fencing in the area around your pool

Create A Cape Cod-Inspired Yard With These 4 Accents

8 December 2015 by Emma Kilpela

Once you've moved into your new Cape Cod-style home, it's time to finish off the look with the right kind of exterior yard design. Cape Cod landscaping provides for a lot of variety, as well as being simple and low maintenance. And it's easy to achieve with the addition of a few iconic accessories that will make everyone immediately know and love the theme of your home and yard. Here are 4 such Cape Cod traditions and how to use them in your own yard. 

Picket Fences

While a white picket fence may have once served more of a functional purpose than an aesthetic one—keeping kids inside and critters out—it's a must-have decoration for modern Cape Cod homes. The most traditional and least expensive picket fence is made from locally-sourced woods. If your budget allows, you may also choose a lower-maintenance vinyl fence that mimics its natural counterpart. Since Cape Cod decoration is minimalist, you can either leave the white fence unadorned to stand out as a beautiful centerpiece or you can add a few climbing vines or roses. For more information, contact companies like Buyrningwood Farm Inc.

Arbors

Like the picket fence, an arbor provides a piece of visual interest in the yard. Often painted white to match the home's trim, an arched or straight-topped arbor can be a good focal point to use as a base in a planted area. Add some climbing vines (such as wild roses, clematis or wisteria) to soften and integrate the arbor. 

Walkways

Walkways can be curved or straight and are usually used to add to the symmetrical theme of the front of a Cape Cod home. Most homeowners opt for a naturalistic paving material such as brick, flag stone or cobblestone. If the yard and house are small, leave the walkway open and avoid planting vegetation around it. But if you have the space in the yard, low shrubs like boxwood or ground covers can add a nice bit of color and visual interest. 

Flower Boxes

Another guaranteed way to complement a Cape Cod home is a flower box. The symmetrical windows common to this type of architecture lend themselves nicely to flower boxes filled with color. It's also a great way to spice up the traditionally simple two-tone color scheme of most exteriors in this style. Paint the flower box white or match it to the home's main color and plant annuals that will provide pops of colors like yellow, red and purple. 

How you use these elements in your yard is up to you, but by including some or all of them, you can easily create a yard that takes visitors back to a simpler time and a quieter world. 

 

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