Country Style Gardens

Farmhouse Style Gardens

What makes a garden develop into a country style or farmhouse style garden?  We hope you are asking that very question because we are going to de-mystify it for you! With country style being such a big trend now, the landscape outside of your house is just as important a factor in your farmhouse décor as the inside.

In terms of floral gardens, everyone loves to have color and beautiful flowers in a yard whether they see them while sitting indoors and looking out or as they drive up to the house. And, vegetable gardens are very popular partially due to the farm-to-table focus that is spreading like wildfire throughout the country.

Both vegetable and flower gardens can be created to have the “country style.” A great way to achieve the country style in a garden is by including both vegetables and flowers. In its article, “Combining Vegetables and Flowers in Your Garden”  DIYNetwork.com promotes including flowers that “attract beneficial insects to the plot to pollinate crops and prey on pests” in with vegetables.

More than anything, the word “inviting” best describes a country style garden. Landscape Designer Lisa Moseley from Santa Monica, California says “Cottage gardens are personal and embracing. They’re bursting with color, and their happy clutter complements the character of the house” (http://bit.ly/2bevlbM)

Here are 5 important elements that you can easily incorporate into your landscape as you create a country style garden.

Create a space using thoughtful clutter instead of symmetry

We want to pick up on the word “clutter” in Moseley’s quote. At first glance, a country style garden looks haphazard and perhaps cluttered with one group of flowers crowding in on the next. (To contrast, a country style garden does not incorporate the symmetrical, crisp lines of, say, a French garden.) But, a country garden isn’t haphazard in its development at all; a great deal of thought goes into the placement of your plants so as to complement the colors and height in a visually interesting way.

Plant an interesting mix of plants

Planting a colorful mix of plants creates a country garden. By combining vegetables with a variety of foliage hues with full-petaled flowers in profuse amounts you attain the vintage feel that so many country style gardens have. For example, old fashioned heirloom roses with big blooms harken back to a country life of simplicity. Lavender and phlox are great fill-ins for vacant spaces. And, an added bonus is some vegetables, such as cabbages and kale, thrive through fall and on into winter to yield both color and food.

Add structures for height

Structures like fences, arbors, trellises, and bird houses create a more multi-dimensional picture in a country style garden. An arbor or trellis provides the form where you can have vines and climbing flowers like clematis and wisteria that cause your eye to look up and see more than simply what is on the ground. Bird houses and feeders are also great additions to the country garden like our polystone birdfeeder.

Create a garden path

By forming a path in the garden, you invite people to enter the peacefulness and beauty of the garden. You can use stones, gravel, or sand to create a footpath but it should be loosely defined and not straight. Again, you want the country style garden to be less defined and seem more natural and haphazard in its design (although it really isn’t). You might also want to add a bench or a couple of chairs for guests to sit on so they can prolong their visit!

Use vintage items to add interest

Vintage pieces like galvanized steel watering pots and garden utensils can add points of interest in the country style garden. For country design elements in your garden, you can use old pots to plant herbs and smaller plants. As an example, take a look at our Apple Barrel Fountain that shouts “country” in your yard or garden. You’re only as limited as your imagination!

Follow these 5 design elements in your garden and you will definitely have achieved the country style!