Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Transylvania, for Halloween and Beyond

Search

10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Transylvania, for Halloween and Beyond

October 24, 2017

Did Count Dracula have a garden? In the movie version, he seduced a victim in one—close enough. With Halloween looming, our thoughts naturally hover, bat-like, over Transylvania.

Beyond vampires, this bucolic region of central Romania is known for its picturesque villages, a rich agricultural history (nearly one third of the country’s population is employed in the farming industry), and its eerily strong hold over Prince Charles (the royal highness has a vacation guesthouse in the Transylvanian village of Zalànpatak).

Here are 10 garden ideas to steal from Transylvania:

Mossy Mystery

A moss-covered entryway at Bran Castle in Transylvania. Photograph by Jason Ramos via Flickr.
Above: A moss-covered entryway at Bran Castle in Transylvania. Photograph by Jason Ramos via Flickr.

With its forbidding stone turrets, Bran Castle is commonly believed to have been author Bram Stoker’s inspiration for Dracula’s castle. A national landmark, the castle has a website that explains: “Bram Stoker never visited Romania. He depicted the imaginary Dracula’s castle based upon a description of Bran Castle that was available to him in turn-of-the-century Britain. Indeed, the imaginary depiction of Dracula’s Castle from the etching in the first edition of Dracula is strikingly similar to Bran Castle and no other in all of Romania.”

Get the look with heavy timbered doors and moody moss surrounding your entryway.

Secluded Courtyards

An inner courtyard at Bran Castle. Photograph via Bran Castle.
Above: An inner courtyard at Bran Castle. Photograph via Bran Castle.

A high-walled courtyard provides protection from winds and other unwelcome weather. Even if you are not living in a fortress at the top of a steep precipice, chances are your garden could use a sheltered space.

Cornflowers

Above: Cornflowers. Photograph by Till Westermayer via Flickr.

Transylvania is known for its meadows, which from a distance shimmer like deep blue pools, thanks to an abundance of native cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus, commonly known in the US as bachelor’s buttons).  A perennial in USDA growing zones 8 to 10, Blue Cornflowers can be grown as annuals in colder climates; a 1-ounce packet of seeds is $6.95 from American Meadows.

Scything

Left behind by the Grim Reaper? Photograph by Ted Van Pelt via Flickr.
Above: Left behind by the Grim Reaper? Photograph by Ted Van Pelt via Flickr.

In Transylvania, where a motorized lawn mower would be a novelty, a scythe remains the grass-cutting tool of choice. As Kendra noted recently in our post Trend Alert: Mowing the Lawn With a Scythe, there is much to recommend this traditional technique for trimming: “Scything is fantastic exercise for the core muscles and makes a good accompaniment to the Alexander Technique or Pilates.”

Carts and Wagons

A last-a-lifetime garden cart from Atelier Tradewinds, The Wagon is rustproof, rot-proof, and waterproof. Read more about it at Garden Basics: World&#8\2\17;s Best Collapsible Wagon.
Above: A last-a-lifetime garden cart from Atelier Tradewinds, The Wagon is rustproof, rot-proof, and waterproof. Read more about it at Garden Basics: World’s Best Collapsible Wagon.

In Transylvania, horses pull carts and wagons. In the garden, you can: a decidedly low-tech way to move earth, plants, and leaves.

Unmown Lawns

Wildflowers edge a stone path in a Transylvania village. Photograph by Tim Sheerman-Cae via Flickr.
Above: Wildflowers edge a stone path in a Transylvania village. Photograph by Tim Sheerman-Cae via Flickr.

Bordering a stone path, clumps of flowers and unmown  grasses soften the lines of a landscape.

Butterfly Bushes

A butterfly bush in bloom near the village of Piatra Fântânele in Transylvania. Photograph by Cristian Bortes via Flickr.
Above: A butterfly bush in bloom near the village of Piatra Fântânele in Transylvania. Photograph by Cristian Bortes via Flickr.

Butterfly bushes (Buddleia) are not native to Europe, but transplants thrive throughout Transylvania. These perennial shrubs will reliably attract butterflies to your garden in USDA growing zones 5 to 9, but be warned: they have invasive tendencies.

Rustic Fences

In Comarnic, Transylvania, a rustic wooden fence and fruit trees surround a cottage. Photograph by Dag Terje Filip Endresen via Flickr.
Above: In Comarnic, Transylvania, a rustic wooden fence and fruit trees surround a cottage. Photograph by Dag Terje Filip Endresen via Flickr.

Wood fences dot the countryside throughout Transylvania, with designs that range from simple split-rail versions to intricately braided examples. Wood is a lovely, naturalistic backdrop to foliage in a garden; see more ideas in Hardscaping 101: Woven Fences and 10 Easy Pieces: Instant Fencing.

Fruit Trees

A pear tree in Romania. Photograph by Marcu Ioachim via Flickr.
Above: A pear tree in Romania. Photograph by Marcu Ioachim via Flickr.

Transylvania is famous for its orchards, where heirloom varieties of apples, pears, plums, and cherries thrive (without the use of pesticides). The takeaway: Even a small garden can benefit from a fruit trees; you’ll have flowers in spring and fruit in fall.

Savor Seed Heads

Is this Transylvanian flock consciously following renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf&#8\2\17;s instructions to leave seed heads in place after blooms are spent? Photograph by Jenny Salita via Flickr.
Above: Is this Transylvanian flock consciously following renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf’s instructions to leave seed heads in place after blooms are spent? Photograph by Jenny Salita via Flickr.

After perennial flowers stop blooming at the end of their season, leave seed heads in place to add architectural interest to a landscape and to provide food for birds and other hungry creatures in winter months.

Conifers

Pine cone territory in the Transylvanian village of Piatra Fantanele. Photograph by Cristian Bortes via Flickr.
Above: Pine cone territory in the Transylvanian village of Piatra Fantanele. Photograph by Cristian Bortes via Flickr.

For year-round foliage in a landscape, include conifers and other evergreens along with deciduous trees.

N.B.: For more rustic inspiration in the garden, see:

(Visited 524 times, 1 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.

Product summary  

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

v5.0