Country Gardens
Style Guide

Country Gardens share their origins with their citified cousins, the cottage gardens.

Both garden styles arise from the practical working man’s garden, men and women who struggled to feed and clothe their families, while occasionally adding a patch of garden color gleaned from a more wealthy or connected neighbor.

Anything that represented too much additional work in these gardens didn’t stay long, because these gardens were about survival. An economy of purpose drove what was added and maintained within these gardens.

As the highly formal, perfectly manicured formal gardens maintained for rich landowners by a host of paid gardeners began to fade into history with the changing of landscape philosophies in the late 1700s, many rich landowners began to adopt a more relaxed style, one that blended nature with more formal features. This movement birthed our modern day country gardens style.

In many ways, the modern day cottage garden style and the country garden we know today share the characteristics infused by this working man’s view of gardening.

As families moved closer together into towns or cities, the needs and practicalities of their different circumstances dictated the content of their garden plots. The varying needs of the rural and city dwellers dictated the beginnings of the diversion between the two related styles.

So then, the primary difference between today’s modern style differentiation of country gardens versus cottage gardens is the space involved, and the widening gap between the practical and useful aspects of the two styles.

Country gardens in the modern day tend to be on larger properties, and continue to maintain some portion of the practical and functional content of the original working man’s garden, while the cottage garden has evolved into a highly decorative and less purposeful application of the same basic principles.

Both styles retain an informality that allows a great diversity of purpose and application, however. Small urban plots can easily mimic the country garden style, while cottage garden style can be easily applied to large open properties, depending upon the gardener’s means and preferences.

Table of Contents

Characteristic Garden Elements

Informal plantings that appear randomly (or naturally) placed.
Heavily planted beds separated by larger areas of grass, gravel, or dirt
Heavy use of heirloom plantings that require little upkeep

Emphasis on outdoor living and/or entertaining
Doors and windows often draped with plantings
An abundance of practical plantings, herbs, produce and medicinal in nature
Typically, smaller garden areas near the house are fenced off, while areas outside these fenced areas tend to be more informal and functional
Primarily use traditional, local materials such as wood and stone rather than more modern elements such as cement or wrought iron
Natural ponds or water sources

Pathways tend to be of natural materials, often grass, bark, or even dirt and gravel.
Plantings of mixed color, with little attempt to formalize color schemes
Strong relationships between the indoors and outdoors, provided by porches, patios, outdoor rooms.
Rustic benches, tables and other creature comforts that allow resting or entertaining outdoors
Emphasis on functional use of space as well as aesthetics

Some rural gardens may host domesticated animals
Old fashioned garden implements lend an air of authenticity
Trellises, Arbors, and Pergolas are often used to support vines and climbers, and to ease the transition between houses and gardens
Sheds and outbuildings provide functional work spaces
Country gardens tend to incorporate elements and objects that have historical or sentimental value, and have been repurposed for the garden

Iconic Plants

Apple Trees	Cherry Trees
Raspberry	Blackberry
Blueberry	Evergreen Trees
Cotoneaster	Lilac varieties
Viburnum species	Hydrangea varieties
Shrub Roses	Climbing Roses
Astilbe	Foxglove
Bellflower	Oriental Poppy
Shasta Daisy	Rudbeckia
Nasturtium	Obedient Plant
Iris varieties	Columbine
Primrose	Wallflower
Daisy varieties	Morning Glory