Let Nature Be Your Guide

Angie’s garden evolves every year, but the neutral palette found in its permanent features like her greenhouse always drives her decisions for the following year. “I let my garden speak to me, and it’s very chatty!” she laughs. Here are a few of her tips for cultivating your own ever-changing outdoor living retreat:

Lay a Foundation: Choose harmonious colors for all- season structures. Angie’s greenhouse demonstrates a lively interplay of the reds of tin and bricks, the grays of stone and weathered wood, the greens of living foliage, and the whites of painted wood.

Consider Contrast: Select hues that would best stand out against the structures. For Angie, sometimes it’s pastel flowers; other times, it’s patriotic vignettes of red and white blooms with small flags. “One year, I kept everything green and white with pops of red,” she notes.

Win with Vintage: Turn ordinary vintage items into unexpected garden decor. Angie employs buckets, troughs, feeders and more as planters. Anything that holds a bit of soil can find new life in the garden, and these containers often have an appealing patina.

Grow Your Decor: Plan living decorations by exploring the heights, colors, flowers and even the fruits of a variety of plants. Some vegetables can even work well in landscaping. “Most people grow corn for food. I grow mine for the stalks and for vertical interest,” Angie shares.