13 Sensational Garden Sculptures and Statuary

Discover how you can embrace artistry with statues and sculpture in your garden.

September 01, 2015

By: Lori Johnston

Related To:

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Photo By: Steve Martino

Photo By: Joseph DeSciose

Photo By: Decorated Designs

Photo By: Three Sixty Design/Colorado ASLA

Photo By: Greg Wilson

Photo By: Christopher Oquendo

Photo By: King Landscaping

Photo By: Danna Cain/Home & Garden Design

Garden Gallery

The owners of this Arizona property wanted an elegant and modern outdoor space that related architecturally to their house and would be used for entertaining in a gallery-like setting. The two large sculptures were pieces the owners had in storage, and they were incorporated into the award-winning design by landscape architect Steve Martino.

Nighttime Views

Landscape architect Steve Martino tried to exploit every opportunity he could find to make this sculpture garden an extension of the house. This small land-locked garden in Arizona had been separated into two levels by two sets of stairs and dominated by boulder retaining walls. Now, features such as a water channel create a visual axis from the entry door to the prized Kaneko ceramic sculpture.

Salvaged Sculptures

Busts can bring a sense of elegance to a garden. Consider adding one to a potting table, as seen in designer Susanne Hudson's Georgia garden. She's the co-founder of the annual Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival, Garden Tour and Flower Show in Douglasville, Ga.

See More Photos: Tour a Georgia Garden Where Hydrangeas and Vintage Collectibles Rule

In Garden Rooms

Set off your sculptures in a section of the garden with another sculpture, such as an arbor, pergola, gazebo or trellis. This outdoor room, by garden designer Susanne Hudson, incorporates Gothic-style church windows.

Grecian Style

Adding statues creates dimension in front of flat retaining walls, says Linda Castle, owner of Decorated Designs, based in Marietta, Georgia. She selected a series of Grecian figures that represent the four seasons and placed them on pedestals nestled among greenery against a wall in a pool area. The statues are iron, but were painted to be rust-resistant.

Modern Water Element

Three Sixty Design created fluid transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces for a client in suburban Denver, and the Colorado American Society of Landscape Architects gave it a 2014 honor award for residential design (over $100,000). The design makes the dream home a living work of art, with actual sculptures among a water feature in one portion of the 3-acre site.

Midcentury Style

An elegant water feature with a period sculpture lit at dusk provides dramatic visual interest and acts as an audible screen to street sounds. The award-winning design by DWY Landscape Architects of the property in Sarasota, Florida, harnessed the strong planar forms of its midcentury modern architecture to create equally bold exterior spaces.

Along a Brick Walkway

A Georgia garden incorporates designs and statues beloved by the homeowners. The garden includes Pacific Northwest style in the form of conifers and sculptures, like the one to the right, which are reproductions of Frank Lloyd Wright pieces. The statue is a Nichols Bros. reproduction of Wright's Midway Sprite collection.

Flanking the Steps

When adding sculpture to a garden, some homeowners and landscape designers select a pair of sculptures to make an impact. The Native American Nakomis cast sandstone statuary, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and reproduced by Nichols Bros., is facing its partner, Nakoma, on the stairs of a Georgia home.

Sandstone Touch

The placement of this dry cast sandstone statuary is prominent on steps and near vibrant containers. The Native American Nakoma sculptural figure was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and reproduced by Nichols Bros.

Among Flowers

The rawness of this stone sculpture contrasts with flowering plants, such as hydrangeas, in the Georgia garden of Lyman and Becky Smith. After Lyman Smith, a Georgia Tech graduate, retired from the telecommunications industry, he devoted time to creating his garden, with sections inspired by Japanese gardens, conifers from the Pacific Northwest and traditional Southern plants.

Window Views

A carved stone statue was placed by King Landscaping in front of a window, to be viewed easily from inside and outside the home. Black Mexican river rock surrounds the sculpture.

In the Water

When adding a water element, consider installing a sculpture appropriate to the garden or water theme.

13 Sensational Garden Sculptures and Statuary

Related To:

Shop This Look

Garden Gallery

Nighttime Views

Salvaged Sculptures

In Garden Rooms

Grecian Style

Modern Water Element

Midcentury Style

Along a Brick Walkway

Flanking the Steps

Sandstone Touch

Among Flowers

Window Views

In the Water

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