Skip to content

Top Navigation

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Holidays
  • Gardening
  • Recipes and Cooking
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvement Ideas
  • Cleaning and Organizing
  • Shop
  • Rooms
  • News
  • Beauty & Style
  • Health & Family
  • Pets
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Subscribe
Pin

Explore Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 19 Vintage Christmas Decor Ideas That Are Giving Us Major Holiday Nostalgia

      Read More Next
    • 23 of Our Test Kitchen's Best Cookie Recipes of All Time

      We reach for them after school and after dinner. They're essential to holidays and casual gatherings. Homemade cookies are always a welcome treat. Whether it's a tried-and-true 1940s BH&G cookie recipe or a unique twist on sugar cookies, our Test Kitchen's compiled a lot of favorite cookie recipes over the years. Grab a glass of milk because we're about to dunk peanut butter cookies, oatmeal-raisin cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, and many more of our all-time favorite cookie recipes. Read More Next
    • Conquer Holiday Cooking with This Meat Roasting Guide

      All the times and temperatures you need to know to roast turkey, chicken, beef, and pork for your feast. Read More Next
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See all Holidays

    The CDC Just Updated Its Thanksgiving Safety Guidelines—Here's What You Need To Know

    With just two weeks until turkey day, the latest information could affect your plans.
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Halloween
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
  • Gardening

    Gardening

    See all Gardening

    5 Simple Ways to Prepare Your Garden for Winter

    Depending on what's growing in your garden, there's a lot you can do to get your ornamental plants ready for the colder months. We've got the low-down on how to make sure everything from your perennials to your roses are ready when the snow flies.
    • Flowers
    • Houseplants
    • Plant Encyclopedia
    • Garden Pests
    • Trees, Shrubs & Vines
    • Caring for Your Yard
    • Edible Gardening
    • Garden Design
    • Gardening By Region
    • Landscaping
  • Recipes and Cooking

    Recipes and Cooking

    See all Recipes and Cooking

    21 Essential Baking Tools Every Home Cook Needs (Plus 16 That Are Nice to Have)

    If you’re a beginner baker who’s just starting out (or a master chef looking to declutter), start with this list of baking tool must-haves. We’ll help you set up a baking kit for beginners with 21 essential tools. For those who already own these tools, this list may finally provide the motivation you need to toss that never-been-used soufflĆ© dish. Building your essential baking toolbox starts here!
    • How to Cook
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Fish Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch
    • Dinner Recipes & Meal Ideas
    • Ethnic Food
  • Decorating

    Decorating

    See all Decorating

    9 Ways to Decorate Your Front Door for the Holidays

    This winter front door display is layered with holiday cheer. See how you can personalize your home's entrance with holiday front door decorations, including evergreen wreaths, garlands, pinecones, and pops of plaid.
    • Choosing Color
    • Expert Decorating Advice
    • Fireplace Design Ideas
    • Do It Yourself Magazine
    • Window Treatments
    • Styles & Decor
    • Interior Painting
    • Home Makeovers
    • Small-Space Decorating
    • Traditional Home
  • Home Improvement Ideas

    Home Improvement Ideas

    See all Home Improvement Ideas

    What Style Is Your House? The 10 Most Popular House Styles Explained

    With so many types of house styles, narrowing the list down to your favorite can be overwhelming. We'll show you the top 10 most popular house styles, including Cape Cod, country French, Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, Craftsman, cottage, Mediterranean, ranch, and contemporary. Here's how to tell the differences between each architectural style.
    • Home Exteriors
    • DIY Home Electrical Tips & Guides
    • Outdoor Structures
    • Home Remodeling
    • Plumbing Installations & Repairs
    • Remodeling Advice & Planning
    • Flooring
    • Lighting
    • Decks
    • Porches
  • Cleaning and Organizing

    Cleaning and Organizing

    See all Cleaning and Organizing

    A Whole-House Cleaning Schedule You'll Actually Stick To

    Cleaning your home doesn't have to be a daunting, time-consuming chore. The key to managing household duties quickly and efficiently is to design an easy-to-follow routine that includes all the most important tasks. Follow these step-by-step instructions for creating a customized whole-home cleaning schedule.
    • House Cleaning
    • Laundry & Linens
    • Cleaning Tips
    • Closet Organization
    • Organization Tips
    • Kitchen Storage Organization
  • Shop
  • Rooms

    Rooms

    See all Rooms

    Living Room Furniture Arrangement Ideas

    Get tips for arranging living room furniture in a way that creates a comfortable and welcoming environment and makes the most of your space.
    • Bedroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Bathroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Kitchen Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Living Room Decorating and Design
    • Dining Room
    • Home Office
    • Kid's Rooms
    • Baby Nursery
  • News
  • Beauty & Style

    Beauty & Style

    See all Beauty & Style

    Call Your Stylist: These Hair Colors Will Be Everywhere This Spring

    Deep brunettes, sandy blondes, and bold reds are in this year.
    • Anti-Aging
    • Hair
    • Skin Care
    • Makeup
    • Style
    • Nails
  • Health & Family

    Health & Family

    See all Health & Family

    7 Small But Impactful Ways to Fit Self-Care Into Your Day Right Now

    Staying atop of your wellbeing is a must, especially during uncertain, stressful times. These tips will help you make time for self-care for a mental health boost every day.
    • Family Activities
    • Reunions
    • Conditions
    • Parenting Skills
  • Pets

    Pets

    See all Pets

    Luna Is the Most Popular Female Cat Name for the Second Year in a Row

    Plus, check out the other top options that owners are calling their pandemic pets.
    • Dogs and Puppies
    • Cats
    • Caring for Your Pet
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. BHG.com
  2. Gardening
  3. Gardening By Region
  4. Gardening in the Midwest
  5. Create a Country Garden

Create a Country Garden

February 19, 2016
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin FB
Get design ideas for creating a cute country-style garden from BHG.com reader Sue Sikorski.
Start Slideshow

1 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Thunder Bay, Ontario, is the home of many scenic views, including a charming country-style garden crafted by hardworking Sue Sikorski. Though it looks and lives large, this lush landscape is on an average-size city lot. Take a tour and learn about her money-saving tips.

1 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Side Yard: Before

As you can see, Sikorski started with a big challenge. Her long side yard lacked color and interest, and she wanted to break up the space.

2 of 22

3 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Side Yard: After

The addition of a 150-foot-long border running the length of her property line was a perfect solution. To keep the border from feeling too massive, Sikorski, who loves salvaged objects, punctuated the space with an old bench she found at a yard sale. An antique newel, which she painted purple, adds additional structure. Because the rebar-reinforced sidewalk would have been difficult to remove and expensive to haul away, Sikorski covered it in a windy, narrow, pea-gravel path leading to her garden gates.

3 of 22

Advertisement

4 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Add Charming Details

A little bench and planter made from a wood crate set the tone for the garden. Located near the entrance to the backyard, the combo serves as a focal point. Sikorski added more interest by painting it purple, her favorite color.

4 of 22

5 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Go with a Proven Performer

Before she started gardening, Sikorski's sister convinced her to add a small perennial border. One of the first plants Sikorski installed was purple coneflower, which she quickly learned is a top performer for her conditions. It provides beautiful blooms, long flowering season, and outstanding hardiness.

  • Sikorski picked many of her first plants from this slideshow on BHG.com!

5 of 22

6 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Create a View

Most people think of their garden as a whole, but make magic like Sikorski did by creating vignettes. Here, for example, her gates frame a view of the lushly planted backyard, inviting a closer look.

6 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Garden Room: Before

Sikorski wanted a private garden room in the spot where a dilapidated garage had stood in her backyard and decided the back corner was the perfect spot. She placed an antique firebox in the area as her focal point.

7 of 22

8 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Garden Room: Year Three

It started with a retaining wall made from rough timbers, an idea Sikorski picked up from an old magazine. To ensure long-term stability, she built the wall with pressure-treated lumber, then faced it with timbers cut at different heights.

8 of 22

9 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Add an Entry Point

Sikorski built a beautiful arbor that provides an entry to her garden room. She designed it based off a photo she saw in an issue of Better Homes and Garden's Country Gardens magazine.

  • See a selection of other arbors here on BHG.com.

9 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Garden Room: Year Four

After four years of work, Sikorski's garden room was well underway. She filled the area with her favorite perennials, including purple coneflower, coreopsis, phlox, and lamb's ears. For more charm and character, Sikorski installed garden accents, such as an old chandelier, which she hung from the arbor.

10 of 22

11 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Add Easy-Care Color

Initially, Sikorski planned to fill the area behind her retaining wall with long-flowering perennials but decided on low-care 'Limelight' hydrangeas. Unlike the sometimes-finicky mophead types, 'Limelight' is a hardy sun-loving variety with showy blooms in summer. They fade to beige in fall and add interest to the cold season when they catch snow.

  • Learn more about hydrangeas.

11 of 22

12 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Garden Room: Complete

Now full of a wide array of perennials, Sikorski's garden room is connected to her side yard by a winding gravel pathway. Tall fences offer privacy from neighbors, and profusely blooming flowers attract butterflies. It has become her favorite spot to curl up with a book or magazine and plan her next garden project.

12 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Include Creature Comforts

Because spring can come late and fall may make an early appearance in her region, Sikorski included an antique cast-iron firebox. Filled with flame or sitting on its own, it makes a wonderful impression in the landscape.

13 of 22

14 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Before: Upper Backyard

Sikorski's landscape slopes, allowing her to establish two levels. Her garden room is the lower level, and the display area shown here is just above it. Originally a gravel driveway, she spent a summer hauling away the gravel.

14 of 22

15 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

After: Upper Backyard

The upper seating area features two salvaged antique church pews and a raised bed made from cedar window boxes Sikorski picked up at a yard sale. A gravel path connects this area with other sections of her property. Annuals create a big burst of color fast and inexpensively.

15 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Add Character with Ornaments

A handful of inexpensive salvaged containers sit among the plants, giving Sikorski's backyard a distinct country feel as they surround her homemade raised bed. Such garden ornaments offer character in the winter months after the flowers fade.

16 of 22

17 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Photography Lessons

With a beautiful garden underway, Sikorski got into photography and spent time shooting her yard. Her images helped her realize something was missing -- the far back corner felt empty. So she found an old door and installed it on her fence, calling it a "door to nowhere" because it doesn't open. An old bus bench sits beneath her spruce, which shelters her from rain, giving Sikorski a place to sit and enjoy her garden even on rainy days.

17 of 22

18 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Use Repetition

One of Sikorski's best garden design tricks is repetition. By using the same plant or plants with a similar feel, you can draw the eye through your borders. Here, for example, she's combined upright, light-color plants, including pink astilbe, lamb's ears, white veronica, and white delphiniums, to lead the way to her cozy bench.

18 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Be Resourceful

Sikorski has many salvaged doors around her yard, most of which are decorative instead of functional. She found this pair for free and hung them on the fence behind her upper garden area.

19 of 22

20 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Plant it Right

Lush plantings of pink cosmos now soften the fence around Sikorski's free doors. She also put in an invisible trellis by stringing fishing line along the doors and planting clematis to clamber up it. Sections of old, white picket fence complete the look and add charm.

20 of 22

21 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Use What You Have

Sikorski got double her money's worth from the free doors. They add interest as garden accents, and she uses their hardware works in other ways. An old knob attached to a section of rebar makes for a great doorstop or hose guide, for example.

21 of 22

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 22

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Be Persistent

A Zone 3 climate can be challenging. Sikorski desperately wanted foxgloves in her garden, but for three years in a row was disappointed that these biennials would not overwinter and bloom. She discovered from the gardening community on BHG.com that there are varieties (such as the 'Foxy' and 'Camelot' series) that act more like annuals and flower the first year from seed. She's now able to grow these beautiful plants.

  • Learn more about foxgloves.

22 of 22

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 22
2 of 22 Side Yard: Before
3 of 22 Side Yard: After
4 of 22 Add Charming Details
5 of 22 Go with a Proven Performer
6 of 22 Create a View
7 of 22 Garden Room: Before
8 of 22 Garden Room: Year Three
9 of 22 Add an Entry Point
10 of 22 Garden Room: Year Four
11 of 22 Add Easy-Care Color
12 of 22 Garden Room: Complete
13 of 22 Include Creature Comforts
14 of 22 Before: Upper Backyard
15 of 22 After: Upper Backyard
16 of 22 Add Character with Ornaments
17 of 22 Photography Lessons
18 of 22 Use Repetition
19 of 22 Be Resourceful
20 of 22 Plant it Right
21 of 22 Use What You Have
22 of 22 Be Persistent

Share options

Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Shop | Better Homes & Gardens

  • Raised Garden Kits
  • Arbors
  • Gazebos
  • Pots & Planters
  • Trellises
  • Gardening Tools
  • Perennials
  • Garden Bridges
  • Rain Barrels
  • Shades & Structures
  • Shop More Next

Better Homes & Gardens may receive compensation when you click through and purchase from links contained on this website.

  • Better Homes & Gardens BHG Logo Products at Walmart
  • Better Homes & Gardens BHG Real Estate Real Estate Services
Better Homes & Gardens

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Better Homes & Gardens
  • Help
  • Media Kit
  • Content Licensing
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
BH&G is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.bhg.com

View image

Create a Country Garden
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.