A garden filled with beauty

Images in the garden

Enchanting sculptures make your garden a haven. Beautiful flowers and ferns, towering trees and lush green grass are not the only things that a great garden is made of. Many people also use sculptures and statues to enhance their garden. Whether in terracotta, wood, wrought-iron, ceramic or stainless-steel or natural stone, etc., these can not only add a touch of décor to your outdoors but also be used to highlight a particularly beautiful section of the garden.
Whether you buy readymade products or commission an artist to make these for you, there are two points to remember - the size of the sculpture and the proportion. Having too large a piece will overwhelm the plants and bushes around. Also, positioning the piece is important - it shouldn't be obscured by the greenery neither should it stand out oddly in a corner.

So, if you are buying a ready product, first check out the different points of the garden where the piece would look best. If you are commissioning a piece, invite the artist over to take a look at the point where you want the sculpture placed. Sculptures of gods and goddesses, human figures, animals, replicas of famous monuments, wildlife themes, or abstract art can complement your garden depending on your taste.
You can also place your sculptures besides a water body like a pond or a little bridge, or right in the middle of that water-body on a tiny pedestal or island created for that purpose. The sculpture can be accessorised with lamps either standing or hanging from nearby tree branches depending on the nature of the sculpture and the garden's flora.
Wildlife sculptures are another hot new idea. Kiran Gangadhar, a software professional who has a sprawling house in the city's outskirts with a large and beautifully landscaped garden says: "When I was having my garden done, one important element I insisted on was sculptures. I am a great lover of the wild so I have elephant sculptures in natural stone and one tiger too. In one corner I have two ostriches made in wrought-iron facing each other."

The material you choose for your sculpture should be the kind that stands weathering well. However, this does not mean leaving your garden sculpture entirely in the wind and rain. If the weather is inclement and if this is possible, bring the sculpture indoors or move it at least to a shaded part of the garden, portico or gazebo. If that is not possible, have it covered with a sheet or an expert-recommended protective material. Some sculptures need regular treatment with protective chemicals. Also, inspect the piece regularly for any signs of wear and tear and have it touched up whenever required.

Creative with containers

Grow your favourite plants in elegant containers for a compact garden. The best part about growing plants in pots and containers is that you can move them around your home, indoors or outdoors. You can place them to grace your patio or porch or even brighten up your kitchen or bedroom if you wish
Place the pots or containers of different sizes and shapes into groups for a varied blend. Since all flowers are beautiful don't go in for a single breed.
Instead, have a colourful palette of flowering plants. You could innovate by planting two or more varieties of flowering plants together in a single pot for greater effect. You could have geraniums in the middle and cascading plants like viola or lobelia on the sides so they spill over daintily. Plant them closely so the brown soil patches are not visible and the colours are more vivid. If you want a single colour in one container, choose flowers of different shades for a striking contrast. Make the most of seasonal flowers so you could rotate the range according to the changing seasons.

Containers

If you have a large terrace, it's an enticing option to try your hand at even growing vanilla creepers in containers, like Jayakar Mallaiah did. His terrace garden in R T Nagar flaunts rows of vanilla creepers grown in fiberglass containers. Mallaiah fabricated fiberglass containers of five feet and three feet length instead of clay pots. He used PVC pipes as the support and wound a coir rope around the pipe. Be sure your containers are large enough for your plants to grow into and avoid crowding plants. Glazed ceramic pots are heavy enough to withstand wind and retain moisture better than terracotta.

Purchase pots of different sizes and shapes for a visually appealing grouping. Every container should have drainage holes. Simplify cleanup by placing a sheet of plastic under your containers when planting. Reduce the frequency of watering potted plants by mixing hydrophilic polymer into the soil. The polymers expand several times their volume in water, leaving the soil well drained and evenly moist. If you are using a trellis, put it into the pot and then add the soil and plant. This allows you to firm in the trellis after your plant is in place.

Watering

Wait until the containers are in their final location before watering. Dry containers are lighter and easier to move. Once you've arranged your balcony garden, the basics of growing plants are pretty much the same as growing them in a traditional garden. All you really need is sun, soil and water. Consider purchasing a hose that attaches to a kitchen sink tap and is long enough to reach your balcony. Check the soil every day as plants may need daily watering when it's hot and windy. Soak the soil until water drains out of the drainage hole.

Shallow watering can cause building up of harmful salts. While the plants are small, place the pots fairly close together to help them to retain moisture and protect them from wind. Move them apart as the plants grow. If some plants need fertilizers, apply the right dosage recommended on the label. Or use a water-soluble fertilizer once a month. Maintenance of plants grown in containers is relatively minimal as weeding is greatly reduced.

Source: Times Property