Country Garden Ideas
- Wild flowers are often used in country gardens.Mt. Hood country image by katseye from Fotolia.com
If you live in the country or just want to look like you do, planting a country garden can give your landscape the rustic look you crave. The term "country garden" can refer to a variety of different styles, but it typically invokes gardens that have fewer boundaries and look a little less manicured than traditional gardens. - To create a country garden look, go natural. Start by removing any visible, flower bed edging to invoke a freeform effect. Turn established beds into slightly hilly areas. Then, plant the tallest flowers or plants in the back and shorter plants in the front. Let flowers and other plants grow to their full height to create a wilder, country look. Choose native, regional plants, tree and shrubs to grow in your garden to maintain the style.
- For a true country look, add edibles. Create a vegetable garden in your backyard or mix tomato and pepper plants amid shrubbery to add splashes of color to a field of green. Plant an herb garden, or place aromatic herbs, like lavender or rosemary, throughout the landscape to add a pleasant smell to the breeze on a hot day. Do not plant edible plants near poisonous varieties; an unnoticed stray leaf could have an unpleasant effect.
- If a wild, country look isn't for you, add rustic details to your garden to get the country look without losing the traditional structure. Use bare timbers or purchase old barn siding to create your beds in a worn style. Pick up an old wrought-iron fence to use as a trellis, or build a trellis yourself from some leftover wood. Use a country accessory, such as an old milk can or a wheelbarrow, as a planter in a garden corner to add a quick country flourish.
