I was at a talk yesterday given by the Sculptor, Ronald Rae about his work, which was both fascinating and inspiring. If you live in Edinburgh you may remember his huge hand carved granite sculptures of animals exhibited in Holyrood Park. His Lion sculpture is currently in St Andrew’s Square Gardens in central Edinburgh. Children love to climb all over it which makes him very happy. (See http://www.ronaldrae.co.uk/ for pictures of his work).
It made me think about focal points in gardens which draw the eye and are to be admired, such as sculpture, urns, sundials and items of art. Others draw you towards them in a more practical way, to admire a tree, a grouping of plants, beautiful colourful containers, the scent of a flower to inhale, or a seat to sit on and relax. In an Edinburgh garden the focal points I choose for the client were two trees, one is an Acer griseum which is placed to catch the winter sun on the tree bark and can be seen from the kitchen down through the garden room windows. The other is a white bark Betula (B. jacquemontii var utilis) which is planted in front of a tall evergreen dark green hedge to really stand out. (Click on https://www.polleygardendesign.com/media/scottish-field–june-2008.html to read the article. ) But the choice is yours and it’s a great way to put your individual stamp on your garden. Here are a few ideas….
