Statues & Lawn Ornaments

Statues and Lawn Ornaments

Statues, lawn ornaments, and outdoor sculptures are often fashioned after beings from nature, religion, and folklore and made from a variety of weather-resistant materials. Others are more abstract works of art. While many are simply ornamental, others have practical functions, including rain gauges, ornaments that hold plants, light pathways, or birdbaths or feeders.

Statues and lawn ornaments that are derived from nature include deer, dogs and cats, frogs, snakes, horses, and squirrels. Other animal-inspired options include rabbits, lions, butterflies, and many kinds of birds. These birds include flamingos, ducks, cranes, herons, chickens, owls, hummingbirds, and woodpeckers. Some of these garden ornaments are lifelike while others are more whimsical.

Mythological creatures include griffons, fairies and fairy gardens, garden gnomes, tree faces, tree people, and dragons. Others include mermaids, unicorns, and centaurs. There are also characters from books and movies including "Alice in Wonderland," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Snow White." Figures from religion include meditating Buddhas, angels, crosses, saints like St. Francis of Assisi, the Virgin Mary, and Asian goddesses.

Other forms include bottle trees, gazing balls, Japanese lanterns, garden spheres, hanging windsocks, weathervanes, and sundials. There are also options that include pagodas, fire hydrants, wind chimes, and dinner bells. Some of these ornaments have lights that are solar-powered. Some hydrant-like ornaments have scents that attract the family dog and teach it to relieve itself in that area and no other.

The ornaments are made out of:

• Plastic or polyresin: This is poured into a mold, allowed to set, then painted. Sometimes they are given a finish to make them look like stone or metal.
• Ceramic: This is clay fired at high temperatures and glazed.
• Stone: Figures are carved out of rocks, such as granite. Other ornaments are made out of tumbled river stones.
• Metal: Metals include bronze, iron, stainless steel, and aluminum. Metals for garden ornaments are often wrought, cast, or hammered. In addition, the metal is sometimes enameled, allowed to rust, or allowed to develop a patina.
• Glass: Gazing balls are made out of colored glass. They sometimes come with wrought-metal stands.
• Wood: Teak and cedar are types of wood that can withstand most types of weather. In time, they turn a silvery gray.
• Fiberglass: Fiberglass garden ornaments are made from glass fibers in a plastic or resin matrix.
• Polyester: Polyesters are polymers or huge chains of molecules joined together by ester groups. Esters are compounds that make up oils and fats. Ultimately, polyester is a type of plastic.
• Concrete: Concrete is a mix of gravel, cement, sand, and water. Like resin, it is poured into a mold, then cured. Concrete can be as hard as rock.