# Colonial Revival Home Garden Ideas
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Walking Paths
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Walking paths to a central axis are important elements of Colonial Revival gardens. An important feature of a Colonial Revival garden is the "parterre" layout-- geometric shapes, symmetrical in design, and a paved or gravel walking path through and around the garden leading to a central point. These shapes could be squares, rectangles or triangles with a circle in the middle. This circle could include a fountain, well-head, arbor, pergola, a large flowering bush or topiary.
Defining Planting Beds
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Taller flowers in the center of a bed add dimension. Thick rows of shrubs called the enclosing hedge define the planting beds. The horticulturists at Colonial Williamsburg say that this provides "structure in a garden, defining areas in the garden because of their size, form, and permanence." Colonial Williamsburg's gardeners frequently chose Yaupon holly for this purpose. Flowers, grasses and other plants in the beds can vary in height, color and size--perhaps a fruit tree in the center of one, while another is filled with larkspur and another has a circle or square of purple coneflowers outlined with marigolds or black-eyed Susan surrounded by ivy or other ground cover.
Old House Journal writer Denise Wiles Adams says other flowers used in Colonial Revival gardens include lilacs, mock orange, Chinese wisteria and Snowberry, while the Colonial Revival garden at Stenton in Philadelphia includes hollyhocks, Dames' Rocket, Iris, ferns, foxgloves, blue phlox, phlox and much more.
Function of the Garden
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Wisteria adds color and fagrance to a Colonial Revival garden. In Colonial Revival gardens, gardeners plant beds for pleasure, kitchen (cooking) or herb (medicinal) use. Consider seasonal color and growth when planning the beds. The herb bed could include rosemary, oregano, purple coneflower, dill or bee balm surrounded by basil.
A vegetable bed with a few rows of corn surrounded by beans, with squash as ground cover, provides a variety of shapes and colors.
The pleasure garden is strictly for enjoyment. A well-placed arbor with wisteria, honeysuckle or Angel's trumpet to provide a view of the garden is a must. Line the inside of the enclosing hedging with daffodils and tulips for the spring, flowering trees in the center of planting beds farthest from the arbor, and taller flowers toward the center of the closer beds--iris, phlox, hollyhocks and delphinium for summer blooming.
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