Creating a bohemian garden

For what type of garden?

While it is often imagined in small spaces, such as balconies or terraces, the bohemian garden can also be adapted to a large garden.

Its cocoon-like quality is indeed perfect for urban gardens, as it can be quickly set up and provides a lovely natural effect. In a large balcony or terrace, it will primarily consist of potted plants or large containers and climbing plants, which, if wisely chosen, will create a stunning display of greenery, making the nearby city fade away.

However, we will see that depending on the plants used and with more prominent furniture allowing for a gentle delineation, it can be completely adaptable to a large garden, where one can create wild spaces, a flowering meadow, and several additional living areas (relaxation space, dining zone, children’s play area, barbecue and summer kitchen, orchard and vegetable garden, etc.)

A small courtyard takes on a bohemian feel… to the right, a larger garden combines tall perennials and features a vintage stove for a touch of retro charm.

The atmosphere

The bohemian garden aims to be both comforting, joyful, and friendly. It is abundant, both in terms of plants and decoration, and plays on an accumulation of details or a repetition of patterns (in pots, for example, in the foliage…) to provide a genuine sense of comfort and wrapping, a bubble of well-being. One forgets the trimmed bushes, making way for a lot of natural elements. However, be careful, the bohemian garden requires a good aesthetic sense, as one does not want to create a chaotic garden or a hodgepodge that is too disparate, but rather to harmoniously integrate plants and furniture to achieve an elegant and coherent scenography.

It can have a wandering, travel-inspired spirit with exotic plants, or be romantic by focusing on trellises or pergolas, or even very rustic by emphasising very flexible and wild plants. The exotic aspect is appealing and easy to implement on a terrace in a small urban garden, often well sheltered and presenting a beneficial microclimate for these plants. The more romantic garden is truly adaptable everywhere, while the rustic garden is ideal for a larger space.

When possible, the pathways are always soft, curved, guiding towards new hidden little spaces. They are ideally made of wood, in the form of logs or railway sleepers, for example, to evoke travel and nature.

In a large garden, one allows for plants with a wilder appearance: here Solidago, Leucanthemums, Miscanthus, and Geums

A colourful garden

Bet on colour! The bohemian garden is a garden where colour reigns supreme, with a profusion of mixed colours, in a range of warm and vibrant tones (terracotta, tangy yellows to oranges), or in more pinkish hues, but always in harmony. The trios of pink, orange, and purple are stunning! The aim is to create a very cocoon-like atmosphere where one feels good, largely conveyed through vibrant tones and colours. Therefore, we will favour plants with cheerful and lively flowering, with feathery and airy textures for movement, and others more graphic to bring rhythm, ensuring the planting of bulbs, perennials, and flowering bushes that bloom in at least three seasons of the year, from spring to autumn, with summer being the highlight of the bohemian garden, which is also a garden of reunions: opulent peonies and phlomis in May and June, Echinops with their graphic forms, tall hollyhocks, and Spirées in summer, wild colchicums and sublime Sedums in September…

In large gardens, a zone of flowering meadow integrates beautifully, extending more structured spaces with a delightfully colourful and airy opening that is wonderfully rustic.

In this type of garden, where the furniture adds a true personality, the foliage also plays an important role, with its strong presence, the bohemian garden providing a verdant haven of peace.

Create a coexistence of vibrant and energising colours like yellows, oranges, and purples: Phlomis, Bignonia, and Buddleias for example

Foliage in abundance

The vegetation is lush, generous, with a wild appearance, very natural, and abundant in certain areas. In this garden brimming with life, the focus is on a profusion of greens and colours, but it is essential not to overwhelm the eye, as the bohemian garden must also remain visually calming and quite airy. Soft habits and delicate textures are therefore employed, such as ferns and ornamental grasses. Some graphic plants (Cordylines, tree ferns, palms…) can naturally blend with self-seeding plants. On terraces or patios, oversized indoor plants can come out to enjoy the fresh air in fine weather (Philodendrons, Monsteras, etc).

The larger the garden, the more you can allow for blurred or indefinite shapes that confer softness and poetry. Climbing plants venturing over fences or arches will be useful in small or large gardens to delineate spaces and provide layers, for example.

Various types of foliage contribute to the cocooning spirit: here a persistent Pieris (‘Flaming Silver’), a Banana plant, and some light Miscanthus, a Japanese maple in a pot, an Aristolochia with its eccentric flowering, and on a terrace, a Monstera straight out of the living room …

The plant palette of the bohemian garden

You’ve understood, the range of plants is quite broad for a bohemian garden, showcasing summer flowering plants, composed of light and ample country and romantic plants, cuddly plants, cheerful climbers, free grasses, as well as a few structural subjects with more exotic plants, highlighted on terraces. Don’t hesitate to install some plants with an old-fashioned and timeless charm like Dahlias, Phlox, and Cosmos, and self-seeding perennials carried by the wind for medium to large gardens (lychnis, aquilegia, Eschscholzia, Nigella, etc.). Play with heights and forms of inflorescences (in spikes, panicles, clusters, balls…).

We distinguish types of exposures in this non-exhaustive selection, knowing that you will need to consider the nature of your soil, as some perennials thrive only in moist soil, while others prefer dry conditions.

• In a bohemian garden in shade or partial shade: Fuchsia magellanica, Japanese Anemone, collection of Heucheras, Digitalis and Digiplexis, Astilbes, Persicaria, Cimicifuga, Liriope muscari, Aquilegia, Thalictrum, Camellia sasanqua, Hops, Akebia quinata, ivy, Aruncus, Ferns, Schizophragma, Hakonechloa, Hydrangeas macrophylla or arborescens (the latter requiring a minimum of sunlight), Astrantia, etc. Add some evergreens: Pieris japonica ‘Flaming Silver’, Fatsia japonica, Equisetum japonicum, Libertia ixioides, Choisya, Kalmia… and some spring blooms to welcome the beautiful days.

Fuchsia magellanica, Hydrangeas arborescens, Choisya ternata, Camellia sasanqua ‘Shoji Guruma’, Japanese Anemones, ferns and Astilbes

• In a bohemian garden in sun or partial shade: Hibiscus syriacus, Asters, Oriental Poppies, Valerian, Cephalaria, Eupatorium, Verbena bonariensis, Gauras, Agastache ‘Kudos Mandarin’, Lonicera tatarica, Heleniums, Geum, Hemerocallis, Hesperis matronalis, Potentillas, Dahlias, Iris, Stokesias, Leucanthemum, Lupins, Monardas, Penstemons, Silene ‘Schafta Splendens’, Hollyhocks, White Aconite, Agastaches, Coreopsis, Phlox, Ranunculus, Dianthus, Catananche, Cerinthe, Verbascum, Veronicastrum, Echinops, Crocosmias, Solanum jasminoides in mild climates… And always some evergreens: Lonicera Belgica select, Euphorbia characias, Michelia, Miscanthus transmorrisonensis, etc. The shrubs will be chosen for their laciniate foliage, such as Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’, arching like Deutzias or Buddleias, rustic like Syringas, always supple and graceful…

Phormium, Cephalaria, Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’, Agastache ‘Kudos Mandarin’, Penstemon, Miscanthus transmorrisonensis and honeysuckle on a pergola

• In a bohemian terrace garden: here, we will favour generous or graphic plants that perform well in pots, as well as plants with more rigid structures or unusual habits that will highlight the soft perennials (Cycas revoluta, Cordylines, Dwarf Palm, Banana Plant, Phormium, Lagerstroemia in coppice, Eucomis, Fatsia japonica, Dwarf Fig, Euphorbia ‘Tasmanian Tiger’, Cyperus papyrus to be sheltered in winter…). Don’t hesitate to accentuate the tropical aspect!

Fatsia japonica, Clematis Jan Fopma, Cycas revoluta, ethnic cushions, Ferns, Hemerocallis ‘Samy Russell’ and Salvia jamensis ‘Raspberry Royale’

• In a large garden: you have plenty of space to install large grasses like the stunning Miscanthus nepalensis, or choose from Calamagrostis, Pennisetums, Muhlenbergia capillaris, perennials like Achillea, Solidago, daffodils and botanical tulips in masses, and plenty of wild melliferous blooms…

Everywhere, free climbers have their place, whether they are climbing roses (botanical or English), clematis with small flowers and evergreen clematis, fragrant honeysuckles, romantic wisterias, Ampelopsis or very natural Hops, or even annuals like sweet peas.

Finally, melliferous flowers will definitely be part of your decor, contributing to increasing the biodiversity of your little bohemian paradise: Calendula officinalis, Verbena bonariensis, Centaury, Gorse, Sedum, Borage, Scabious, Liatris… the list is long!

Bicolour rose Hanabi, Lonicera x ‘Mandarin’ and Clematis ‘Romanika’ (© Louis Raymond Design), hops, sweet peas and wisteria

Midrib Décor!

The bohemian garden is one where accessories and furniture play a significant role in creating the desired atmosphere. This decor is playful and aims to be nomadic, allowing you to move it around the garden or change the ambiance at will, with a touch of exoticism in the materials and a cocooning effect.

• Furniture

It is designed to be light and mobile, as the goal is to create cosy spaces according to your desires—a relaxation area, a space for children… whether on a terrace or in the garden. 

The hammock is a key piece, accompanied by rattan benches and hanging chairs, or even a homemade bench made from wooden pallets softened by plush cushions. Deck chairs can be easily moved around, while vintage sun loungers found in a romantic garden or Adirondack chairs in a more exotic style add a lovely touch. Bamboo gazebos, low tables, poufs, small stools, or rustic benches—the materials remain natural, in wood or rattan. If space is limited, feel free to set up a decorative screen to create a beautiful vintage dissipation, or a lovely reed screen. Let your imagination run wild in this type of garden, as long as you find a harmonious style (such as colour choices like pink and green, or travel-inspired themes). This is the ideal garden to repurpose objects and small furniture, mix mismatched chairs of the same materials, and accessorise with zinc, wrought iron in small touches (benches, old beds), wicker baskets, etc.

In a larger garden, a shed or cabin in its original state or painted in vibrant colours, converted into a small relaxation lounge, is a delightful addition that should not be overlooked. This corner of the garden can obviously be an opportunity to install a treehouse or an old caravan if you opt for a slightly gypsy decor and have plenty of space!

→ Discover layout ideas in Wood in the garden: ideas and inspiration and Wrought iron in the garden: ideas and inspiration

• Fabrics

Emphasise the fabrics, whether they are cushions, throws, mattresses, or outdoor rugs. Prints take precedence, enhancing the warm atmosphere: abundant flowers, Russian or ethnic kilim patterns for a wandering garden, vibrant colours,… Dare to use some drapes (sheer fabrics with lace, old sheets stretched for shade), and good old macramé can even make a comeback in the bohemian garden! But stay within the same style or colours, even if mixed, avoiding an overly garish effect!

• Lanterns and More

In this friendly and festive garden where you will host friends during the beautiful season, lighting is of utmost importance. On a terrace close to the house, focus on a scenography with very colourful fairy lights in a guinguette style. A little further in the garden, equally effective LED models will be very useful, as will lanterns scattered in various spots around the garden. Lighting can also include some paper lanterns (like Chinese balls), suspensions made from banana fibre, palm leaf woven hemp, or bamboo swaying in the breeze…