Five Tips for Creating and Arts & Crafts Garden
Inspired by picturesque English Arts & Crafts gardens, these homeowners installed curving paths, flowerbeds, and hardscape to wrap the house into its setting.
In Berkeley, a preservation-minded couple reinvigorated a picturesque 1914 house designed by famed California architect Julia Morgan. (See story here.) Homeowners Ed and Noelle Long offer advice on creating a compatible Arts & Crafts garden:
1. MAKE THE GARDEN AN EXTENSION OF THE HOUSE by using terraces, patios, focal-point benches, and comfortable seating to welcome outdoor living and entertaining.
TERRACES, PATIOS, AND SEATING EXTEND “ROOMS” OUTDOORS AS CURVING PATHS WIND THROUGH BEDS PLANTED IN DRIFTS OF COLOR.
2. USE NATURAL, SIMPLE MATERIALS such as pea gravel for pathways and vintage brick pavers for walks and drives.
3. PLANT BEDS IN DRIFTS OF COLOR AND TEXTURE to complement the house. These homeowners used a spring palette of yellows, pinks, and lavenders to accompany the simple, airy aesthetic of the house.
4. USE STRAIGHTFORWARD STRUCTURE AND FORMS to organize and lay out the garden and to draw viewers in. For example, clear paths lead from the entry gate to the house and up to the terraces.
5. INCORPORATE LOCAL PLANTS AND MATERIALS as much as possible. Local stone, old roses, native shrubs and trees suggest the house and landscape are united.
Brian D. Coleman, M.D., is the West Coast editor for Arts & Crafts Homes and Old House Journal magazines, our foremost scout and stylist, and has authored over 20 books on home design.