Garden décor ideas & animal ornaments

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Animal garden ornaments

As people have generally separated themselves from wild places we have grown a love for animals and nature. This can be seen in our love of gardening, wildlife documentaries and keeping animals as pets.

Sadly we most love some of the animals we as a species are directly threatening with extinction. Humans have always loved statues and sculptures of wild beasts since the beginning of time. The truth is we love the visual presence of these creatures close to us.

​Some of our most loved animal species make great ornaments and these can be amazing garden decor ideas. From traditional stone like statues to new more lifelike resin based examples. Animal garden ornaments are very effective garden decor.

Orangutans

Unfortunately today Orangutans are increasingly rare. This impressive ape is native to South East Asia and recognisable by its reddish brown fur. People easily relate to apes as they are a familiar and similar species to our own.

​This resin garden orangutan ornament is a very striking piece of garden decor that will provide a talking point for your family and friends every time.

Gorillas

Gorillas, another great ape from Africa is just as impressive in statue and form. This species is recognisable by its displays of chest beating and mock charges.

​From the central tropical rainforests of Africa gorillas are the ultimate example of raw power in nature. Also a close relative of humans and absolutely beautiful to look at this resin garden ornament will be the focal point for many years to come.

Peacocks

When admiring the sheer beauty of the natural world few species come as close to the Peacock for supremacy. The males of these amazing birds from Asia have the most elaborate and dazzling mating display.

​The huge fan like tail opens up to create a huge fan of colour with rather disturbing amounts of eye like markings. Many admire the beauty of this iconic bird which can make a truly beautiful garden ornament.   

Storks

Like Peacocks, Stalks are very handsome birds with long legs and snake like necks. Due to their tall and needle like stature they have a natural elegance which is hard to replicate.

​These beautiful birds look amazing reflecting in a garden pond as they do in nature. Stork statues are amazing garden decor ideas with ornaments made out of metal being the most popular of all.

Cats

Not everybody welcomes cats into their garden but no one can deny their sheer majestic excellence as a hunter. Cats are one of our favourite pets and for good reason!

​These handsome little beasts have historically kept vermin species at bay and fun to watch. Cats have an air of grace about them and their general audacity and laziness is really quite comical. It is no wonder cat ornaments are very popular in numerous garden decor examples.

Rabbits

​Rabbits are less of a popular pet than cats but are still extremely loved by people of all ages. These lovely herbivorous creatures typically have large bodies with long ears.

​They are naturally skittish and universally thought of as cute. Some of the large pet breeds are incredibly docile, fluffy, cute and lovable. It is no surprise rabbits are also very popular garden ornaments. 

Frogs

Often immortalised in Disney movies a children’s cartoons the frog has almost a cartoon like presence to it. Being an amphibian it is highly specialised but an extremely successful species.

​Frog species stretch right across the globe and have done for millions of years with barely any change to their design. They are quite simply one of nature’s masterpieces. It is no wonder why we crave its aesthetics as an effective garden decor idea.

Owls

Also an animal common in novels and popular culture the owl is a beautiful bird of prey almost ghost like in flight. Owls are thought of as extremely wise because of their sophisticated method of hunting.

These wonders of nature are another successful species across the planet and with good looks to match. Owls can also be a deterrent to pest species of birds such as pigeons which peck at crops and a general pest.

​Owls can make great garden ornaments whether life like replicas or metal sculptures.

Lions

Lions are well known as the king of the beasts and for good reason. Their god like stare and awesome stature make them one of nature’s most feared predators.

Today confined to Africa and one small part of India this species used to inhabit most of the ancient world. Today due to habitat loss and hunting lions are critically endangered.

​Lions have been immortalised in human paintings and sculpture since the dawn of civilisation. It is no surprise that there are plenty of garden decor ideas which reference this iconic big cat.  

Deer

Deer are found all over the world and one of the most successful herbivorous mammals on the planet. They come in all shapes and sizes from knee height to taller than a man.

​These graceful creatures are well known for their elegance and beauty commonly depicted many art works. Deer have also been popular in social culture such as Walt Disney’s Bambi. Deer can make the perfect garden sculpture or ornaments which are especially effective amongst garden foliage.

Tortoise

Tortoises are universally recognised for their long history on the planet without change for millions of years. This rather remarkable looking creature which carries a protective casing around with it is an extremely popular with people.

For this reason in the early 1900’s tens of thousands were captured for the pet trade. This led to a huge drop in their numbers in the wild. As a result Tortoises were once commonly seen walking around peoples gardens during the summer months.

​Tortoise replica statues make beautiful garden decorations and will be appreciated all year round.

Wind spinners

Wind spinners come in all shapes and sizes and are a fully mobile and exciting garden decor idea. Historically these spinners have been used to scare away pests from crops in the garden.

Most of the time however it is the alluring, circular and spinning motion which is attractive to the eye. Today there are many types of wind spinners which can make great garden decorations.

​Popular spinners include solar lights reflected through varying colour shades to spread a mobile display of colours at night. We have put together some of our favourite on Amazon here.

Japanese garden décor

Japanese garden design is world renowned for its majestic beauty and effective use of natural elements. Japanese gardens are commonly planned within the energy guided principles of Feng Shui. 

Japanese garden elements usually work on the idea of representing the natural world as a microcosm. For example upturned stones are portrayed as mountains and ponds as trees.

This is really not surprising as Japan itself has such a strikingly beautiful landscape. Many western garden enthusiasts love Japanese garden decor ideas for the capture the rugged beauty of nature.

​Stone lanterns, garden bells, bridges and fountains are all decor elements in Japanese themed gardens. We have put some typical examples of these below.

Religious garden décor
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Through the ages man has looked to his spiritual beliefs to manipulate their environment. Visual representations of gods and religious symbols are very common in landscape decoration.

In garden design special hierarchy typically treats religious decorations as focal points. Religious garden decor ideas can strongly shape a garden where one can worship, meditate or just celebrate beliefs in a natural context.

​There are many garden decor items which carry themes of mainstream religious or just evoke a spiritual response. Typical garden ornaments today include The Hindu Ganesha, Buddha and Christian Saints. We have put together a collection of these below.

Zombie garden décor

Zombies are a fictional form of dead being which have come back to life. Zombies have been extremely popular in many movies and haunted themed performances.

They have become very popular in the modern day imaginations of everyone who like horror movies and such like. Zombies have found their way into popular video games and now every corner of our lives including the garden.

​Garden decor ideas involving zombies range from garden gnomes to scary ornamental figurines. We have put some common examples of these here.

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