Buddas in a landscape are not only sculptural works of art but they are prized because they can add a sense of beauty and tranquility to garden spaces. Their serene and contemplative expressions can enhance the overall visual appeal of the garden and help establish a meditation, spiritually-themed or yoga garden.

>>>Inspiring Garden Ideas for Designing a place to practice backyard Yoga

How to Make a Cheap but Sophisticated Garden Budda Display

This inexpensive but sophisticated DIY from Lydia at Pudel Design (Poodle Design) has thinking about about what other shapes and items I might be able to also make into a fantastic collection of garden art.(though I have to admit — the buddahs are great and would probably be my first choice!)

This display at Anthropologie inspired Lydia. As we all know – Anthro displays are not the most budget-friendly, so if you want to create something similar (for a lot less) – read on.

Lydia had some inexpensive ceramic heads already and used them as a starting point. I have seen similar at thrift shops and dollar stores.

In addition to the heads above – she had this guy (below), and the additional materials involved are some plaster, paint, dowels, and blocks of wood.

The final result is a beautiful collection of garden buddhas. (you’ll have to click through to her post to see the step-by-step).

How to place a Budda in the garden:

For the garden, I think I would change it up a bit to make the stakes or dowels longer, and maybe I might use some driftwood or another piece of interesting wood on which to mount a figure. Overall, I am inspired by the idea of filling cheap ornaments with plaster to create a mount for them and then painting them in a uniform color.

1. The presence of a Buddha statue can serve as a focal point for meditation and a reminder of the importance of inner peace and mindfulness. Using one large statue or (like above) a collection of many of them placed in close proximity to each other will create an even more compelling display.
2. Don’t overuse the focal points. When you are in the garden – try not to have more than one focal point visible at a time. (A focal point is by definition singular – and intended to provide focus – too many of them is distracting… the opposite of their purpose.).
3. Feng Shui practitioners believe the placement of objects in a garden can influence the flow of energy (qi). A Buddha statue is often seen as a positive symbol that can attract positive energy and harmony to the garden.

For a full how-to, see Lydia’s post at Pudel Design.

What do you have on hand that would make a great garden ornament like this?

More posts about Designing your own Garden:

• All About Gabions : Cheap Retaining and Other Garden Features
• Sophisticated design – How to create a chic garden on a budget
• Excuse me, but we need to learn how to have better ideas.
• How to Be Your Own Garden Designer: Think Like A Curator
• Cheaper, Faster, and Easier Natural Stone Walls (and Greener, too!!)