Turn Your Brand New Garden Into A Work Of Aged Art By Incorporating These Elements

Like a freshly constructed home with builder-grade finishes, a brand-new garden may need an infusion of character. Fortunately, there are many ways to help your fledgling garden feel like it's been lovingly tended for years. One strategy is choosing plants that mature quickly and connect to long-held memories. Another centers on creative repurposing of old indoor decor. A third involves weaving in rustic materials from outside your garden. For maximum impact, pull from all of these approaches.

Worn and weathered objects suggest that your garden has a history, and unexpected details — broken dishes reused as edging, for example — communicate that it has a story to tell. As you select plants and decor for your garden, consider what that story is and what feelings go with it. If you want your new garden to feel as comfortably worn as a hand-knitted blanket from your grandma, look to your coziest indoor spaces for inspiration. Bedrooms are excellent places to start. You can turn an old headboard into a garden trellis or grow fresh flowers and herbs in upcycled dresser drawers. Also consider what kinds of plants summon calm and cozy vibes.

Materials that gain a distinctive look as they age can also enhance a new garden. Wood is terrific at illustrating time's passage. Planks from an old barn can lend an rustic feel to your growing space, whereas a moss-covered wooden gate might give it romantic English countryside vibes. These details could help your garden feel worn-in and welcoming in no time.

When it comes to giving your garden a lived-in look, imperfection is the name of the game. Scruffy wooden objects can create cozy vibes in no time. If you're tearing down an old fence, save some of the posts for your new garden. Head to reuse shops like Habitat for Humanity ReStores for vintage wooden doors that are too banged up for many home interiors but perfect character boosters for outdoor spaces. Or look for old wooden gates and window frames at your local salvage yard. These items are particularly useful for building your garden's story because they symbolize entrances, exits, and other transitions.

Window sashes and jambs aren't the only frames that can give your garden loads of character. Consider repurposing wooden picture frames that are starting to look shabby. Encourage vines to crawl up them, or use larger ones as edging around flowering specimens. If you don't have any frames at home, find inexpensive ones at thrift shops and garage sales. These places are excellent sources of other wooden accents, too. Look for stools, benches, end tables, desks, ladders, and shutters. Most of these items can display potted plants or hanging baskets, and repurposing them helps tell a tale of reinvention and regeneration. Before placing items like these in your garden, remove broken glass, rusty nails, and other hazards. You may also want to spray them with a product such as Thompson's WaterSeal Multi-Surface Clear Waterproofing Stain to keep them from rotting.

Wood is just one material that can give your garden a pleasantly weathered look. To make guests think your garden has been around for decades, incorporate metals that are forming a patina. Brass, bronze, and copper often turn an alluring shade of blue-green as they oxidize. Air and water produce a chemical reaction that fortifies the metal while adding this memorable color. You may have noticed this type of patina on outdoor statues you've visited or pennies you've found on the sidewalk.

Have you thrifted a metal object that's perfect for your garden but doesn't have a patina? It's likely to develop this aged look if you leave it outside. Watching and waiting can be part of the fun as your new garden takes root. Search for metal candlesticks, picture frames, coat trees, and even storage racks. Wine storage racks are a great find since they can be used for growing vines or holding garden hoses.

A new garden typically contains young plants with foliage that is slowly developing. In other words, it's unlikely to have the filled-out appearance of a more mature plot. Make your new garden look older by incorporating species that quickly gain height and lush leaves. Perennial weigela shrubs (Weigela florida) cover their stems with leaves in the spring, explode with colorful flowers by summertime, and mature completely within three years. Whether you're planting a flower garden or a vegetable plot, chives (Allium schoenoprasum) can make it look established in a jiffy. Want a fruit tree that grows rapidly? Try a peach. Some varieties bear fruit in two years. Plus, their height can add visual interest to a garden teeming with low-growing vegetables like lettuce, short flowering shrubs, or a ground cover such as phlox.

Also consider plants that bloom at lightning speed. Annuals such as zinnias and marigolds add pops of color and loads of charm in a matter of weeks. Fast-growing passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) and clematis offer fancy blossoms year after year. These flowers grow on vines, which come with an added benefit: covering the bare spots that most new gardens have. 

Selecting plants that spread out efficiently can cover empty spots in your new garden, making the whole thing look lusher and more mature. These plants can slow the growth of weeds by smothering them. Vining vegetables are a smart choice for a new garden because they do all of these things while unearthing people's fondest memories of food and family. In other words, they can make your garden feel lived in by transporting your mind back to well-lived moments.

To cultivate an established feel as quickly as possible in your new garden, plant pie pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo), butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata), and other components of warm fall meals. They'll cover the soil with leafy green vines, grow pretty flowers, and deliver a delicious harvest you can enjoy at Thanksgiving and beyond. Plus, they're likely to conjure cherished memories of making pies with loved ones, enjoying hot soup on a cold autumn evening, or drinking pumpkin spice lattes with friends. If you adored "Cinderella" as a child, pumpkins can make your garden seem extra magical. Imagining a pumpkin morphing into a horse-drawn carriage can make your veggie patch feel historical, too.

Consider growing other vining vegetables as well. Cucumbers are ready for harvest sooner than pumpkins and squash, and they're generally easy to grow. Their vines especially love climbing trellises, whose height and vertical orientation can increase your garden's visual appeal. Try reusing an old door as a rustic garden trellis for cucumbers, zucchini, or other vegetables that grow on vines.

Are you fond of camping or fishing? Have friends or family who farm? Chances are, you've got access to garden-friendly gear that's made to withstand water, wind, and sun. Consider decorating your garden with an old camping lantern that no longer lights up or a vintage tackle box with a busted clasp. Repurposing keeps these items out of landfills and makes your garden seem older while helping your plants tell a tale.

Farms and orchards often have containers that seem at home in a rustic garden. If you frequent a farm, or even a farmers market, see if the proprietors are getting rid of crates, bushel baskets, or seed canisters. They might even have a damaged wheelbarrow or weathervane you can use to add character to your garden. Even if they don't have exactly what you're hoping to find, they might offer rustic materials you can combine to create a vertical planter for your herbs or a trellis for your cucumber vines.