Art in the garden conjures up visions of concrete Venus De Milos and birdbaths, but maybe now’s the time for a rethink. Over recent years art has become exciting and affordable to all, and the market for art in the garden is positively awash with accessories and objets d’art designed to improve your outside space and that’s without mentioning gnomes!

Why is adding art to your garden a good thing? A good piece of art can dramatically transform an otherwise uninteresting space by simply providing a focal point and a discussion topic. Placed correctly it can divert the eye away from a bad view by focusing on the work instead. 

A piece of sculpture is not the only way to introduce art into the garden; courtyards can easily be used as outdoor galleries.  Many companies now produce waterproof canvases to hang on your walls, everything from the Mona Lisa to your wedding pictures!

Space is at a premium for most of us, so try to think of art work that is multi-functional.  Use that quiet seating area as a focal point for the garden by painting a bench with a strong colour. Red works well as it’s the complementary colour to green; they bring out the best in each other, try white for the classic clean and crisp look, or go for black gloss which always looks spectacular against paler green foliage.

(Thanks to The English Garden)

Francesca Dimond Sculpture & Design; fernunfurlingBig Art Canvas