Garden sculptures — original architectural elements, sculptures and decorations (120 photos)

The garden is the face of every private house. Every housewife wants to create a unique image of her plot. Often you want to see not just a well-groomed garden, but also create something unique. To diversify the riot of flowers or decorate the lawn, sculptures for the garden are well suited. They can both emphasize its color, and become the basis of the design of the entire site.

Sculptures for garden decor in a huge assortment are sold in special stores "Everything for the garden and vegetable garden". Also, many people prefer to create a sculpture on their own.

Summary of the article:

The most common materials for making figures for the garden are gypsum, wood, concrete, natural stone, polyresin and metal. Sculptures from topiary plants are also gaining popularity.

Each of these materials has its pros and cons. To make the right choice when buying a product, you should know their main characteristics. Even more ideas about landscape design can be found on this website: https://landshaftblog.ru/

Plaster sculptures are quite fragile and require careful care to preserve their structure. The advantage of the material is its low price and the ability to use it at home for self-production of figures.

It is important to remember that when making large plaster figures, you will need a metal frame and the base of the product to strengthen their stability.

The tree is used to create unusual, lively compositions. The material is easily accessible and easy to process. To prevent your wood sculpture from rotting, the appearance of parasites and fungus, treat it with special chemical compositions at least once a year, and then cover it with varnish or paint of your choice.

A good solution would be to remove the sculpture for the winter in the garage or any other room without strong temperature changes and high humidity.

Concrete is a very strong material with an interesting structure. It is suitable for independent work and has a fairly affordable price. In order for the concrete sculpture not to crumble in a couple of years from the effects of temperature and humidity changes, it is important to update its protective coating more often.

Granite and marble are usually used to make sculptures from natural stone – beautiful, wear-resistant materials. They emphasize the high status of the owner of the products. These types of stone are very expensive and are suitable only for classical or antique garden design.

Sandstone products are a more budget option. They are quite strong and durable, while their price is much lower.

The unusual name polystone hides an artificial stone based on acrylic resin. Due to the fact that the material is completely homogeneous, has no microcracks and pores, polyresin products are not exposed to moisture, frost and direct sunlight.

Another advantage of it is the possibility of manufacturing products with small details – thanks to the excellent strength of the sculpture will last without damage for more than one season.

Metal sculptures are rarely used on private homesteads. Most often, copper and bronze, durable and spectacular-looking metals, are used to create figures. A well–designed, exquisite composition of bronze is not a cheap choice, but such an ornament will last for decades without losing its attractiveness.

Thanks to proper pruning, a living shrub or tree can become a garden sculpture. Previously, we could only see photos of these garden sculptures in Western magazines and catalogs. Now there is an opportunity to invite a professional who, thanks to careful, correct pruning of the crown, will create the figure you set for a lot of money, or you can do similar work yourself.

It is enough to make a frame of the right size and shape with your own hands, fill it with high-quality soil and plant plant seeds in it. After the seeds come up, you just need to prune the plants, maintaining the shape of the sculpture.

Form

Despite the wide range of sculptures and statues for the garden, their choice still remains difficult. How to choose a sculpture that will not only be strong and durable, but will also fit well into the overall design of the site?

Try to maintain all the elements of the garden in the same style. For example, wooden compositions, figures of animals and birds are more suitable for a rustic landscape, and for a sophisticated garden with many flowers, use solid white figures of people or plants.

Do not strive to make a sculpture the center of your garden. Let it be a bright accent, not the basis of the design.

To determine the location of the sculpture, make a life-size sketch of it on cardboard.

Large sculptures look harmoniously next to figuratively trimmed shrubs, tall trees and fountains. Small figures on the contrary look better in an open area: on the lawn, near flower beds and decorative fences.

Self-made sculptures

To get the perfect figure for the design of your garden, it is not necessary to spend many hours in stores and give a lot of money. If desired, you can make a garden sculpture with your own hands. It is easiest to work with concrete, wood and gypsum on your own.

Sculptures made of concrete

To make a concrete product, you will need:

Cement
Sand
Thick wire
Water

Protective impregnation for concrete (based on acrylic, polyurethane or epoxy resin)

First, bend the frame of the future figure from a thick wire. This will help you easily create a product and strengthen it. Mix cement and sand (3:1), add water according to the instructions. Apply the resulting solution to the frame in layers.

The solidification time of the solution depends on the ambient temperature. In the hot season, it will harden in 3 days (at a temperature of 25-30 degrees), in colder — about 5.

It is impossible to work with concrete outdoors or indoors if the temperature is less than 10 degrees – the cement mortar will not be able to harden properly and the product will quickly become unusable. After the figure has completely solidified, cover it with a protective spray or impregnation. This will save your creation for a long time.

Plaster sculptures

For the manufacture of gypsum products, it is necessary to have:

Dry gypsum
Water
PVA glue
Moisture-resistant glue
Paraffin or vaseline
Sifted clay
Waterproof paints (preferably acrylic)

Gypsum is well suited for "cloning" existing sculptures. First, a mixture is made of clay and water, into which the existing product will be pressed. Adjust its density so that the mixture is elastic, does not flow and is not too dry. Make a cast of the necessary product on both sides and leave to dry for a day.

It is not necessary to put clay casts in the sun – rapid drying will cause the clay to burst, which will render the cast unusable. If small cracks occur, you can cover them with plasticine.

After the clay dries, it is necessary to prepare a gypsum solution of the consistency of thick sour cream. To make the figure please you much longer, replace 10-20% of the water with PVA glue – this will make the solution much stronger. Lubricate both casts from the inside with paraffin or vaseline (this will help you easily pull out the halves of the sculpture), then pour plaster there.

Leave the plaster to dry in a warm room for a day. After that, treat the irregularities and roughness at the joints and connect them with waterproof glue. After that, you can start decorating the figurine.

Wooden sculptures

To create a wooden product, you need:

Wooden billet of the right size
Tools for wood processing
Fine sandpaper
Impregnations against parasites, mold and rot
Primer
Paint or varnish

For beginners, blanks from trees such as pine or birch are well suited – they are easy to process and at the same time quite durable.

Here you can turn on your imagination and carve anything you want out of wood – flowers, animal figures or fabulous creatures. The main thing is the final processing of the product.

Impregnate the wood with compounds from mold and parasites, prime and only then apply paint – this will help preserve the fruit of your efforts for many seasons.

Don't be afraid to experiment with materials, shapes and processing methods. A little imagination and free time will help make your garden a small fabulous island that will delight others with its beauty and originality.