The Soft Touches Plants

Planting in formal containers needs to be simpler on the whole. Architectural plants — those with very large boldly shaped leaves — are ideally suited to formality because they reinforce the simple geometry of the containers themselves. Spiky evergreen cordylines, phormiums or large-leafed hostas are all very good choices.

Topiary — small-leaved evergreen shrubs such as box, euonymus or holly clipped into geometric shapes  is also an excellent choice. All you need in a container is, say, a single box ball or lollipop, spiral or pyramid to make an immediate impact in the garden.

Topiary, especially made from box, takes careful training over a number of years, so you will find that it is expensive to buy. As a less expensive alternative, stand an -obelisk made of trellis or wire in your container. This will create that sharp architectural outline right away, then you can grow a fast-growing plant such as a small-leaved plain green ivy over it. If you keep it well clipped, the outline will remain crisp and the angles sharp.

A feast for the eye

Animal sculptures — bronze geese, chicken-wire sheep, even rusting metal hippos — can also work well, but they must be aesthetically pleasing in their own right and/or great fun. You may think rabbits pushing wheelbarrows, hedgehogs on their hind legs or mooning gnomes fall into this category; I couldn't possibly comment.

Abstract sculpture can work well in any style of garden, depending on the material and how the piece itself is displayed. A beautiful smooth crafted metal, wood or stone piece displayed on a simple plinth would work equally well in a traditional formal garden or a modern one. Something more free form, angular or organic would be better in an informal or modern setting. You can find modern sculpture in some garden centres, or in local art exhibitions.

If you cannot find exactly what you want, contact a local sculptor — through your nearest art college, perhaps — and commission a piece. Unless he or she is famous, it need not be prohibitively expensive and you will end up with a piece that suits your personality and your garden.

The positioning of any piece of sculpture is key. The temptation is to place it right in the middle of the garden, but in most cases, that would be a mistake. In a formal garden, a sculpture would look best against a simple background such as a hedge or a wall covered in evergreen climbers so that its contours stand out very clearly. In a more informal setting, sculpture is most effective among planting, where its solidity, smoothness and artifice contrast beautifully with the natural foliage around it. In Vita Sackville West's famous white garden at Sissinghurst, Kent, for example, a pale grey lead statue of a vestal virgin is placed under the canopy of a silver weeping pear.

Placing any sculptural object on a plinth immediately gives it much greater significance, turning it into a real work of art. Placing one on the ground gives a more informal effect, and can offer the pleasure of surprise.

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