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Garden Essentials
30 Sensational French Garden Ideas To Try (Right Now!)
Modified: December 6, 2023
Style your french garden like a total professional with these amazing ideas to achieve a more classy and distinctive look today.
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It’s no secret that gardening as a hobby has skyrocketed like never before. Unlike many other hobbies, gardening is a gift that keeps on giving and is definitely not something you would ever regret doing. As we all know, plants give us life and help to nurture our environment as well. Although their biggest benefit is their ability to purify the surrounding air, you would be surprised by the other benefits that having a beautiful garden can give you.
The color green is known to be therapeutic and can have a calming effect on both mind and body. A lush garden can also protect you from harsh weather. Whether it’s extreme heat or cold, it can act as a shield to regulate the temperature in your home. Lastly, of course, who could forget that certain types of plants can provide us with healthy food or even serve as herbal medicine? These are just some of the prominent benefits in cultivating your very own garden. Here are some simple tips to create your very own French garden.
No matter what style of garden you might want to try to do, garden storage is still a pretty important factor to consider. If you’re going for a more French vibe, you can definitely go for something like this design from Tangkula. It’s a rustic wooden storage box with pretty little details that can add a lot of character and texture to your outdoor space. Be sure to keep it under the shade though as it will stay in better condition if it doesn’t get rained on.
Your French garden doesn’t have to be just stuffy with vintage items. You can do a more modern approach by using plastic and metal as opposed to wood and ceramic. This planter still maintains the look of a traditional European planter but with just the use of more updated materials that will also fare better with different weather conditions.
3. A Wooden Crate Planter Rack Will Give The Best Rustic Look
Photo from Pinterest
What you’ll need:
1. Crates
You can also dabble in a little bit of a DIY project by using wooden crates and attaching them to form any shape you like. They will no doubt become a unique and personal shelf that’s built to last and keep small plants vertically arranged in a creative way. Every space of your French garden can be better utilized by placing this DIY shelf on bare walls.
A cohesive design will really depend all the way down to the last drop so your choice of accessories are important if you want your French garden to be at its very best. With all the deep and rich tones you probably already have going on, you can go for coasters in a light and airy finish such as this white terrazzo with specks of salmon and teal for some gorgeous contrast that still remains on-theme.
We don’t usually associate tool storage to have good design aesthetic and focuses mainly with functionality and convenience. Well, here’s a power tool storage that defies this stereotype and results in a gorgeous and appropriate tool rack fit for a French garden. Aside from the rustic shelves, it sports a pretty wrought iron pattern on the sides that will add elegance and evoke an old world charm.
What you’ll need:
1. Pallets
A rustic look is the easiest way to achieve an authentic French garden look and you can certainly extend this to how you store your tools. It’s easy to put away small spades and even empty pots but rakes and large shovels are a completely different story. Keep them from being littered on the floor by simply getting a palette to safely store them upright. The last thing you want is to be Wiley E. Coyote stepping on a rake and getting hit in the face.
Your raised beds of vegetation deserve to be admired so you can also invest in fencing that keeps up with your French theme. This plastic raised fence is not only useful and resistant towards the different and unpredictable outside forces, but it’s very clean, crisp, and white and will look equally elegant against your home.
A rising planter set-up makes them easier to access and also distributes light and water much more efficiently. The wood frame in a natural finish is also suitable for that rustic villa look for your French garden. This only proves that you don’t really need to try so hard to achieve a gorgeous French garden. It’s all about doing what relaxes you the most.
9. Get That Countryside Look With A Wooden Ladder To Hold Small Planters
Photo from interestingengineering.com
What you’ll need:
1. Ladder
2. Planks
Another effortless look you can try is to combine planks and a ladder to form an easy shelf that is perfect for storing your smaller plants and will look absolutely cozy and adorable in your French garden. There’s really something magical about using a wooden ladder as a DIY shelf. It creates a unique form with its diagonal body while retaining full functionality as garden storage.
What you’ll need:
Vertical gardens essentially need a framework to latch onto and bed slats are actually the perfect DIY materials for this. When you look at it, it’s basically planks of wood held together with string and they’re evenly spaced to accommodate planter bags suspended on S Hooks. This results in a very affordable frame for your vertical garden and you can use it virtually anywhere.
What you’ll need:
- Metal drum or any large round container.
One of the most awkward things you can find around your garden is the garden hose. It doesn’t really have a rigid shape so it’s hard to just keep it in a box or anywhere for that matter. The last thing you also want is for someone to trip over it while enjoying your beautiful French garden. You can get any large round container that the hose can coil around in and you’ve got yourself a fuss-free solution.
12. Hanging Planters With Ferns Are Low Maintenance Additions To Your Garden
Photo from thespruce.com
What you’ll need:
There’s nothing more enjoyable than walking around your garden and seeing so much lush greenery wherever you look. Your plants don’t have to be limited to being on the ground or being in planters on tables but you can also make use of hanging planters to filter the light and add drama to your garden. You can achieve very effortless hanging planters by making use of hanging fruit baskets.
Another thing you can consider when choosing accessories is to go for designs that are more Baroque and reminiscent of old European eras. The antique look will no doubt give your garden a ton of character and personality. A good example are these Baroque coasters that are almost fit to be used by the Pope or even royalty.
Multi-purpose patio furniture combines your need for posh seating spaces and additional storage space by having a cushy seat with a large open space underneath. You can store your cushions or your other gardening essentials. It’s also good to go for something that isn’t too boxy like the bench above with its curved edges.
As gorgeous as most wood furniture is, it really isn’t the best material to keep exposed for the rain and bugs to attack so you can invest in a plastic storage box that’s designed to look as robust and rustic as wood. This storage box from Keter is a fantastic example on the leaps that plastic furniture design has made to mimic more natural materials and create a very similar effect to what wood is most famous for.
Your French garden can feel like a vineyard with this barrel-shaped storage box. Not only can this store your patio furniture cushions but you can even use it as a cooler for outdoor parties. Maybe store some wine or even lemonade supplies. There will be nothing more suitable for keeping the theme than this waterproof and durable barrel.
If you do ever find yourself feeling like you want a more modern approach to a French garden, you can always go for more contemporary forms but with rustic finishes to maintain a good and cohesive design. A great example for this is the storage box above. It has a very modern and minimalist form but it would still be suitable thanks to its textured wood effect like it has really aged outside.
Traditional designs in modern materials is another great idea you can try in your modern French garden. They could still adopt traditional and classic designs such as this bench design but it’s updated with weatherproof materials along with a large storage space underneath the seat. It’s the best of both worlds between beautifully aged park furniture design and modern utilitarianism.
If you’re looking for a pop of color when it comes to the wooden furniture in your French garden, you can always go for furniture that makes use of textured wood and then paint over it with your desired color. This way, you have your refreshing burst of color to beat the monotony while maintaining the gorgeous natural texture that only unfinished wood can provide.
Your garden shed should also keep up with the theme. Although it’s more enticing to go for the fully plastic outdoor sheds or even the metal ones, it can totally ruin your French garden if you don’t stick with natural looking materials. This outdoor storage cabinet makes use of a nicely warm wood combined with vintage hardware for that burst of old world charm.
Your furniture should be more on the lightweight side which is why wicker and woven materials are more recommended. Thankfully today, wicker furniture is now specially designed to be weather resistant and they also come in so many beautiful natural tones. For a French garden though, it’s best to stick with warm and rich brown tones.
You can go as big and luxurious with your rattan furniture as you want because what we’re really going for here is rustic resort where you just want to spend your entire day. This complete patio set features a gigantic day bed with its own extendable sun shade and it also has additional seating for that luxurious custom-made look. This definitely falls under the more contemporary side of French garden design.
It’s really inevitable to have things you would want to hide in your garden. Stuff like utilities can be a real eyesore but you can’t really place them anywhere else. The best solution to this is to get a simple enclosure that can keep things looking clean and free of clutter. When choosing an enclosure though, it’s important to match the style of the fence construction to your own home. In this case, going for a more traditional fence design would help the look of a French garden.
Trash cans are definitely another thing you would usually consider as an eyesore and the last thing you want is to spend so much time looking for the perfect place to put waste in. The tendency is a lot of us grab the next best thing that we see and this could really ruin the whole look you wanted to achieve. Your trash can deserves to be part of the French garden design like a family so you can invest in an enclosure like the one above that features a faux cement column design.
Black metal details are one of the most iconic things about French gardens so you can extend the same love to your trash can enclosure to keep everything matching. Not only will it manage the eyesore factor of a trash can, but it will also transport you to your favorite park. There’s something very distinct about this metal trash can enclosure that immediately reminds us of lush public spaces but this time, it’s right in your very own home.
Textured ceramic planters are also another indispensable part of a French garden. Craftsmanship is all that matters and nothing is more beautiful than well-made piece of pottery. This modern and minimal planter gives a slight nod to its ancient predecessors by incorporating a really unrefined clay finish to contrast its smooth and simple form. Any French garden today would look gorgeous with these to hold their plants.
If you’re going for a more rustic look for your planters, there are also planters that sport that driftwood look to give everything that homey, cozy, and lived-in look. It feels more real; like you’ve actually been doing this all your life. This window box is further improved by adding a plastic sleeve to secure the wood from getting excess moisture from the plants.
Another window planter you should definitely consider is this more contemporary interpretation that pays homage to a classic townhome with its wrought iron exterior frame. This style was made popular by Spanish designers but it was so well-loved all over Europe for a long time. You can definitely enjoy this functional piece of history right in your very own French garden.
Climbing plants everywhere is another defining feature of a lot of French gardens. Ivy saturating the walls of a large chateau or even the columns by the entry way. The concept of the architecture becoming one with nature is something we should all strive to achieve with our homes. You can do a modern iteration of this with this fabric vertical garden frame. You can wrap it around columns or simply mount it on a wall that gets a moderate amount of sun.
Of course, the original French garden furniture should come in metal and you can get them for great deals today! They’re obviously never going to be as lightweight or functional as today’s more popular furniture options but you can’t put a price on authenticity and commitment to a motif. Nothing will complete your French garden like this metal outdoor furniture set.
It goes without saying that everyone has yards and garden spaces of different sizes so not everyone can have the acres to spare on an elaborate hedge pattern. Don’t feel pressured that anything French or European has to be expensive and a hassle to maintain. It’s always important to remember that you can scale the design down or up as much as you’re comfortable with. After all, the essence of a French garden is to feel relaxed and to actually enjoy the space. Your French garden can be as humble and simple as a villa or as elaborate as a chateau by the countryside. The best part about this is how you’re going to put your own spin to it and make it personal to you and your family.
Managing a home garden takes a lot of work, but this can be mitigated by careful research and planning of which type of plants you’re actually capable of maintaining. You can inject a more fun aspect to gardening too by trying to adhere to a certain concept or style so your garden isn’t only really useful, but it can also be an actual space for you to hang out and enjoy the day. This is where French gardens absolutely shine. Their gardens are designed to be a place of leisure and has become a sign of wealth and opulence. You can take a few cues from the French to make your garden a place to read your favorite book or simply take in some sunlight and fresh air.
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