Garden statues bring a wonderful charm to any landscape, if done tastefully. My personal favorites are medieval figures that emit an air of mystery without coming across as strange or gothic. Perhaps you are having an unspoken competition with your neighbor for who can have the best-looking garden, and your neighbor has placed a roman athlete with missing clothes and body parts. This is your chance to beat him or her for good with a beautiful statue.
But the elements can be harsh on any type of garden statuary, whether the statue wears clothes or not, especially in certain locations and seasons. To protect the investment you have made into your garden's beauty, special precautions should be taken to protect your crowning jewel of your garden and to maintain the beauty of the sculptor's work.
If your statue has been painted, it may need to be placed in an enclosed area. Doing so will offer it much more protection from Mother Nature's storms. The stone and concrete tends to hold up just fine against the weather, but the painted areas take a beating and present that broken, weathered, splotchy look. If that is what you like, go for it. Otherwise, try to keep it protected during stormy seasons.
In your case, the statue needs to be visible for everybody (especially your neighbor) to see, so covering or hiding it is not going to work for you. You can consider coating the statue with a liquid car wax, which should offer sufficient protection from weathering. Be careful though, since car wax tends to leave a white residue if you fail to wipe it off properly.
A more expensive or better solution would be using a water sealer that is designed for concrete or masonry on statues. You should do this once a year for all of your garden statues and especially for statues that hold water as part of their features, including birdbaths and fountains. Follow the directions carefully when you apply a water sealer to your statue. Sunny days offer the best weather conditions for drying the statue once it has been sealed with the water sealer, so make this part of your spring cleaning routine. Wash the statue before you use the sealant though, or you will seal the dirt and grime to your statue all year.
Many gardeners use urns and concrete flower pots in conjunction with their garden statues. These also should be treated with a water sealant, and you need to verify that the urns and flowerpots drain properly. If water builds up it could destroy these items overnight in a quick freeze. If you keep a dish or saucer underneath these pots during the warm months, be sure to remove it before the cold season sets in.
To further protect your garden statue (and to make sure your neighbor sees it every day), it should be placed on a paving stone, a concrete block, or a concrete pavement to protect it from the soil and other ground hazards. Be attentive to your statue's condition, since prevention is the best care you can give it.
Garden Statues And Ornaments
Gardens have lawns, gardens have flowers, and gardens have exotic plants and complicated landscaping. They also have the one thing that gives it an identity of its own - garden statues. People believe that the garden is the first thing a visitor would see and first impressions are always lasting impressions.
The history of garden statues dates back to the Garden of Eden. Those that belonged to Renaissance Italy were actually classical sculptures found amongst the ruins of Rome and Greece and were displayed here. A good example is the statue of Venus De Milo belonging to the 2nd century BC. Post Restoration in the year 1660, the concept of garden statues had reached England where the Victorian bent towards exotic art and a thirst for knowledge inspired this art to reach great heights. Italy was in a way responsible for the spread of garden statues to European countries. Ideas were represented in the new sculpture of the late 19th century art world.
Garden statues give the garden its uniqueness and a distinct of character. They compliment the picture, so to speak. They emphasize the flowers, the plants and the landscaping that grace its surroundings. There are all types of statues to be found. There are statues that are religious or mythological in nature where some Gods are known as the defenders of evil. There are statues that are whimsical like fairies or cupid, pixies and little bird houses. There are people who have a very artistic bent of mind so they would like to have statues that depict some altruism or a deeper meaning of life and living in general. If your theme is nature then you can have animal statues. Waterfalls of many types, colors, shapes and sizes can be added to garden statues to give it a hint of the lyrical.
The materials that can be used for garden statues are generally those which can handle the wear and tear of weather well. Stone is most commonly used and resin is now gaining popularity. There are marble and bronze statues to be seen also but people are hesitant to leave these at the mercy of the Elements. Concrete and cement are cheap options but they are not long lasting options. Fiberglass loses its color when exposed to UV rays of the sun over a period of time and steel, unless galvanized or painted, will not last long. Ceramic, on the other hand, is very durable and so is stainless steel. Wood has a tendency to decay and change with time so if your garden statue can adapt itself to the new weather oriented design then you may have something unique on your hands.
If you are a garden lover and want to do something different for your garden then go in for a simple theme and put in garden statues to emphasize the idea. Keep your budget and durability of the material in mind. Let your imagination and your creative instincts rule, the sky is the limit and the possibilities endless.
Both Terry Fitzroy & Peter Finch are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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