Sometimes a small fountain or fishpond just isn’t enough when it comes to giving your garden that extra kick you need to make it one-of-a-kind. If you want your children and friends to applaud your audacity and imagination in the home-and-gardening sphere, an extreme garden ornament just might be that elusive item you’re in search of.

Some of these creations you can buy from a retailer, while others you may have to set up, or figure out how to design and build all by yourself. There are many, many ways to turn your backyard or garden into some kind of mystical wonderland, or maybe a freaky sideshow attraction. Either way, here are five ideas to get your creative juices flowing, and to give you some inspiration while you build, or hunt down extreme garden ornaments to add to your collection:

Dinosaurs

dinostatues.com
dinostatues.com
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Yes, you can buy a life-size dinosaur sculpture from a manufacturer and then plop that colossal beast down in your backyard. If you want something a little more soothing, you might want to opt for a peaceful, plant-eating dinosaur, like a stegosaurus. If you want to scare the ghost out of your neighbors, while at the same time thrilling your kids, why not make it a Tyrannosaurus rex? A giant dinosaur sitting in your backyard is an impressive garden ornament, but these bad boys don’t come cheaply—be prepared to pull out your wallet on this one.


Zombies

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designtoscano.com
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If you’re good with your hands, you can craft a disconcerting zombie-clawing-out-of-the-earth garden ornament. How cool and macabre would that be? Or, if you prefer, you can chop up an old store mannequin, and then with some red paint and a touch of flair, turn the head and unattached limbs into a zombie sculpture.

For those of you who like this idea but have neither the time nor skill to build a zombie ornament yourself, don’t worry. You can purchase a sculpted member of the undead from a design studio and have that corpse emerging from the ground in your backyard in no time at all.


Giant Wind Chimes

People-size wind chimes are a fantastic idea for folks who don’t live in crowded neighborhoods. If you have a bit of space between your house and garden (and that of your neighbor’s), go ahead and indulge in the largest wind chimes you can get your musical hands on. Big wind chimes produce deep sounds, which can resonate for lengthy periods of time, like the bells you might hear at a Buddhist temple perched high in the Himalayas. Soon you’ll have your very own “chime symphony” playing for you every time a breeze kicks up.


Life-Size Animals

decorimpact.com.au
decorimpact.com.au
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If dinosaurs aren’t your cup of tea, but you do like the notion of a large, sculpted creature residing in your garden, you can always buy and install a life-size replica of your favorite animal. Bulls, dogs, horses and pigs are a few of the mammals available. If you need something bigger, why not go in for a bear, crocodile, full-size giraffe, lion or a jumbo-size elephant? Once you get your collection of extreme animal ornaments started, your backyard will begin to look like a zoo.


Easter Island Moai Head

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skymall.com
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You know those giant and mysterious heads you’ve seen on television documentaries about Easter Island (Rapa Nui)? Well, now you can have one of those massive craniums for yourself. No, it won’t be the real thing shipped from the remote island directly into your garden. It (or they) will be a full-scale or semi-scale replica of the famous Easter Island Moai heads.

What better way to give your backyard an exotic, South Pacific vibe? These heads make for some extremely unusual garden ornaments, and they serve as a great conversation starter. Plus, they’re just a lot of fun to look at—although you’ll never win a staring match with one of these oversized domes.

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