by Elizabeth Schumacher

"A garden is the result of an arrangement of natural materials according to aesthetic laws; interwoven throughout are the artist's outlook on life, his past experiences, his affections, his attempts, his mistakes and his successes."
- Roberto Burle Marx, Brazilian landscape architect

Figurative sculpture in the garden can be one the best examples of the importance of a focal point.  The sculpture can anchor a planting bed, lead the eye in a new direction, or provide a year-round accent visible from inside your home.  So sculpture is important from a design perspective.

Even more importantly, sculpture is a wonderful opportunity to personalize your garden and reflect you particular interests.  Figurative sculpture evokes an emotional response from the viewer and, because it is engaging, it will make your garden memorable.

10! - NBC's morning news show - has taken to the road in order to familiarize viewers with interesting sites and happenings in the Delaware Valley.

Story by Doris Yocum Markley
Main Line Times

From behind a shiny hedge, a bright, peppy voice says, "where in the world is my cordless phone?"

A smiling face appears beneath a short haircut and above a small energetic figure in T-shirt and jeans. 

Is your garden suffering from a case of the dreaded "flat and boring" syndrome? If so, a quick shot of height will help alleviate the symptoms. Here are 5 easy ways to give your garden some much-needed vertical lift.

The Potting Shed

Green Scene June 2001

By Ralph and Liz Schumacher
The Green Scene, August 1988

Perhaps even more than large estates small private gardens benefit greatly from the addition of water. A well landscaped pool can provide a special center of interest, sound, motion, summer cooling a habitat for different plants or fish and we hope the romance of a unique setting. 

by Laura Beitman
The Green Scene, August 2006 

Leaning on her washing machine and holding a framed photograph in her hands, Liz Schumacher points to the "before" status of her Gulph Mills, PA property, where she and her husband Ralph moved in the late '60s.

by Mary Lou-Wolfe
The Green Scene, July 1993 

Ingenuity, hard work and persistence meet the challenge of slopes to create these two beautiful gardens in Media and Gulph Mills.

by Elizabeth S. Schumacher and H. Ralph Schumacher Jr., MD

Twenty four years ago after my husband Ralph completed a Harvard fellowship in rheumatology and accepted a job at the University of Pennsylvania, we moved from Boston to Philadelphia into a house we could afford at the base of an exceedingly steep, treeless, eroded, one acre hillside. We never dreamed that more than two decades later we would still be in the same house held by our love of a garden that started out as sheer necessity and grew into a thing of beauty. 

European Homes and Gardens 

June/July 2003

by Teri Brown

 Choosing garden furniture used to be simple.  The once-basic French wrought iron table, wooden or cement benches and a birdbath are no longer the norm.  Things have changed.  Now there are many choices in garden furniture and accessories.  For those who wish to give their garden a European flair, the choices are even more tantilizing.

February 26/27 2003

Phiadelphia Flower Show