Rustic Landscaping Ideas

Natural Element Use

• In a rustic landscape, the goal is to marry outdoor settings with the house or building nearby as closely as possible, creating an informal and natural look. Using natural elements helps create this informal look. A twig bench placed haphazardly off to the side of a flower path or walkway is in keeping with a rustic look more than a wrought iron bench placed at the end of a straight and obvious formal path, according to Fine Gardening Design Guide's Series.

  Other ways to add natural elements to a landscape include using hollowed-out logs as flower containers, building twig-type bridges over small streams or by planting flowers and shrubs in more of a rambling manner on the sidelines of a meandering path. Flowers and plants should be less structured-looking within the beds in a rustic landscape, spilling out of the garden and onto pathways. Woodland plants native to the environ being landscaped gives a more rustic feel, too.

Pathways

• Rustic landscape designs usually include a pathway of some sort. Some materials that lend a rustic or cottagelike feel to a pathway include cobblestones, weathered bricks, aged stones or bricks, and neutral-colored gravel, according to the Landscape Design Advisor.

  Rustic pathways can also have moss or ground cover interspersed along the path, adding color and texture, if total ground cover isn't desired. Stone-covered or other rustic pathways are not linear, as rustic paths tend to be more curvaceous, taking a round-about course from the drive to the home or other outdoor destination. And other materials besides stone are also used in the rustic pathway, such as wood chips, mulch or even low-growing grasses or straw pine.

Fences and Fountains

• Enclosures on the grounds can add a rustic air. The enclosure can be a partial fence made from aged wood that has been left unpainted and looks rudimentary in appearance. It could also be a wooden fence that encompasses the entire residence too, but purposefully shows signs of wear and age. And encouraging vines to grow on the fence in some areas, or planting high-growing grasses near its ends, adds to the rustic appearance.

  An old water pump, unused and just for looks, can be strategically placed off to the side of the dwelling, within view of a garden bench or home entrance. Likewise, a faded bird-bath fountain made from iron, without running water capabilities, adds a rustic air.