BIG blue heads! That's really all you can think when you go into the new sculpture garden at Broadway's newest art gallery.

Step out into the newly-created garden area behind Broadway Modern and you can't help but be dazzled by the stylish heads in sky blue and sea green tones standing out against the grass and the natural wood fencing. Some stand on plinths, some are disembodied rolling on the ground but all are eye-catching and just right for a surprise feature in a large garden or even a main feature in a small one.

They make quite a humorous substitute for the ceramic balls now so popular in garden centres.

The heads, which are frost-proof ceramic, are made by artist Patricia Volk but although they really are show-stealers, they are not the only pieces on display in the garden.

It's only a small space but there are different heads by different artists - some African-looking, some Greek-looking, modern and traditional - and some other surprises, like the odd lifelike cat, all in different materials. Smart benches and a shimmering modern water feature are also to be admired as you stroll the gravel paths trying to imagine what would look good in your own garden - if you have a good few hundred pounds to spare. The blue heads, for instance, go for about £1,500 but all are one-off originals, collectable works of art as well as garden ornaments. The same goes for all the collections at Broadway Modern (some of which do have a more modest price tag of around £50).

The gallery is affiliated to John Noott Galleries, already well established in Broadway, and is run by his daughter and son-in-law Amanda and Chris Johnson. Amanda is, of course, experienced in the art world but Chris is a Vale market gardener who has laid aside his shovel and seeds for a life selling top modern works of art.

"It's quite different for me but it's going very well," said Mr Johnson who said the gallery, which only opened in December, is reporting brisk trade. It was named after London's Tate Modern which has been causing a stir since opening, housing all those controversial works of art which may or may not be your cup of tea - but which always prove a talking point.

However, don't expect bits of cow, unmade beds or shot Popes in Broadway. It is more about contemporary works of art than "modern art" and houses art and furniture which isn't cheap but an investment.

The gallery itself, a former clothes shop on The Green, is an example of how modern and old can work well together, with its exposed beams and plain white interior showing off the bright pictures perfectly, against a modern stone floor.

Mr Johnson said the garden was opened as an ideal way of showing off outdoor art which is becoming more popular as people started taking as much interest in their gardens as their homes.

"Our sculpture garden's been very successful and well received," he said. "I think people have finished designing their homes and now they're doing their gardens."

He added that anyone is welcome to stroll round the gallery and garden which is open every day.