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No. 20 Gardens · Colonial

Garden Arbour with Climbing Roses

A weathered wooden arbour draped in climbing roses frames a bluestone path, bordered by espalier apple trees trained along split-rail fencing before a two-story red-brick house with black shutters.

Design notes

Colonial design is symmetry and restraint. Look for a central axis from the back door, matched beds and hedges either side, bluestone or brick terraces with tight joints, and white or black picket and post-and-rail fences. Planting is disciplined — boxwood, hydrangea, holly, dogwood and shade trees — and furniture is classic: teak benches, Windsor chairs, a market umbrella. Georgian brick, clapboard and shingle houses all suit it.

What to look for

  • Path width and bed width — can you reach and can a wheelbarrow pass
  • Where the water is and how far the kitchen door is
  • Edges and structure that still look good in winter
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