French Country-Adding Personal Style To Your Yard

This is a small yard with a big personality. The yard used to have a birch tree in the front yard. The birch was replaced with a Rose of Sharon (tree form). Rose of Sharon is a nice option for adding height with color. It blooms from midsummer to autumn.

The front flower bed combines annuals, perennials, & herbs amongst the shrubs. Herbs can be added to a front yard flower bed if you don't have a designated herb garden. They blend very well with the other plant material. The use of the landscape boulder creates an another texture to the landscape.

On the way to the front door, there is a quaint little sitting area with a bistro set. Be sure to notice how many little sitting areas are in this yard. The front door is very welcoming with the potted boxwood, & spruce topiary. The antique urn with a pom pom topiary, has annual flowers at the base to add additional color. You can tell by the front door mat that the homeowner loves all things French. Don't be afraid to let your personality flow outside to your yard.

Garden art adds personal style to the garden. The concrete statue is in a boxwood and rose bed. It makes a beautiful statement as you approach the front door and the gated courtyard.

The stone archway leads to the remodeled side yard. The side yard is now a private courtyard. Notice the plaque on the arch. You feel as if you are going inside a private French cottage garden.

An antique gate with weathered paint leads to the courtyard. Antiques are wonderful to add in the yard.

The courtyard used to be overtaken by English Ivy. It was gloomy and dark. After removing the majority of the ivy, we installed weed barrier fabric to prevent weeds & ivy from growing. The weed barrier fabric was then covered with tan cobble. The cobble creates a low maintenance yard and has a European flair as well. The stepping stones lead to the main sitting/entertaining area.

Boxwood in weathered terracotta pots, and annual flowers are perfect for a courtyard setting. Not to mention easy maintenance!

The use of potted plant material works well in areas that do not warrant installing a flower or shrub bed.

This vignette brings warmth & personality to the sitting area. The zinc lamp adds a nice glow to an evening outside entertaining friends. The homeowner is not afraid to accessorize. Can you tell that she is an interior designer?

We hope this inspires you to add originality and personality to your yard. Please feel free to contact us if you would like a consultation.

Example of our work

This homeowner wanted a French garden that include herb gardens, cobble walkways and a dog run. The style is very elegant and invites people to linger outside. The use of color in the plant materials really gives a pop to the yard. I like the use of planter beds as well as different sizes and heights of pots to keep the eye moving and not just at ground level.

Outdoor living spaces can really define an area as an extention of a home. Here are two different spaces that extend the home outside. One is attached to the home and the other is detached. Both create different feelings and views of the yard that help the family use the outdoors for an extended entertaining area.

Plant materials can help define different sections of a yard as well as provide a screen between neighbors. These trees will grow above the fence line and will give a soft screen that will also provide shade to the yard. The flowers below create a dividing line from the pool area to the archway of pear trees defining the new area in a colorful and beautiful way.

If you do not like the look of concrete then the use of a pavers can help give a hardscape area without the concrete look.