone lanterns found in Japanese gardens. They were needed to light the way around gardens at night. Originally, they contained a lighted candle and their ‘windows’ were covered with translucent paper. Other ornaments are made from repurposed functional objects. In England, stone ‘mushrooms’ are often seen in gardens. These are the stone stumps that once supported granaries. In Australia all kinds of old things are repurposed as garden ornaments: anything from old single furrow ploughs to complete MacKay headers, even old windmills. Some ornaments actually have a function. Birdbaths, bird feeders, and bee hotels are all examples of functional garden ornaments. Ornamental pots also provide interest.
There is a huge range of concrete ornaments. Most look better if they look as if they have a bit of age to them. The trick is to smother new concrete ornaments with natural yoghurt and keep them in a cool shady place for a while. This will promote the growth of moss and lichen. This trick also works on terracotta.
The polarizing thing about garden ornaments is that many are not exactly…..tasteful. Really, there are many garden ornaments that leave me scratching my head and wondering what sort of person designed them and why does anyone even buy them for their garden? But people do make them and people do buy them. Do we really want a mooning gnome in our garden?
Garden ornaments are a great way to add a feature or focal point to a garden. The trick is not to overdo it. Being the Zen Gardener, my mantra is less is more. A few modestly sized, well designed and made ornaments that do not dominate the garden work best for my aesthetic senses.
Try to avoid cliches like model windmills (Dutch or Australian), or real windmills for that matter. The same goes for gnomes and all forms of animal and bird monstrosities. At least in Rushworth we don’t need kangaroo ornaments. We get the real thing.
The trouble is I tend to acquire garden ornaments. Some I make myself as sculptures, some I buy because they are so bad that they are good. Others are gifts that I really cannot hide or give away. My solution to this plethora of ornaments was to create a ‘kitsch garden’ in a corner that is quite shaded and difficult to grow much in.
Perhaps the best garden ornaments are the living ones: a shrub with interesting foliage, a tree with an interesting shape, not to mention the birds and other creatures that visit the garden. As for those gnomes, send them with a one-way ticket up to Canberra to Floriade!
The Zen Gardener
