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The English country garden. I’ve never experienced anything else like it. The gardens we see in the states are generally well-manicured, raised bed gardens, or architectured garden spaces. We line our beds with bricks or rocks or edging. We keep things tidy and trimmed. But the experience of the English country gardens that we saw in the UK were altogether different. My heart was enamored with the foliage, the blooms, and the ‘wildness’ of it. That is why this spring, I am setting out to recreate these little slices of garden heaven in our own space.
By the way, did I tell you it’s an apartment balcony? That’s right! We have a front balcony that measures 6″ x 9″, and a back balcony that measures 7″ x 10″. The smaller balcony is covered by a wooden pergola; the back balcony is fully covered by roofing. The front balcony get’s morning sun; the back balcony doesn’t get much sun at all. Typically, we enjoy coffee and an occasional meal on the back balcony. It’s absolutely magical to sit out there with a warm (or cold) beverage and listen to the rain falling on the tin roof. magical!
Planning ahead is key
The English gardens we saw in the Cotswolds and London varied in space and in structure, but they had so much in common. There are two I want to share with you specifically and I think it will help you understand why planning ahead is key in creating an English country garden.
Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle, located in West Sussex, has over 1,000 years of history. I’ll let you read all about that here, if you’re interested. While the castle was absolutely astounding to see, the gardens were what took my breath away. There are cutting gardens, tropical gardens, rose gardens, border gardens, kitchen gardens, and so many more. Each one has won numerous awards throughout the last 125 years, and each, has taken planning to achieve.
Charles Dickens’ Home
We had the opportunity to visit the home of Charles Dickens while in London. It was a multi-leveled townhouse with bedrooms and kitchens much like you would expect. But the garden was especially fascinating to me, and this, friends, is where all of my inspiration comes from.
The garden at 48 Doughty Street in London wasn’t a large footprint. Granted, it is larger than a 6″ x 9″ balcony, but sometimes you have to work with what you have. Still, it had a definite English country garden style with its trailing vines and soft florals. There was also a wildness about the garden beds. Plants were allowed to grow outside of boundaries, longer stems were allowed to droop and flow naturally. It was easy like a Sunday morning, friends!
The planters
One thing that was repeated again and again, over and over, no matter which garden locations we were visiting, was the use of and love of terra-cotta pots. We saw old ones, new ones, ancient ones, weathered ones, and broken ones. And that, is where my planning begins.
I do love a modern aesthetic and have several modern flower vessels, but for the English country garden aesthetic, I’m collecting terra-cotta pots. I already have several, but I am on the hunt as I look through vintage shops, antique malls, and thrift stores. All shapes, all sizes, all terra-cotta!
The plants
The plantings we saw in England were stunning. If you’ve ever seen photos of the Chelsea flower show, you’ll know the Brits love their color and their bold arrangements of florals. But in the gardens, we saw a much more subdued color palette and softer, wilder, more natural plantings.
For my state-side English country garden aesthetic, I’m going with green foliage, white florals, and touches of pale pink or purple. While the color will be a minimal accent, the green and white backdrop will be stunning.
Here is the inspiration: lots of soft leafy greens, trailing ivy, soft asparagus ferns, and loads and loads of white blooms.
The furnishings
Patio furniture for a 6″ x 9″ apartment balcony is tricky. You want comfort, but you have to accommodate size. You want quality, but you have to accommodate weather. You want style, but you have to accommodate function.
The English country gardens we visited tended to have black iron furniture; not the most luxurious material for lingering with a cup of tea. Some had resin benches, but again, not exactly the most welcoming. I have my eyes on a couple of options, but will have to determine based on space, quality, and size.
Here is the inspiration for the seating: While the metal bench is the most “English country garden” style, I think it lacks comfort. The resin bench with the cushion looks comfortable, but I must think about the cushion storage. The first bench, is weather resistant, looks comfortable, and has storage built in. But it will all come down to space issues.
Spring is on its way!
Spring is on its way, and with it comes the planning of an English country garden – except on an apartment balcony! We’ll definitely keep you posted and take you along on the journey! I can’t wait to share with you how it comes together!
What are your gardening plans this spring? Will you plant florals or have a kitchen garden? Will you plant herbs in a window box, or go for a much larger vegetable plot? Let me know in the comments below if you have gardening dreams!
