Tall strolling men, metal birds, mosaic spheres join forces with flowers made of glass, willow or stainless steel in a business set up by two women who saw eye-to-eye while on a gardening course at Waterperry Garden Centre, near Oxford.

Businesswomen Georgina Matthews and Kate Salter had moved to the country and enrolled on the course after taking on large, neglected gardens.

Ms Matthews said: “I moved out of London five years ago and I had never had a garden really. I enrolled on the course because I realised that I needed to learn fast.”

The two women found their children were both at Beckley primary school and hit it off straight away as they discussed design issues during their coffee breaks at Waterperry.

Ms Matthews said: “Both of us were doing up gardens and looking for sculpture, and saw there was a gap in the market.

“There are a lot of mass-produced things in the garden centres, and then there are very exclusive pieces designed for very large gardens and costing too much. There is no-one hitting that middle ground.”

They know not everyone's garden is big enough for Anthony Gormley's Angel of the North, and they have been combing the country for their business, the Outer-Space Company, to find artists who work on a scale that is small enough for modern gardens.

Fortunately, they share a taste for unusual contemporary art, and the way it can be used to transform a garden, leading the eye in particular ways.

Ms Salter said: “We have a sixth sense. We haven't come across an artist where one of us is not happy. We bring different skills to the business side, but in design and artwork, it has been very straightforward.”

Ms Salter had worked in the Jonathan Poole gallery in Woodstock, and runs a furniture-making company as well, while Ms Matthews had her own publishing company, so they were confident that they could cope with the business side.

They decided to copy the model of the affordable art movement, using the Internet and occasional fairs, rather than taking on expensive premises.

This summer they are breaking new ground by holding a summer-long exhibition at Newington Nurseries, near Stadhampton, which will open on June 11 and last until the autumn.

Ms Matthews said: “We had two exhibitions in Beckley last summer but we decided it was too short.

“With garden sculpture, people tend to want to come and look, think about their own garden and then come back. It tends not to be an instant purchase, partly because people have to look at something and go back and look at their own space.

“We are quite particular about who we want to show. We have a very definite look and style.”

They tour the country looking at Artweeks and other shows, but many of their objects come through personal contacts, or by commissioning sculpture from known and trusted artists.

Ms Matthews said: “A lot of these artists are producing large objects and they find it difficult to show them off to best advantage.

“Galleries are no good for the kind of scale we are looking at, and sculpture gardens tend to be large spaces, but not as intimate as your own garden.”

They are keen on natural, locally-produced or recycled materials, as well as work that makes ‘a strong visual statement’.

Oxfordshire artists featured include mosaicist Becky Page, ceramicist Clare Paige, and Sophie Thompson, of Milton-under-Wychwood, who uses recycled metal from scrap heaps, transforming it into birds and animals.

Ms Salter has one of the birds in her own garden, with a sphere sitting under an apple tree, while Ms Matthews has a hanging pod by Adrian Rayment, metal wall art by James Jones and a slate sculpture by James Parker.

They set up the business last January, and have both carried on with their day-jobs while demand builds up.

“We realise that it's a business that grows by reputation and it's also a business that grows slowly. Someone told me that if you can survive in a recession, you can do anything.”

Ms Salter said: “Our collection tends to be quite contemporary, but on a domestic scale. We find it difficult to find the right kind of art. We don't want to fall into the trap of having stuff to pad out our website.

“We are quite particular about the style of work we want. A lot of the objects we have chosen are beautifully designed and beautifully crafted.”