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City dwellers are increasingly engaging in street gardening. This trend is a reminder of the more informal relation between public and private space in rural settings. This paper examines the phenomenon of “border gardens” in rural communities, defined here as a linear band of open ground between buildings and the roadway, which are voluntarily and spontaneously gardened by private individuals on public ground. It explores how this appropriation takes place, who the gardeners are, what motivates them, and how public authorities respond. The potential and benefits of these linear community gardens for the countryside are also discussed, hinting at how they could counterbalance not only to a loss of imagery, but also to some of its actual shortcomings.