The outdoor space is one that can be enjoyed in many different ways. For those that want to create a place of serenity we have some top tips and ideas to help you along. Ultimately when planning and designing your garden, always add your own personality to it. Creating a garden out of a magazine may seem like a great idea, but make sure you add your own touches.

Styles and themes are important for your garden. A well thought out theme can give your garden character, transporting you to another time or place. Themes are a great idea if you want to hark back to the old days, experience other cultures or plant yourself in the modern world. This month we will focus on creating a rustic, old fashioned style garden that you can relax in (like our furry friend here).

For creating a rustic themed garden consider using lots of wrought iron products. Manual water pumps make a great centrepiece to your garden, you can pump water from a well or clean water source in your garden. Alternatively you can get smaller water pumps that attach to an outdoor water butt. Attaching a pump to a water butt is a great idea and to maintain the rustic feel of your garden, consider turning your water butt into a wooden barrel by covering it with wooden planks secured by iron banding.

Old fashioned oil street lamps are a great rustic feature to light your garden on those late summer evenings. Use them to line your paths or place them near focal points in the garden to really highlight your gardens features. If you struggle to get hold of an oil based lamp, electric and candle lit versions are also great alternatives.

Another great touch for a rustic garden is to cut wooden barrels in half and use them for planters. When using the half barrels as a planter make sure you provide good drainage to help protect the timber from damp and rot. Drill holes into the bottom of the barrel for the water to drain through. The barrel will naturally have 1-2cm space between the ground and the barrel base where the staves protrude. Fill this space with 30-40mm stones and do the same in the bottom of the barrel where you will place your soil to maximise drainage.

When thinking about furniture, metal and iron furniture keep your garden grounded in your rustic theme. Try to avoid concrete or paving slabs to sit your furniture on, instead use natural looking materials like decking. When choosing your decking try to avoid profiled boards where possible, stick to smooth faced decking boards for a natural effect. If you have a decked seating area close to your house but want somewhere to sit amongst the garden, metal garden benches are ideal to use.

One of the most important considerations with your rustic garden will be your plants, shrubs and trees. Fruit trees like apple and plum are great for rustic gardens and harvest a tasty bounty too. These trees can grow to a good size without being too large and are perfect for a mid-large size property. Try to avoid hitting the garden centre and picking up exotic looking flowers, the key to a good rustic garden is keeping it traditional. Poppies, nasturtiums, sweet peas and sunflowers are great for adding a splash of colour to your garden. If you want to add bulk to your garden the English yew, laurel and common box hedge are ideal and can easily be shaped.

So there you have some ideas to get you started on planning and designing your very own rustic garden. Next month we will be giving you tips and advice on creating a garden full of culture from the far reaches.

For more tips, advice and to buy garden landscaping materials visit AVS Fencing Supplies.

Avi Reisman