Choosing garden decor

(ARA) - You're not alone if you find that the piece of garden statuary that looked so elegant at the garden center just doesn't seem to fit your garden back home.

A common mistake gardeners make when buying a piece of garden statuary is one of size and quantity, according to Peter C. Cilio, creative director of fine garden accessories for Campania International. "Purchasers tend to choose pieces that are just too small for their space or they overload their garden with too many pieces," he says. "In garden statuary the guiding principle usually is that less is more."

According to Cilio, the most important consideration to keep in mind when choosing the right piece of statuary is the overall style of your home and garden.

This is not to say that you can't mix it up a little bit. There is always the opportunity for personal expression. Eclectic mixes of styles can create original and exciting garden compositions, but Cilio believes that this is most effectively accomplished by the gardener with a sure sense of his or her own personal style.

He suggests thinking about your garden as a blank wall in your living room. Before choosing what to hang on your living room wall, you take cues from the style of the room. Think of your garden in that context, from the size of the space to the arrangement of trees, shrubs and flowers. These will be the cues used to choose and place your garden statuary.

The less-is-more principle does not mean you are limited to symmetrical arrangements of statuary in your garden. Multiple pieces and styles can work comfortably together if they are not part of the same compositional frame.

According to renowned garden designer, Jon Carloftis, each part of your garden may have a different mood or feeling and can provide an opportunity to incorporate different types of garden sculpture. Such pieces create interest year round and serve to animate and personalize a space; a strong design element can even inspire the theme for the plantings.

"For example, the right type of statuary can look equally well in bold foliage such as elephant ears or hosta," says Carloftis. "A shady naturalistic area may be the perfect spot for a small animal figure or bench."

Just like a picture on your wall, garden statuary looks best with some kind of frame. A background of traditional clipped box, yew or a mixed border of grasses frames your statuary in the landscape. A stone wall or trellis covered with roses or even a simple wooden fence is all you need.