French Country Style
This style has waxed and waned in popularity but has a subtle beauty when done right.
What is this style?
This style embraces a similar planting informality to Cottage style but with more structure and restraint; Think golden gravel paths past overflowing flower beds in calming tones.
Planting in this type of garden is both minimal and maximal in equal parts. Planting beds are kept to a minimum, usually around the boundaries, but are stuffed with plants until they overflow. To stop this becoming overwhelming the colour scheme remains simple and restrained. Lavender, Rosemary and evergreen shrubs are great examples of some common inclusions.
Hard landscaping is the main component of this design, and gravel is the favorite choice. It’s a great idea to add permeable materials to prevent drainage issues in more built-up areas and gravel is perfect for this.
Who Does This Style Suit?
A smaller town garden would be perfect for this style; especially if it had some brick, stone or rendered walls as boundaries.
This style of garden is also perfect for a busy household as it is incredibly low maintenance, if you pick the right plants in the beginning. Planting evergreens, like Hebe or Bay, in the ground and then top dressing with gravel will massively reduce the need to weed or water your garden. You can always add more plants as you become more confident with gardening.
This style can also be surprisingly budget friendly. Gravel is a fairly cheap material to use in the garden (compared to other landscaping materials) and when you are covering a large area then buying in bulk will massively reduce that price as well. Another budget conscious aspect of this style is the fact that you can decide how many plants to include. Plants can end up the most expensive part of your garden and therefore limiting them, at least at first, can lower costs. This tyle allows you to build your collection slowly over time without weeds taking over empty beds.
Added Extras
An almost unique benefit of this garden style is its ability to be overlayed on a space.
You may have a garden that has previously been fully concreted over or paved over but you want to create a green sanctuary. This style is perfect for you as you can add gravel on top of concrete and use large pots to add plants as and when you can, even trees.
This garden also requires few decisions, either at the start or ongoing, so if you struggle with decision fatigue (like my partner) then this garden can be simple as you want it to be without compromising on your vision.
Cons
If you have a larger space then this style can be difficult to execute as it loses the easy intimacy it possesses in small spaces and by pushing planting to the edges, a large space can feel empty and uninviting. You may be able to include it in a larger space by concentrating it to a small patio or dining space.
Conclusion
If you just want to relax in your urban sanctuary without worrying about upkeep, then this style should maximise your enjoyment (and minimise you pain). It is also perfect for people who don’t love gardening but want a great garden.
Designer’s Tips
Concentrate on Materials: generally, avoid anything too dark and grey in shady gardens as it can feel cold and unfriendly. Paler, warmer gravel will reflect light around the space. However, deep grey could look amazing in very bright spaces
Limited Palette: make sure you pick 1 key colour and may 2/3 additional tones you want to include. This isn’t just for plants; this is for everything you’re bringing into the space
Year-round Interest: even though you’ll mainly use the space in summer, think of your garden as a picture and including evergreens will ensure you have something nice to look at all year