How To Create a Cottage Garden
We were drawn to this home for many reasons, one of them being the gardens. The previous owners before us only lived here for three years and did not keep up the gardens quite like the people who lived here before them. All of the gardens and landscaping are in need of a special touch. When I saw this small flower bed by the pool, I instantly knew I wanted to create a cottage garden in this space.
The rose bush was already sprawling across the black aluminum fence. There was one hydrangea bush visible and another peeking out from under the overgrown roses. There were day lilies in place, although I didn’t know what they were at the time. I had a good place to start, and I was ready to dive in to reviving this cottage garden.
What defines a cottage garden?
Fine Gardening defines a cottage garden this way, “In America, ‘cottage garden’ has always been a catchall term used to describe a garden that is bursting at the seams and does not otherwise conform to a recognizable style. But these gardens, while highly individualistic, do share a few common characteristics.”
Cottage gardens are often full of flowers and ornamental plants. They’re bursting with color. You’ll find trellises, fences, and climbing plants in cottage gardens.
The first thought I had when we pulled up to this property was, “It looks like Beatrix Potter!” I could imagine Peter Rabbit having a heyday in Mr. McGregor’s garden here. When I think of what a cottage garden looks like, I think of Beatrix Potter.
Are cottage gardens hard to maintain?
Cottage gardens aren’t meant to be particularly fussy, but they do require some thought and care.
When choosing cottage garden flowers, I think it is wise to choose a particular color scheme. For this garden, I wanted to use pinks and purples. I didn’t know the day lilies were going to be yellow and would prefer them to be white in this space, but I still like them.
When choosing a cottage garden, keep in mind plants that will benefit from pruning, such as roses. You may also need to separate plants later on down the road to keep them from overtaking the garden.
Cottage Garden Layout
When laying out your cottage garden, choose to have your taller plants in the back and the shorter plants in the front. There really are no hard and fast rules when choosing the layout of your cottage garden. The cottage garden benefits from an undone look.
For my little cottage garden, I chose to alternate colors of the flowers. I wanted splashes of color throughout.
What plants are best for a cottage garden?
While there are no rules for a cottage garden, there are some flowers that are quintessentially cottage. Roses, climbing flowers like morning glories, foxglove (is toxic), phlox, salvia, and of course, wildflowers.
Here’s what is in my cottage garden:
- Roses
- Hydrangea (Learn how to cut hydrangeas for a vase.)
- Salvia
- Speedwell
- Petunias (for instant color)
- Wildflowers
- Morning Glories
- Alyssium
- Flowering vines for a trellis or fence
Cottage Garden Accessories
I find that using found items in your cottage garden gives it a much more “cottagey” feel. This old cherub statue was in our garden when we moved in, as you can see, and I wanted to leave it there. It gives the space so much character.
You could add in some cute woodland animal statues, some old coffee mugs, and so much more!
My son and I spent a lot of time pruning back the rose bush, digging out vines, and trying to annihilate dreaded bamboo. Once we got the garden cleared, we added in plants, and threw out wildflower, alyssium, and planted morning glory seeds along the fence line. I cannot wait to see my cottage garden fill in throughout the summer!
