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Garden Art
 by
Nancy Stevens-Brown
Attracting Birds and Nature with Garden Art
Landscaping to fit your individual creative sense and climate is
a great source of pleasure for many. The delight increases when
we take advantage of the centuries-old tradition of the addition
of art to our designs. When you combine garden art with plants,
you may be surprised at what happens next. Not only does the art
provide a focal point for your yard, but it becomes the local point
of interest for many of the birds and animals who visit your garden
as well.
"ART IS THE RIGHT HAND OF NATURE."
--SCHILLER
The Greeks and Romans were perhaps among the first to decorate their
grounds by incorporating art into their landscape designs. Statues,
fountains, mosaics and stonework were combined with the flora to
create intriguing settings for people to enjoy. Though traditionally
feeders and fountains are most often added to attract birds, statuary
and rock work are surprisingly tempting as well. Today virtually
any landscape is wonderfully enhanced by the addition of appropriate
art. When you do add something to your garden, you will soon discover
that life does indeed imitate art! If wildlife does not exactly
imitate art, it will certainly use and admire it.
Just as the variety, level and composition of the art contribute
to the visual appeal for people, you will quickly discover that
birds and wildlife find it amazingly appealing also. They will automatically
seek garden art for resting, sunning and observation. Within minutes
after I added a gazing ball to my flower bed, I watched an Anna's
humming-bird arrive to inspect her own dancing reflection in the
shiny gleaming sphere. When we placed a small lion fountain by our
kitchen window, we soon had a resident pacific tree toad making
its home on the shoulder of the spouting lordly feline. For all
the world this wee toad looked like a court jester!
"WE CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH OF NATURE."
--THOREAU
My garden is divided into many areas, each with its own feel and
flavor. Every section incorporates rocks, fountains and art to add
to the mood. In all settings we enjoy seeing birds and wildlife,
such as lizards, squirrels, snakes, frogs and toads taking advantage
of our decorations. At times it's a stunning sight--or an unexpected
comedy. Once, as I watched a house finch land on the upturned leg
of a whirlygig, I had to laugh at this comic bird blunder. The free-wheeling
perch abruptly gave him less roost than he had anticipated and sent
a red-faced ball of feathers spinning! Another time my bird-friendly
ornamentation became a temporary perch for a sharp-shinned hawk
after he missed his strike on one of the sparrows that had been
resting there moments before. Throughout the day many of the birds
in our yard pause with more success to perch, preen and sing on
the statues. Perhaps they are attracted by the added height or because
the rocks and statues absorb heat.
ON THE DARK SIDE
Depending on the ornament's placement in your yard, shade may be
another inviting advantage. Often the soil will remain damp around
benches and larger pieces of statuary providing a moist habitat.
In such shady areas I commonly see hermit thrush and robins hunting
for worms and insects. When I placed a terra-cotta `toad abode'
under some ferns, a western toad promptly took up housekeeping in
the new little haven. Pottery huts provide cool, safe shelters for
these beneficial bug-eating amphibious friends.
Today, vast selections of art are available through specialty stores,
catalogs and on-line. Garden art ranges from plastic to solid brass,
whimsical to theatrical, so finding pieces that suit your taste
and budget is easy. Landscape items are as varied as the people
who manufacture and buy them. Many companies produce excellent reproductions
of old designs, fabricated from polymers, metals, resins and other
light-weight materials. This makes handling and positioning modern
pieces easier than more traditional heavy cement or stone items.
Whatever your desire, large or small, orbs, obelisks, arches, antique
urns, benches, engraved slate stepping stones, trellises, marble
replicas, gargoyles, griffins, gongs, or gazing balls, there is
something that will appeal to all. Add garden art to fit your creative
sense, and who knows what else will become attracted to it! The
new art you incorporate will rapidly become part of your yard's
allure.
"AN ART IS ONLY GREAT AND SIGNIFICANT IF IT IS ONE THAT ALL
MAY ENJOY."
--SOMERSET MAUGHAM
Garden art gives you more opportunity to share your yard with nature.
You will find birds and wildlife enjoying the garden decorations
in their own ingenious ways, enlivening landscapes with humor, beauty,
contrast and wonder. By combining your artistic taste with Mother
Nature's grace, you will entice life and art to mix beautifully,
adding to the palette of your day in nature's amazing, ever-changing
way. The delight in seeing birds and other creatures sharing the
stage with your art work will increase the enchantment of your garden,
while enriching your outdoor experience!
Nancy Stevens-Brown is a freelance writer and photographer whose
turn-of-the-century farm provides her inspiration and escape.
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