KITCHEN GARDEN
A rustic, rural garden benefits from well-defined spaces and unexpected twists to keep it from feeling unruly. Once the structure is in place, outdoor rooms are free to grow and evolve, from orchard and cooking space to Japanese-inspired oasis
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RUSTIC RULES
Renèe readily admits she’s a “sucker for anything rural, rusty and gorgeous” and is always on the lookout for materials and objects such as lichen-covered posts and rusty steel implements to reinforce this theme in the garden. On her spacious veranda, rusty chains are used to hang vintage lanterns while a brushwood broom, dried branches, a whitewashed table, unpainted bentwood chairs and floorboards continue the rustic theme. To create this look in your patch, check out secondhand and vintage shops in rural areas as well as farmers’ markets and online vintage sellers.
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GET A ROOM
The best way to combine a number of different garden elements and plant groupings into a cohesive whole, as Renèe has done, is to divide your garden into rooms, separated by structures such as paths, screens and hedges. Through this technique the rustic style of her vegetable and herb potager, orchard and wildflower meadow blend beautifully with the Japaneseinspired, native forest and water garden areas, while ensuring each has its own distinct identity. For instant hedges, try Twining Valley Nurseries.
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BUDGET TIPS
Large gardens can be expensive, but if you’re prepared to do a little scrounging and upcycling, it’s surprising the rewards you can reap. Along with her potting shed and bath garden beds, Renèe’s recycling finds include an old copper water tank which became a water feature, old teapots used as planters, and redundant chimney bricks and crockery that have been turned into pathways. For ideas, try online auction sites, demolition yards or recycle shops.
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GLASSHOUSES
Raising plants from seed can save you a lot of money, especially for edible crops. If you have the space, a glasshouse or polytunnel is ideal for raising vegetable and herb seedlings, ensuring you have a constant supply of plants for the kitchen garden. They’re handy not just for the cooler months, but virtually all year, as seedlings are better protected from pest attack as well as the vicissitudes of the weather, giving them a good strong start before they’re planted out in the garden.