Where did the idea come from?

The garden ornament has been around since the ancient times. In Egypt, statues of the gods and goddesses were placed in the temples and the temples gardens, and courtyards. In ancient Greece the statues were placed in sanctuaries and sacred groves. The Romans transported the Greek statues and made copies of the ones they thought were the most precious ones, because if they stole them, then the enemies would hunt them down and kill them. During the 15th century, it was 'chic' to collect ornaments and decorate your lawn. Ancient sculpture gardens became popular during this time period, but it was not until the 16th century when people started to get really into it. Urns and vases were regularly appearing everywhere- flowerbeds, balconies, lawns, and stairwells. Exotic plants and trees had started to appear as well, and they were kept in the vases to make the property as spiff as possible. During the early 20th century, the world saw a re-incarnation of the romantic and classical styles of lawn sculptures, and bronze castings that were popular earlier had become replaced with the stone works and less detailed concrete renditions.