Have you always dreamed of creating a country garden in your backyard? If so, now is the time. Country gardens are riots of color and the plants are chosen so your garden will be in full bloom from early spring to late fall.
When gardeners put their gardens to bed in the fall, place fountains and container gardens in winter storage and bring in resin gnomes, fairies and wilderness creatures, they’re already thinking about the following year’s garden.
Dreams Can Come True
If you’ve always dreamed of creating a country garden, now is the time. There are really no rules for this type of garden. Country gardens reflect the gardener’s personality and creative sense. They’re informal gardens that can have a gazebo, park bench or English-themed statue as the focal point. Other English-themed focal points can be found in garden stores and nurseries. I once saw a miniature resin Big Ben that was battery operated and tolled out the time. Another one that caught my fancy was a resin rendition of an English manor. Look around and you will be surprised at what you can find.
Go Wild
Be exuberant and plan disorder for a country garden. Resist the urge to plant your flower selections in a straight row. Plant in clumps or drifts and if you have a favorite plant bunch or stagger it throughout the garden in groups of odd numbers; three or five work well. Do not plant things in pairs. Symmetry is only used in formal gardens.
In a country garden, plants should flow into one another, just as nature would plant them in the wild. To achieve this look you will need to plant thickly and close together, yet allowing space enough for plant species to thrive.
Plants for your CountryGarden
The beauty of a country garden is in its depth. Begin by planting tall plants at the back of your garden. These include botlonia, black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, cosmos, delphiniums, ferns, foxgloves, hollyhocks, sunflowers and Veronica. As you move to the center of the garden, plant flowers of medium height, such as asters, bellflowers, columbine, coneflowers, coral bells, dahlias, daisies, larkspur, lavender, phlox and poppies. At the front of your garden shorter species of plants will give the garden lots of depth. Alyssum, baby’s breath, lily of the valley, lady’s mantle, pansies, petunias, violets and violas are great.
You may want to include a trellis or arbor as another focal point. Here, plant species such as cardinal vine, clematis, moonflowers, morning glories and trumpet vine can wind their way through the lattice, or meander up a wall. Bulbs that bloom in the early spring can make a beautiful splash of color; plant crocus, daffodils, hyacinth, lilies, narcissus, peacock orchids and tulips.