A New England style garden is an elegant way to transform your landscaping into a relaxing, beautiful oasis that compliments your home. For homeowners in Western Massachusetts, a New England style garden is practically quintessential. If you are interested in incorporating a New England style garden into your landscaping, consider the following informational guide to get you started.
How to Plan a New England Style Garden
Planning out a New England style garden for your home in Western Massachusetts will take careful thought and consideration. The following are the key elements you will need to plan out your garden.
Landscape vs Cottage Style
The landscape New England garden style places a higher emphasis on creating lush green landscapes, with trees, larger bushes and other extensive foliage. The cottage New England garden style places a higher emphasis on more intimate beds of bulbs, plants and flowers; flower-edged borders, flowering shrubs, and white-picket fences with matching gates. Depending on your personal preference and the size of your landscaping, you may wish to combine elements from each of these styles to create a more complex New England garden.
Hardscape Elements of Your New England Garden
Hardscape elements are elements used to build structures or foundations, such as: walkways, gates, fences and so on. In general, you will want to incorporate classic Western Massachusetts materials such as wooden fences and gates, as well as stones and brick with cooler tones.
New England Style Fences
Fences and gates should evoke a cottage style. Wooden fences are considered the standard, with bright white wooden fences as the most popular color option. You can also consider cool toned paints, such as cool blues or cool pinks, as a variation.
Planning Your Walkways
Walkways should be made with stone materials, preferably locally sourced. Walkways may go through the path of your garden or from the gate to your home, depending on your preferences, but keep the path fairly straight to reflect the New England Style.
Softscape Elements of Your New England Garden
Softscape elements are any plant or horticultural elements of the garden, such as flowers, non-flowering plants, trees, and so on. New England style gardens should have as softscape with cool, fresh colors and plants which can be trimmed or otherwise kept in a semi-formal or formal state.
Placing Shrubs and Hedges
Shrubs look best when planted along the interior edges of fences in a New England style garden, whereas hedges can be used to create an organized garden interior. Make sure to keep hedges neatly trimmed.
Choosing the Right Flowering Plants
Roses are a classic choice for New England style gardens; they look especially well brushed up against homes or on the inside fence. Other flowering plants you should consider include hardy geraniums, which have a cool purple shade; Shasta Daisies, which come in hardy varieties and add a creamy white color to the garden space; and peonies, which will add a soft pink color with a stunning fragrance.
One of the most exception aspects of any New England garden its its personality: make sure that you take the time to ensure that your home’s garden reflects your personal choices.
