From the beginning, I knew that I wanted a cottage garden fence. In fact, I had the architect draw the fence on the blueprints for our home. I fell in love with two features on the front exterior of our house - the tall, stone chimney and the steep and swooping "cat slide roof" with a gable gate. These elements say cottage to me!We used stone corners for our fence to coordinate with the stone foundation and front chimney. We selected bronze aluminum fencing to match the bronze light fixtures and door hardware. The materials are very low maintenance so that the fence will last a lifetime.
The L-shape formed by the garage and house provides cedar shake walls on two sides of the cottage garden. It just seemed logical to me to use the space for a front yard garden.
The cottage garden fence also separates the space from the two acres of open meadow in front of our house. Of course, I've expanded the gardens all around the front and side of the house, but I can grow plants inside the fence that are out of reach of the deer.
I love garden paths, gates and arbors!
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| Cottage garden front gate | Cottage garden gable gate |
The cottage garden changes with the seasons. Many of my favorite flower combinations grow inside the fence.
In spring, annuals such as larkspur, poppies and nigella provide color with perennials such as cottage pinks, lavender and allium. Shrub roses line the front inside the fence and Lady Banksia graces the trellis over the gable gate. Tree form azaleas provide an evergreen accent on the big garage wall that will someday be backed with a trellis of flowering vines. A cut-leaf Japanese maple is a brilliant burgundy with new growth.
The summer blooms include the shrub roses, daylilies, agastache, salvia, echinacea and phlox. Zinnias bloom summer into fall as the azaleas and roses repeat blooms in the company of salvias, sedum and mums.
Although winter can be cold, this south-facing sheltered garden can be enjoyed on sunny days. The evergreen foliage of dianthus, heuchera, scabiosa, azaleas, roses, rosemary, thyme, hollies, arborvitae and hawthorne keep the garden interesting.
Our walls and fence work in harmony to enclose the cottage garden, making it our sanctuary.
Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. This story is a response to the Gardening Gone Wild Design Workshop for February 2010 .
And what a sanctuary it is! Your gift for designing and creating a garden is magazine worthy. Love, love your choice of gates and fencing... especially the stone corners. You would have to pry me away from such lovely surroundings. Beautiful! Your home and your garden.
ReplyDeleteMeems
Absolutely lovely. I can see why Southern Living visited you, Cameron.
ReplyDeleteI love the cottage look and your full to the brim gardens, full of color are the envy of many a garden blogger---me at the top of the list! What great structure with your walls and fences. Absolutely lovely!
ReplyDeleteps- I told my husband what you said about the movie. He said 'I've seen my movie for this year' he isn't much of a movie goer. I will look for it on DVD down the road.
Thank you... you are all so kind!
ReplyDeleteThis post is in response to the Garden Gone Wild Design Workshop on walls and fences... hope to see posts from other bloggers!
Cameron
Nice post, lovely photos. I personally can't resist an old stone archway.
ReplyDeleteSighing at the beauty! Cameron, the gable gate is inspired~I love it. gail
ReplyDeleteIt is so beautiful! And the pictures do it all justice but in person you can really feel the charm of the garden.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is stunning, I love it! I'd also love to see some photos of your stream and bridges please! :)
ReplyDeleteI think I could happily loose myself for hours in your garden :)
Your design eye is really good. I know it when I see it but can never seem to pull off the design bit. I'm more of a big things in back and little things in front gardener.
ReplyDeleteHeaving a heavenly *sigh*, indeed a sanctuary, Cameron. One of your loveliest posts :)
ReplyDeleteWe have NO backyard!
ReplyDeleteOur deck in back of the house is up against our woods (too wet and too many deer and ticks). So, I have to do my gardening out front and on the side. All fences out here have to be approved by the neighborhood HOA. We were able to get approval for this fence by making it part of the "house" design! :-)
Cameron
Yours is one of the prettiest house and gardens I have ever seen, Cameron! The fences and walls are yummy and the plantings are fabulous. It must give your hours and hours of pleasure! :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
It's all just beautiful! I love all the color and the fence with the Clematis and rose. I keep hoping one day we can put up a white picket fence around our front yard.
ReplyDeleteI love white picket fences! They make such a fantastic backdrop for cottage garden flowers.
ReplyDeleteWe needed a tall (4 feet) fence and see-through so we went with the bronze aluminum by Jerith. At first, we thought we'd have to do wrought iron, but were able to get this fence approved and it won't rust. I do wish that we'd chosen the fence style with a "puppy guard" at the bottom - that would have kept the rabbits out everywhere except under the gates.
I feel like there's no reason for me to purchase another magazine or even look at another garden blog;-) I could really get my color 'fix' just by visiting your garden blog, Cameron...but living there has got to be so much better. I'm drooling right now, wishing this were my yard...especially as I look out and see nothing but white, and MORE on the way!!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful pictures to warm me up today! The views look as though they are from a magazine article! You should be so proud of your hard work on your piece of paradise!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure the fencing would keep the deer out of our yard. They jump the 4 foot high fences we have in place.
I read down a bit to see where the rabbits got away with some treats. I too find it difficult to decide if the deer or rabbit are to blame for damage but the razor cuts tell us the rabbits are the guilty party. They were not much of an issue last year since OJ the neighbors cat hangs out in our gardens…
What a treat, Cameron, to get a tour of your color-filled cottage garden. Your fence choice was perfect - you get the benefits of an enclosure without isolation, and it perfectly complements the front of your home. I love the stone corners, especially. Thanks so much for sharing your story for this month's Design Workshop.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great fence. It goes with your cottage perfectly.
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