Rustic Country Garden Ideas

Furniture

• It can be charming to set a piece of primitive furniture among your plantings. You might consider placing a rustic wooden chair under a tree, with potted plants sitting on it. Decorate the seat of the chair with moss and have clematis or ivy growing up the legs and back. A small farmer's table can be effective with an old ceramic pitcher overflowing with flowers. Arrange several plants in ceramic pots of different sizes on the table. Leave a rusted trowel among the pots.

Accents

• Accent pieces add visual interest to your garden. A rusted bicycle with flowers spilling out of the wire basket can be a focal point. You can fill a grape cart or old wheelbarrow with old-fashioned flowers such as petunias to add a rustic flavor to your landscape. Prop a weathered shovel against a fence or tree for a vine to climb. An old watering can can be transformed by adding colorful trailing flowers to it.

Wildlife

• Encourage the activity of wildlife in your country garden by adding birdfeeders and birdhouses. Rustic feeders can be purchased or crafted from birch and suspended from a tree. Country-style birdhouses add a creative element to your garden. They can be hung from tree branches or supported by wooden poles throughout your garden. Place an old-fashioned ceramic birdbath in a prominent spot, and you'll be entertained by its visitors.

Architectural Features

• An archway at your garden's entrance is inviting to your guests and can be covered with climbing flowers such as clematis or wisteria. A decorative wooden or wrought-iron gate can also be featured. Bend willow twigs into small arches to form a rustic, charming flower-bed edging. Another concept for edging is to cut china plates in half and place them side by side in the soil with the cut side down. You can build or purchase an obelisk, a tall structure made from metal poles or willow twigs. This is decorative but also functional, serving as a support for climbing plants.