Looking for a way to add a stamp of individuality to the garden? There's little doubt that we're pouring ever greater creative effort into our garden designs but with so many drawing inspiration from mass-audience TV programmes there's a danger that your 'designer' garden will end up looking just like the Joneses. That could be one of the reasons why artwork in the garden is enjoying something of a higher profile, as keen gardeners begin to seek out ways of creating a unique look and feel for their domestic oasis.

Sculpture and gardens have, of course, long gone hand in hand; wealthy patrons from time immemorial have seen the potential of their stately gardens as a showcase for works of sculpture. But until recently at least, statuary and sculpture for the more modest garden has tended to be limited to the likes of gnomes and faux mannequin pis. Not so anymore. Artwork is much to the fore in all manner of gardens these days, with cutting edge designers exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show showing the way.

They include TV gardener Diarmuid Gavin's garden last year, which was a masterpiece of curved lines, spheres and ovoids, as well as the Merrill Lynch garden by Dan Pearson, which boasted highly stylised benches that wouldn't look out of place up the road in a Chelsea art gallery.

As fans will know, the Chelsea Flower Show is organised by the Royal Horticultural Society, which itself has played an important role in bringing garden art to the public's attention via its public gardens at Wisley in Surrey. Wisley's well-known for the works of art dotted around the gardens, but it has really put sculpture on the map in recent years with a 'Sculpture Trail' featuring new works of art.

For the past three years, the sculpture has been provided by a group of Zimbabwean sculptors who both exhibit and make new work, and visitors are invited to join them and see how it all happens. The work is also for sale. Meanwhile, during the rest of the year there is a wide range of pieces, ranging from a huge Henry Moore sculpture to smaller works in glass and stone, for visitors to explore.

Marketing manager Sue Thompson says garden art is an obvious way for designers and enthusiasts to extend the ways in which their garden can be enjoyed. "It's another form of expression," she says. "There's a natural synergy between art and sculpture, and the design and context of a garden. They complement each other."

So why do people make a beeline for in the Wisley gardens? "We have some very tactile pieces that kids love to stroke," she says. "The Henry Moore in particular is very popular. It makes people think, and they enjoy touching it.

"But we also we have other works in the model gardens, for example in the town garden we have a lovely water feature, a blue glass piece that's beautiful to look at."

Sculptor Jennifer Tetlow is among the exhibitors at the Chelsea Flower Show. Working exclusively in stone, she has produced scores of highly individual pieces for garden art lovers - and they're not all well-heeled art patrons with vast estates to house their latest acquisitions. "I've delivered pieces to castles in Scotland as well as 10ft by 5ft gardens in Essex," she says. Like Sue Thompson, Jennifer believes that a heightened interest in garden design and style has been coupled with a greater desire for individuality.

"There are so many makeover programmes these days, people are very aware of design and visual impact in their gardens and they expect more visually," she says."But there are so many mass-produced items that designed gardens begin to look the same, they become stale and less interesting and I think that's where the appeal of an original piece of artwork comes in."

Jennifer's commissions come in all shapes and sizes, although the clients tend to share a healthy interest in the individuality of their piece. "Comissioning is a huge responsibility for the artist and I always want people to love the work," she says.

"Some people will be very specific about what they want, will give me a brief and a deadline and after the initial meeting the next time I see them will be when the piece is delivered.

"However other customers are intrigued by the process - some will come to the quarry with me to select the stone and will take much more interest in how the work progresses. It gives them a sense of ownership and involvement."

MORE INFORMATION

The Chelsea Flower show normally takes place from 24-28 May. Tickets are available on 0870 906 3781, or visit www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea for more information.
Jennifer Tetlow Sculpture: tel. 01751 417 398 or visit www.jennifertetlow.co.uk
RHS Gardens Wisley: tel. 01483 224234 or visit www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley

Top