How to Create a Rustic Garden

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By klnygaard
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Create a Rustic Garden

Rustic gardens that include structures, furniture and accents is the hottest trend in garden and yard decor. Rustic furniture, ornaments and structures now are featured in many upscale landscape centers and arboretums and even in contemporary homes. A rustic garden gives a sense of "old-fashioned" charm, regardless of how rustic or modern the exterior.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Rustic items such as planters, wind vanes, benches and birdhouses.

Step 1

Before beginning to make a rustic garden, it is important to decide how much room you have to work with and what items you would like to use in your garden. Many people choose to add small accents while others create an entire rustic outdoor room. A rustic garden or garden room can be created simply or extravagantly.
Step 2

On of the most simplest items to add to a garden is a birdhouse and/or bird feeders. Wooden bird houses add charm and also can attract natures beautiful creatures. Another simple addition is a wooden or wrought iron porch swing. They not only offer an inviting place to sit, but offer a vision and sense of comfort. A free standing wooden swing is also a great addition to a garden.
Step 3

Another addition are accents like a wrought iron wind vanes, painted window panes attached to the wall or wooden flower pots. Many people will plant flowers in wooden rain barrels or old whisky barrels to add a rustic charm to a garden. Another wonderful idea is to have a wooden flower planter attached to a fence or window sill.
Step 4

Other ideas include adding a trellis with ivy. This can be a small trellis that leans against the house or a large trellis that goes over a gate or even over a patio.
Step 5

Affordable, but a little more extravagant is adding items like a pond, a fountain, a small windmill or a wishing well. The prices vary as well as the size. The size is important to consider. It should be determined if you would like this item to be a major focal point or a part of the entire decor.
Step 6

Lastly, choose if you want a flower garden or which flowers, shrubs, trees and plants you would like planted in your outdoor room. Wildflowers and ornamental grasses look beautiful and are easy to maintain. Also, fruit trees like apple or peach trees are beautiful and add charm, but do attract a lot of insects like flies and mosquitos.
Step 7

Finally, it is time to put it all together. To create a rustic atmosphere, add a few items strategically placed throughout the garden. Use natural focal points to place items. Natural focal points are gates, doors, walls, fences, edges of patios and berm. An example of a rustic atmosphere would be to place planters of flowers on the windowsill and in bucket planters on the edges of the patio. Place a wooden birdhouse on the berm or edge of the yard. Place a wooden swing on the patio.
Step 8

To create a rustic garden room, furniture and accents will need to be placed to create an enclosure. An example would be to have a wooden table surrounded by wooden benches on the patio. Next have ivy on a trellis that edges 1 side of the garden. On the other side of the garden have either an outdoor fireplace or fountain surrounded by fires. Or pick an choose any combination. The final outcome will be that of "old-fashioned" charm and appeal.

Comments

vallain said

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on 8/21/2009 I love the feel of a cottage garden. Thanks for these garden style ideas.

annvans said

on 8/14/2009 Neat, thanks for sharing this info!

rickmac said

on 8/9/2009 Great ideas for a rustic garden. I've added a really old iron washtub to mine to hold flowers and a old looking birdhouse. Thanks for the great suggestions.