And once again I had to say no. Three were not too many because they were placed with thought and humor, and because when you looked at the garden you weren't smacked in the eye with the ornaments - you discovered them gradually as you inspected the plants.
Not all of Gerry's ornaments are hidden. A really beautiful piece stands at the center of a formal sunken herb garden. Called "The Four Seasons" it bears four faces - from child to old man - and one is forced to walk around the circular bed for which it serves as a focal point all the way in order to get the full effect. So this single piece of sculpture, perfectly suited to an island bed, lures one into seeing the entire planting. (Don't tell - but I ordered one for my husband as an anniversary gift.)
It's worth peering closely at the plantings, because all kinds of surprises lie there. I found this fierce foo dog staring out at me from under a lush growth of shrubbery. Dragons, frogs and faeries lurk everywhere - but only if you look closely. This frog, for instance, was hiding in the shade of the stone steps that lead out of the formal herb garden. It's one of those ornaments that surprise you - and surprise, to me, is one of the essences of delight. The same holds true for the Faerie garden - it has many faeries, but you can only see them if you look hard - which is entirely fitting for a garden of enchanted creatures.
There are also two St. Fiacre's - the patron saint of gardeners (and taxi drivers and hemorrhoid sufferers - but that's a long story I'll save for some other time!) and a St. Francis of Assisi - I tried to get a picture of that but it was nestled into an arch of shrubbery so that at least in the photo there isn't enough contrast for anyone to make it out clearly.
I almost missed this one, the placement is so perfect. In fact this is one ornament that Gerry felt confident was placed in such a way as not to be tacky. The tree on which this lovely flower face nestles has a sort of natural shelf - a perfect place for this tiny ornament, which comes as a delightful surprise should you be alert enough to notice it.
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