Saturday, April 27, 2024

Cottage garden ideas: 32 inspiring spaces and layouts

cottage garden design

The goal in garden design has become to embrace the bright, unrestrained joy only nature offers during unsettling times. Color theorists may scoff at mixing certain colors together, but in a cottage garden anything goes! Here I planted the deep-red Easy Elegance® ‘Super Hero’ rose with the ever-blooming lavender perennial geranium 'Rozanne'.

Garden Plans for Cottage Style

Soft, curving pathways are at home in a cottage-style garden. They add to the homey feeling and invite people to explore further. You can use hard surfacing like bluestone (as I did here in this garden in New York), brick, or a combination of old bricks, tile, and stone. Soft paving like wood chips and gravel also work well as long as the walkway is edged to hold these materials in bounds. Remember – gardens are not created overnight; they evolve over years. Keep adding to it and, before you know it, you will have created your own dream cottage garden.

Add Arbors

In the earliest English cottage gardens, there was no room for error. Tried-and-tested plants known to thrive locally were favored because they produced the best crops. In England—or a similar climate—common cottage garden flowers include hollyhock (shown), nicotiana, poppy, foxglove, nasturtium, and cosmos. If you live in a different sort of climate, you can plant native wildflowers to get a similar effect. Towering spikes produce showy multi-petaled flowers in cool hues of blue, pink, purple, and white.

How to Create an English Cottage Garden Wherever You Live - Martha Stewart

How to Create an English Cottage Garden Wherever You Live.

Posted: Fri, 19 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Train Flowering Vines onto Garden Structures

The 29 Best Edging Plants for Flower Beds and Walkway Borders - Veranda

The 29 Best Edging Plants for Flower Beds and Walkway Borders.

Posted: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Lupines tend to grow the best in hardiness zones three through seven. These plants can grow to be up to five feet tall when they fully mature, and they will create blooms that are red, orange, pink, purple, and white. Though the plant prefers slightly acidic soil, it will grow in any well-draining soil. Cottage gardens are places where more really is more, and there’s always room to plant one more flower. “Plant in small gaps between established plants, in pots, in between paving slabs.” Incorporate annuals for instant color and perennials, which come back year after year.

‘Always think right plant, right place,’ says garden designer Rosemary Coldstream. Your plants have the best start possible being in their ideal soil and sun conditions, so bear this in mind when selecting your plants. From there Rosemary recommends deadheading plants regularly to prolong flowering. Vintage pieces add rustic charm and a sense of history to a cottage garden. Consider how fleamarket finds can be repurposed as planters, and use them together to make a striking display. Timeworn metallic containers work particularly well as a foil for bright spring flowers.

cottage garden design

How to Grow and Care for Strawberry Begonia

Then organize your beautiful tools with the help of our garden shed storage ideas. And learn more about adding a garden outbuilding in our expert guide. Give them a wigwam of hazel branches to scramble up and over and sweet peas will be off, their tendrils winding through the twiggy frame to create a sensational summer display.

Screen your space with a stone wall

Beds in the cottage garden should be prepared with organic materials such as compost, to improve soil quality and promote healthier and more vigorous plant growth. A wide variety of perennials in the cottage garden will provide long-lasting stability, returning each year as well. Include some that bloom throughout different seasons to ensure continual color and interest in the garden. However, small fruit trees, flowering shrubs, and ornamental grasses are paramount for creating structure. Deciduous trees, such as crape myrtle or redbuds, add structural height and seasonal interest, providing lovely fall foliage. The key to any cottage garden’s appearance is the use of deep borders, overflowing with a medley of colors and forms.

More than anything, English cottage gardens have a sense of diversity to them. As you walk along your pathways, your eyes should be moving around to catch glimpses of visual interest at different levels. Vertical layers add texture by breaking up the plane of sight. For instance, plants shouldn't be defined and situated in height order as they would in a standard border garden. This means the tall growers don't necessarily belong in the back row. If it's your favorite flower, display it front and center, or let it pop up from the center of a ring of something else entirely.

Opt for a relaxed feel with curved borders

Once the roots are loosened, you can transplant the plant to its new location. The organic matter will help to improve the texture of your soil and make it more hospitable for plant roots. Mixing various plant textures throughout the acreage will help give it depth and enhance its overall unity. Implementing herbs and vegetables not only brings additional old-timey charm, but will make the space more useful as well, saving a bit of money on your grocery bill throughout the warmer seasons.

But you can still give your house similar curb appeal by growing hollyhocks along the front of your garden or by the front door. But, even for modern houses, a cottage-style front garden will provide a wonderful welcome for you and your guests. This blue-hued design has got us head-over-heels, and of course, the climbing rose only elevates the look further. Tuck it to the side of your plot in a sunny spot for a real destination point. A pretty bench – wooden or metal – will do the job just fine, especially when kitted out with a ditsy-patterned cushion or two. But, for a more sheltered approach, consider opting for garden arbor ideas.

SOURCEBOOK FOR CONSIDERED LIVINGThe definitive guide to stylish outdoor spaces, with garden tours, hardscape help, plant primers, and daily design news. I’m Wanda and I believe that anyone can create a relaxing garden retreat in their city backyard…no matter the size. So my mother  and I are on a mission to help you do just that by sharing the DIY outdoor projects, plant suggestions and gardening tips we’ve learned through our combined 75+ years of experience. Then take some time to enjoy the sight of butterflies, birds and bees attracted to this beautiful space by the intoxicating aromas and lovely blend of colors. Water regularly during dry spells, deadhead, and stake plants as necessary to keep the flowers looking attractive all season.

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