Creating a dreamy cottage garden style can be easier to achieve than you might think! It can be easily achieved either in pots or planted into the landscape. No garden is too big or too small for a cottage garden.
What Is Cottage Garden Style?
The quintessential cottage garden is full of charm and is designed with informal, practical and also a touch of formal elements. What originated once as primarily a source of sustenance in its initial design with veggies and herbs, has evolved to now gardens full of flowers growing next to shrubs and vegetables.
Garden Design
I’m a big believer in using the existing “bones” of a garden landscape. It’s easier to work with what you have, and is more budget friendly than just completely starting from a blank slate. With that said, it can be very exciting to create a whole new bed from scratch if you’re able and willing!
The layout is part of the fun. There really is no right or wrong way to start a cottage garden. In fact, some believe a true cottage garden is one which lacks a clear design. The true aim is to develop a garden which appears to have developed naturally in the landscape.
Additionally, I absolutely love this video by P. Allen Smith where he does a wonderful job discussing “foundation planting” and container gardening. I think it’s a great visual resource and helpful information when first starting out.
Also, here are some books to check out for pre-planned cottage style gardening to give you some inspiration!
- Dreamscaping by Ruth Rogers Clausen
- Cottage Gardens b Claire Masset
So what are the key elements to a cottage garden?:
- Aim for low maintenance plants
- Work with what you have (remaining fence, walking path, existing beds, gates, walls etc)
- Use pots or troughs for a beautiful container garden! Check out my post on planting tulips in pots!
- In addition to flowers, think of what veggies or herbs you can plant.
- Some element of formal design (think hedge, topiary, arbor, trellis etc)
- Think about seasonal planting. This means choosing a variety of plants that can give you interest all year long. Examples: Witch hazel (winter), Bleeding heart (spring), Sedum (fall), and Cosmo (summer).
The Best Flowers For A Cottage Garden
A true cottage garden is low maintenance, meaning the plants chosen require less care and attention than those who tend to be more finicky. The following list is by no means all inclusive, there are endless options of plants and shrubs suitable for a cottage garden!
- Hollyhocks
- Snapdragons
- Lavender (looks beautiful planted abating a walkway)
- Coneflowers (Rudbeckia)
- Phlox
- Cosmos
- Sunflowers
- Dahlias
- Zinnias
- Herbs (basil, sage)
- Hydrangeas
- Geraniums
- Clematis
- Peas (sweet peas are beautiful as well)
- Tulips
- Pansies
- Witch hazel
- Bleeding hearts
- Catmint
- Poppy
- Climbing roses
- Yarrow
- Penstemon
- Topiaries and shrubs to add structure
Pictures of My Own Cottage Garden-In Progress
This was the first full year of growth my side garden above. It’s roughly 1/3 of the way completed and I have many exciting plans ahead. Stay tuned to see all the updates this coming year!
Lastly, planning and designing a cottage garden can be easy, low maintenance and doesn’t have to break the bank! Have fun with it and with a little time, effort and patience, you too can have your very own cottage garden.
What plans do you have for your garden?
-Kate
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