Rustic Raised Flower Garden
Hi there friend!
You may know if you’ve read any of my other landscaping posts that I don’t by any means have a green thumb, but I’m working on it. 🙂 & I wanted to share a small backyard project that has allowed me to do that & be creative at the same time.
First of all keep in mind that our yard is super small so I’m trying to make the most of the space. I also have 2 sweet puppies to consider & want them to keep as much of it for running & playing as possible. With that being said I didn’t want to landscape too much along or against the inside of the fence. Plus our little guy, Finn, is basically like a goat! For real he’s always munching on sticks, plants, leaves, anything lol! And our big guy Maverick is, well, a boy dog who has to do his business if you catch my drift.
Adding Farm Charm
Last year I purchased some containers for a raised garden which this year has become a rustic raised flower garden 🙂 The first one being a large old rusty water trough & the second being a green washtub. Both were bought locally from small vintage shops. I love that the space has turned into a feature in the backyard with metal & rust & lovely plants.
Flower Power!Â
Warning, if you decide to do one of these be aware that the water trough took a ton of dirt! Like buckets & buckets! Ed says it will stay if we ever move, we’ll see 😉 But I had to basically decide where I wanted it to sit, like forever, because it’s not moving without some serious shoveling first lol!
After it sat there by itself for a while I decided that I was going to bring in some other things & make a little display or feature out of this area. So I decided to sit the washtub next to it & plant the sweet little evergreen bush on the other side. I want to keep the outside as neutral as the inside so my plan is white flowers with lots of greenery. And below is what I chose 🙂
I looked up some basic floral design rules for containers & found a good starting point is to have a filler, a spiller, & a thriller.
The FillerÂ
So for my filler I chose a perennial that was easy to care for & will cover or “fill” in the space between everything else. I love that it flowers as well 🙂
The SpillerÂ
For the spiller I chose a plant that was both green & white.
The ThrillerÂ
These flowers weren’t my first choice. I really wanted white Lupine but couldn’t find them anywhere local. After ordering them online (twice) & having them die within 2 days of receiving them it just wasn’t meant to be. But maybe next year. So, on one of my many trips to Lowe’s I found these Foxgloves & thought they would be perfect for the spot & they are.
Close to Nature
Everything is doing well so far 🙂 There’s been lots of watering going on around my house these days since it hasn’t been raining much. I can see that gardening is something of value & worth doing. Even if I’m not good at it yet, I’m learning & it’s nice. There’s something special about planting, tending to, & then watching plants grow. Working with your hands in this way brings you close to nature. It’s very peaceful & rewarding.
Here are a few more pics of how this space turned out 🙂
It’s been fun creating this sweet & simple living feature in our backyard. It has added something unique to the space & incorporates that farmhouse rustic charm. Hope all of your planting endeavors are going well this summer & you’re also finding peace in the process of getting your hands dirty 🙂

4 Comments
DARLINE HECK
Love it Amanda such awesome ideas
Amanda & Ed
Thanks so much! I’m working on my green thumb! Lol!
Sharon
Amanda…I love the vintage planter’s…And one of my favorite outdoor plants, are/is (ha!) Foxglove!…
Amanda & Ed
Awe well now I can see why & totally agree with you! They have such a lovely presence in our backyard! So nice that we share common interests Sharon!