For those of us trapped north of the equator who are only now starting to see the greenery of spring again, being able to plan your gardening projects is an escape from the snow we’ve been stuck with all winter. Nothing brightens up your outside like a gardening project, and while you’re waiting for your flowers to grow there are other ways to decorate. Outdoor statues are a fun, quick way to liven up your garden beds with a variety of designs to capture your home’s essence. Surprisingly popular among garden statues is the gargoyle, once a terrifying visage meant to scare away demons from the home, but now a medieval style friend for your flowers.
Shop Garden Statues and Garden Decor:
Why are gargoyles popular decor items among garden lovers? Their symbolism as guardians and wards against evil spirits lead people to believe they are a decorative way to protect their flowers from harm. Others have a fondness for medieval style furniture that makes gargoyles an obvious addition to their homes to keep the interior and exterior unified. Their intricate details and fantastical elements make them unique statues with no two gargoyles depicting the same animal.
A gargoyle statue is also good for a European style garden, as they are commonplace in architecture as water spouts. Modern gutters do a much better job than these little guys, so most gargoyles you see on medieval buildings have had their throats closed with cement to avoid further water erosion and preserve them as sculptures. These modern home ornament statues also don’t have an explicit function and aren’t “true” gargoyles, but they carry the legacy and creative redesign of boring hardware to today.
Garden statues invoke a sense a playfulness you may not have otherwise in a manicured lawn or garden, and provide a great, low-commitment DIY project for the weekend. Having a few statues adds a personal touch to the nature around your home if you don’t own a lot of deck furniture, or lack a deck or porch entirely. While climate dictates what types of flowers and grasses you have, you aren’t limited in the same way when it comes to garden accents like sculptures, statues, benches, and other weather-resistant furniture. If it’s heavy enough to stand firm in the ground, it can handle what nature has to throw at it.
Garden statues tend to use stone for its base, as it feels like a natural inclusion in a garden compared to other sculpture materials and doesn’t stand out as obnoxious even with a monstrous subject like a gargoyle. Stone is waterproof and guaranteed to age gracefully without rust or mold like metal and wood. Stone is also heavy, making it not easily stolen or displaced by hazardous weather. Statues are great for empty spaces and trouble spots in your garden, because that stone will bring a refined and purposeful touch to make it stand out in a positive way.
If you have a walkway in your garden, you can use your garden gargoyles as place markers or points of interest for your guests. Whether to indicate the end of a path, highlight specific flowerbeds, or provide a stopping place for sitting and conversing, you can make statues a good talking piece for any outdoor occasion. Combine a few of these stone friends around a gazebo or other outdoor structure, and you have yourself a verified garden party.
Garden gargoyles are fun springtime additions for both big and small gardens with a lot of rich history behind them. They make easy projects in terms of installation, and can bring life to your lawn while you’re still waiting for the last pile of snow to melt.
