Outdoor Art: 5 Ways to Bring the Love Outside

Your home is filled with love – and those special touches that show how much you love it. But have you brought the love outside? There’s more to gardening than a nice lawn and a few colorful plants. While you may have thought that art belonged indoors, your garden gives you a wonderful place to let your creativity out to play.

That includes garden artworks, and while a bed of annuals requires regular attention, your hard landscape – including artworks, is as low maintenance as you could wish. Need some inspiration? Let’s explore some stunning garden art ideas to get the inspirations flowing.

1. Add A Fountain to Your Favorite Garden Spot

There’s something about water that enchants and beguiles us. Whether it’s a throwback from humankind’s need to live near water sources, or merely the wonderfully relaxing sound of moving streams and cascades, water features add special magic to gardens.

Designing and building one from scratch is likely to be a hit-or-miss affair. But with Outdoor Art Pros offering ready-made water features that are a snip to install, adding an attractive and artsy fountain to your garden can be hassle-free.

And, contrary to popular belief, a well-designed garden fountain needn’t be high maintenance or space-intensive. Sure, you aren’t going to create the gardens of Versailles in your front yard, but you can add a taste of that magic, and maintain it, without an army of gardeners to make it possible.

2. Statuary Adds an Element of Wonder

Forget the cliched garden gnome of popular myth. Garden statuary offers a simple way to turn a walk through the garden into a fantastic journey. Take garden visitors on a trip into the past with classically inspired nymphs; add a surprise in the form of an animal or bird sculpture nestling in a garden nook, or go for expressive contemporary artworks.

One of the best things about well-established garden statuary is the patina it develops over time. Don’t scrub the moss and lichen off. Let oxidation have its way with brass or iron. It all adds to the charm of a sculpture that ends up looking like it sprang up out of the ground, rather than having been newly placed. Low-maintenance is lovely. Let nature have its way.

3. Choose Planters With Aesthetic Value

You may have believed that gardening was all about plants, and you may have fallen for mass-produced, or even (heaven forbid) plastic containers. But even when the plants in all their glory were what you wanted in the first place, providing the right setting for them makes a difference.

You wouldn’t choose a tacky, supermarket-bought frame for your favorite painting, so give your plants the same amount of consideration. Fabulous planters are the perfect frame for magnificent plants – and they’ll still look good in off-seasons between reblooming or replanting.

At the same time, you don’t want containers that are so flashy that the plants are overwhelmed. As a rule of thumb, choose dramatic, glossier finishes for sculptural accent plants with large, showy leaves and natural matte finishes for plants with more delicate foliage and low-growing stature.

4. Art Can be For The Birds

If you’ve ever seen birds splashing about in puddles after a rainstorm, you’ll know that even the smallest water body will attract our feathered friends. If you don’t feel equal to a fountain or have fond memories of classic birdbaths, garden art offers you an easy option with birdbaths of every description.

Place them where you can enjoy the sight of your avian visitors without alarming them, and do remember that cats love birdbaths too, albeit for different reasons than you. If you or your neighbors have a fondness for felines, the traditional (and hard to climb) pedestal with a birdbath is the best option. If you can be reasonably sure there are no kitties around, your possibilities are limitless.

5. Outdoor Canvasses for Your Garden Gallery

I always thought that paintings on canvas were for indoor display only,  but now I find myself reconsidering! Experts have dreamed up ways to make canvasses that can withstand the elements. That includes both sun and rain, so don’t feel limited to shaded patios.

Think of the dullest, blankest wall in your garden, and consider what it would look like as a neutral background for statement artworks. Yes, it is possible! Turning your backyard into a fabulous place to enjoy a variety of art styles could be as simple as choosing the right canvasses to showcase.

It’s All Part of the Art of Living

You’re no stranger to the art of living. You like to include beauty and grace at every opportunity. By doing so, you express yourself and give your kids a beautiful environment in which to grow up. Your garden is as much part of your home as your family room, and including art into the equation makes an unforgettable statement.

Love your home? Bring the love outside for all to see and enjoy!