5 Tips for Selecting Garden Statuary

Selecting a new piece of statuary for your garden is like selecting artwork for your home. Find a piece that you love because you will want to enjoy it as a main focus in your garden. It must have the right characteristics to complement and add beauty to your outdoor space, while pleasing your personal style preference. As you begin to review and select the perfect statuary to enhance your property, you will want to consider several key factors. What style would work best in your garden? What material is most suitable? What size and location would be optimal to enhance your garden? Find a guide to these and more considerations below as we share our tips for selecting garden statuary.

For more cast iron garden statues information, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

1. Style

Statuary can be found in every form of shape, size, and style imaginable. The key considerations when selecting a stylistic direction for your statuary are the style of your home and garden and your personal preference. The simplicity and smooth finish of Geometric, Art Deco, Abstract, and Asian styles are well suited for contemporary and midcentury home and garden settings. Classical styles, such as highly ornamented human figures, majestic animals, and classical motifs work well with traditional homes and the classic garden settings.

Within the broad styles, one can find statuary of every theme and design within our product line. Find what appeals to you personally and keep in mind how you'd like to present your space. Is there a story to tell? Or a theme for your garden? Our statuary runs the gamut of classical, abstract, realistic, fanciful, casual, religious, and more. Choose from mythological characters, cheerful cherubs, fanciful unicorns, frolicking frogs, dancing bears, human figures in many forms, and truly a complete range of the animal kingdom!

Japanese Lantern and the Four Seasons Cherub

2. Material

Statuary can be created from a number of different materials, including stone, cast stone, plaster, concrete, metal, and clay. Our statuary line includes pieces made of these key materials: cast stone, lead, and bronze. Be sure to take your geographic location and climate into consideration when choosing statuary. In colder climates, durability of materials is critical. We have successfully produced thousands of highly durable pieces through our cast stone formulation, which has been developed to include a high ratio of Connecticut white limestone, sand, and cement. This high ratio of limestone aggregate makes our cast stone material suitable for all climates and all seasons. Another popular material, lead statuary is a stunning addition to any private garden. Several styles, such as our 20th century English statuary, are typically cast in lead. These are smaller figures and tend to feature cherub-like features with high ornamentation. Bronze pieces are another great choice, as they are universally the most durable material for garden ornamentation. We have a select few items beyond our sundials, which are available in bronze.

Pan with Horn (Lead) and the Great Sentinel Owl (Cast stone with lead beak and talons)

3. Size

One of the most important factors to take into consideration when choosing garden statuary is size. The size of your selected piece should be determined by the size of your garden. A piece too large or too small can have an overwhelming or underwhelming effect respectively, creating a sense of unbalance in your outdoor space. Be thoughtful about your garden space and how a piece of statuary can help enhance it, how its surroundings and other garden elements will help showcase its beauty. While large statues are ideal for creating a strong focal point, smaller statues are often used to create accents within close-up settings and 'rooms' of your garden. Smaller statues also bring the element of pleasant surprise as they are discovered among greenery and flowers while walking through the garden.

4. Location

Siting your garden statuary is key. The right placement can make the difference between whether your new addition to the garden adds value or throws off the flow and balance of your outdoor space. In order to find the best location, consider the immediate surroundings of where you'd like to place your statue. Are there any existing trees, plants, bushes, or hedges? If so, make sure the existing elements of the location will not block or overwhelm the statue as your new piece should be showcased, not obstructed. Placing a garden statue amongst flowers or in the center of a formally structured parterre garden will help create a sense of prominence and make a statue stand out in contrast to the bright colors and greenery. For dramatic effect, you can position the statue at a destination point at the end of a walkway or allee of trees. Also consider including a garden bench to provide a vantage point from which to admire your statuary.

Atlas with Sundial provides a focal point at the end of a walkway. The Four Seasons Statue among flowers.

5. Groupings

Grouped placement of statues adds a dramatic effect to the garden. A pair of statues flanking a stairway or path creates drama and rhythm in the garden. And a pair of statues flanking a front door add the ultimate curb appeal. Statuary in groups can be used to create visual boundaries in a garden, whether along the perimeter or grouped in corners. One of our most popular statuary groupings is the Four Seasons series, which helps remind us that every season has its own way of enhancing our outdoor space! The Four Seasons Statues are a great collection to use in a group or sited at the four corners of a garden room. As with artwork in a gallery, adding to the statuary over time lets you create your own personal collection to enhance your garden.

Lions with Orbs flanking an outdoor stairway and the Foo Dog stands guard beside the front door

Want more information on garden decorative casting? Feel free to contact us.

Classical Four Seasons Statues

For more inspiration, Explore our statuary

Do you have questions about selecting the perfect statue for your garden? Contact our Customer Service

Wide varieties of materials can be used for garden sculptures: from wood to metal, and from plastic to ceramic—and marble, resin, and concrete. Also on that list is stone, including cast stone. Choosing what material is right for you will depend on your budget, how durable you want your statuary to be, and the climate in your area. To help you choose the right outdoor statue for your garden, here’s an overview of some of the commonly used materials.

Plastic and Resin

Plastic statues, in general, cost less than other materials. That said, they typically require moderate weather, year-round, to last a reasonable amount of time. So, if you live somewhere with hot summers or cold winters, you’ll probably need to bring plastic garden sculptures indoors when weather conditions are less ideal; otherwise, they can fade, warp, and perhaps crack.

If you'd like more durable material, look for thick plastic that can endure extreme temperatures. It will cost more than lightweight plastic but should last longer.

Resin is another option. This hard plastic substance is easily molded into a wide range of shapes and can be much more durable than other kinds of plastic; these outdoor statues will likely cost more than less substantial plastic options. They are, however, still subject to fading, warping, and cracking.

Wood

Wooden statues can provide an appealing ambiance with price points that can be attractive. They’re usually light and easily transportable from one part of the garden to another. However, you’ll need to spend time and money on their upkeep. This can include putting them on a pedestal; preserving the wood; and replacing them if they fade, crack, or rot as they’re attacked by insects and/or fungi. So, wooden statues may not be as durable as you’d prefer.

Metal

Metal outdoor statues can be quite beautiful, sometimes used in more formal gardens. They’re available in aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, stainless steel, and lead. These materials can be so durable that they’re used in large garden statues. The bigger the size, of course (with all other factors being equal), the price will be higher. Some metals, such as copper, develop a patina as they age, which you may or may not like.

Ceramic and Glass

Glass and ceramic statues can be stunning, capturing the sunlight and adding touches of fragile beauty throughout your garden. Glass statues can be solid or hollow. Ceramic, meanwhile, can be porous and non-porous. The porous type will take in and hold water; during freeze and thaw cycles, they will crack. No matter whether you choose glass or ceramic, you’ll need to place them in a protected area and, before the weather gets too cold, bring them indoors.

Concrete

Crafted from molds, you can find outdoor statues made from concrete in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, whether finished or unfinished. They can be reasonably priced although large garden statues can be quite heavy. You can buy unfinished ones and paint them yourself to save money or get them already finished. They won’t have the fine amount of detail in them as you can get with other materials, and they do best when placed in sunny spots to prevent mold. Concrete statues can also crack when the weather fluctuates between freezing and when the statues will thaw.

Natural Stone

Materials can range from limestone to marble, granite, sandstone, and more. Each comes with its own pros, cons, and price points. Overall, natural stone garden sculptures are practical and long-lasting while also being attractive in gardens.

Limestone is a natural material that turns into marble when it's been under hot temperatures and huge pressure, so they have much in common. For example, you’ll need to avoid using any cleaning products on limestone and marble containing acid. Instead, use mild dishwashing soap and water.

You can use cleaning products with mild acid on sandstone, which means that you can add vinegar to your soap and water. Granite, a rock formed from volcanic lava, isn't susceptible to acid.

Cast Stone

Cast stone statues are made from finely ground, refined concrete, typically in a mold; substances such as ground-up glass can be added. As you can see from the outdoor garden statues we offer here at Decker’s, we’ve found this to be an in-demand material. Reasons why include:

• Cast stone statues can be created in a range of sizes, shapes, styles, and colors.
• They are durable and strong, requiring less maintenance. They just need cleaning with mild dishwasher soap.
• This material can be an especially smart choice in locations where winters get cold.
• Given that they're made well, such as ones by Campania International available at Decker's Nursery, they’re unlikely to crack.
• They provide good investments in your home and garden.

Because cast stone statues can be heavier than some other materials, especially with large garden statues, you’ll want to consider their placement.

Decorating with Outdoor Statues

In our guide to decorating with outdoor garden sculptures, we offer placement and decorating strategies, which will vary based on your personal taste, the size and shape of your garden, how you've laid out beds, and more.

So, consider your favorite style—perhaps from an ancient civilization (ancient Egypt, Rome, or Greece, for example) or contemporary cultures, such as Japan or Mexico. You may be creating a replica of a traditional English garden or one from when you lived elsewhere in the United States. It's really up to your preferences, the size of your space, and what your climate will facilitate.

Stroll through your garden and imagine where you'd like to place focal points, such as large garden statues, and where a cluster of small statues might add interest. How far away should each be from your flowers and herbs? What would this make your garden look like when someone first enters the space?

The experts at Decker’s Nursery would love to help you design your ideal space, one that will delight those who find respite there. You can stop by our retail garden center during open hours, contact us online, or call us: (631) 261-.

Are you interested in learning more about custom cast patio furniture china vintage? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!