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kevin_l_gw

Need Colonial garden ideas

kevin_l
15 years ago

I'm pretty good at landscaping and have always done my own. My wife and I are moving into an old brick Bucks County farm house this winter, and the boss has instructed me to do the entire front of the house in a Colonial theme. I'm not even sure what that means. What are some plantings and ideas I should be looking at? All of the overgrown yews and junipers are getting ripped out, and I'm not planning on putting in any more yews. Other than that I'm open to suggestions.

Comments (4)

  • nandina
    15 years ago

    Kenin, do a search for "colonial Williamsburg + landscaping" to begin your research. Many ideas and plant lists to be found there which should be helpful. Then to the library to study the numerous picture books written about Williamsburg. Of course, a trip to that beautiful restored community would help you to see ideas and firm up your final planning. Colonial landscaping is pretty straight forward; low hedges, fencing and squares. A study on site at Williamsburg will quickly illustrate how this all goes together.

  • bdesign
    15 years ago

    I am a garden designer that creates period gardens in the Lehigh Valley and I agree with the above post. There is a book written by Denise Willes Adams that lists the appropriate plants for each period. Try to use local garden centers for the plants (not catalogs) they will be more hardy. You are lucky that there are many great garden centers in your area. Good luck!

  • flutterbyfarm
    15 years ago

    I highly recommend going to Colonial Williamsburg for a visit if it's at all possible. I went there early last fall, was truly impressed. I took lots of pictures for my garden, along with bringing 2 sets of the cannonball gate closing systems for the gates in my garden.
    Good luck...

  • Ina Plassa_travis
    15 years ago

    http://www.pennsburymanor.org/

    as far as practical colonial landscaping with an eye to 'providing' the needs of a large gentleman's farm, you can't beat the place that Bill built, though he didn't get to live there long.

    Andalusia down the river a bit has more formal 'gardens' and is a bit closer to the 'federalist' style, rather than good old Bucks County mudstone, but it's well worth the trip, and they offer a bit more in the way of gardening workshops.

    if you have 'any' outbuildings on the property, there's a local cat who does english-style cottage gardens (Thomas's?) I think that would be a great tie in (us being one of the english colonies)

    also not to be missed are the tulip gardens at Lenteboden just north of New Hope - they're just showcase gardens, but some of the heirloom strains would still work today.

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