Garden Ornamental Features Other than Sculpture

Apart from sculpture, there are other ornamental features which can be used to liven up and decorate the garden in all manner of ways.

Columns can be employed for purely aesthetic purposes, or they can be functional, acting as supports and pedestals. They may be simple, with a smooth surface, or fluted to accentuate their length, with either plain or highly ornate capitals (the moulded crowns). Used as decoration, columns can be positioned in such a way as to frame another feature, such as a gateway or view; a tall Grecian column flanking a doorway will look elegant and imposing. Columns can also be used to form colonnades and as supports for pergolas.

In many small gardens, a complete classical column will look out of place, but a section of a column that includes the capital, hidden in a corner and half covered with ivy, can blend in well and look very effective. In a large, leafy garden which has a timeless quality, columns can be used to create an interesting feature. They need not stand upright; they can be placed on their sides, either whole or in a number of pieces, to simulate a classical ruin.

Obelisks are four-sided columns, usually made from stone, that taper to a pyramidal form. They often have inscriptions on one or more of their faces, an arcadian ode or, in the case of a commemorative monument, an elegy. They make interesting and elegant decorations when used in pairs to mark doorways, or at the top or bottom of a flight of steps. Larger examples make good focal points, especially set at the end or intersection of a series of paths or avenues, or in the centre of a circular lawn.

For the finishing touch, add a finial to a wall or column. These ornamental pieces, often in the shape of a fleur-de-lis or a pineapple, or a more simple spherical or pointed design, can stand on gateposts and other features. Urns can be used instead of finials, either as containers or simply as ornamentation. Unless they are very large, they usually look best on some sort of pedestal. There is an extremely wide range of different styles of urn available. Antique examples come in a number of materials including stone, terracotta, bronze, copper and lead, although reconstituted stone reproductions are a popular alternative.