Cottage country garden
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If you are looking for cottage garden ideas to create a charming, characterful plot, then start with your own vision of what the space could be. Is it tumbling climbers creeping up walls, romantic drifts of softly colored perennials, or vintage containers bursting with perfumed flowers and home-grown crops?
More so than in any other garden ideas, cottage garden ideas are guided by nature. Full of self-seeding plants, tumbling blooms and rambling vines, a cottage garden is more an act of editing rather than planting.
'The cottage garden approach is ‘slow gardening’, allowing self-seeding to establish, curating the plant display and relying on plants that might be found on country roadsides like foxgloves and ferns to self-colonise. It’s really the opposite of planting in that you either leave a plant in that’s found its own way to you or you take it out,' says Claire Masset, author of Cottage Gardens .
Cottage garden ideas – to inspire your scheme
Cottage garden plants are the main event when it comes to cottage garden ideas blending abundant blooms in a random way that mixes up color and form. Roses, lavender and tall spires of lupins, foxgloves and hollyhocks are the stars of the show. This style of planting softens the look of a garden, and brings you up close with scent, foliage textures and a tapestry of soothing garden color schemes.
'As a concept, a cottage garden is hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Cozy, snug, informal, profuse, the cottage garden looks entirely at home in its surroundings, as though it has slowly evolved over time – and often it has,' adds Clare.
If you want to channel your inner Gertrude Jekyll and go big on cottage garden ideas, the trick is to create an intimate space packed with color and scent, with dense planting spilling over pathways and framing windows and doors to create a serendipitous vibe.
1. Get rid of the grass
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Cottage gardens provide the backbone to both cottage backyard ideas and front yard cottage ideas.
In a traditional cottage garden there is no room for a lawn. Growing space is at a premium and every inch should be planted, whether that's with pretty flower bed ideas, delicious fruit or crops or scented herbs.
‘Typically the cottage garden surrounds a quaint home adorned in scented roses and climbers, is a confined space with no lawn, and intersected with paths,’ says garden expert Leigh Clapp. Pathways provide access and structure to the space while rich planting in the garden provides abundant interest and character.
2. Let you planting cover all the soil
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Exposed soil is a clear marker of a curated garden which stands in opposition to the freer cottage style. In order to avoid this, incorporate creeping and trailing ground cover plants into your scheme. Creeping thyme, wall germander and snow in summer are beautiful examples. Add rocks and boulders around which the plants can snake and climb to further the naturalistic edge and introduce a new texture.
Don't forget to also add height to your borders, the best flowering climbers and the best flowering shrubs will ensure that there is balance to your scheme.
3. Frame your trees with blooms
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Underplanting your trees with seasonal blooms is a great way to add interest to an otherwise uninspiring part of your garden. There are many different approaches to landscaping around trees, but bulbs are one of the easiest options. Here, vibrant red tulips interspersed with naturalized grape hyacinths and dots of yellow tulips and daffodils make a painterly palette in this otherwise dead space.
The beauty of bulbs is that they are perfect for any size of garden, will divide and naturalise over time and also require minimal maintenance. Plant a mix of the best summer bulbs and the best spring bulbs to ensure a continuous display throughout the warmer months.
'The cottage garden style can be adapted to any garden, whether rural or not, small or large.
Best of all, it allows for great amounts of self-expression; there are very few rules other than a profusion of plants, a love of flowers and a distinct lack of grandiosity,' adds Clare.
4. Add screening to your cottage garden
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Of course, planting pretty blooms is the first part of learning how to plant a cottage garden border, however, hard landscaping is also very important in creating an aesthetically pleasing space.
In addition to providing valuable privacy, garden screening ideas will help you to zone your garden and divide the planting into specific spaces. When looking for screens to use in your cottage garden ideas, opt for a natural material such as wood to help it blend in. Alternatively, opt for an artfully aged decorative metal design for a bold statement that will add interest all year round.
5. Make your own cottage garden rules
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Rooted in the romance of quintessential English garden ideas, cottage garden ideas are a firm favorite and can be found alongside a wide range of house styles.
No two cottage gardens are the same – your cottage garden ideas will be a reflection of your own tastes as well as drawing ideas from the exterior design of your home.
‘There is no typical cottage garden – and that’s one of the joys of cottage gardening,’ says Margaret Hensel, author of English Cottage Gardening for American Gardeners . ‘Cottage gardens are individual, personal expressions. I have visited hundreds of gardens in both the UK and the US, and that is one of the points. They are the children of a gardener’s imagination and the many different sites, houses and cottages.’
Today, cottage gardening is more of an ethos than a set of rules to be followed. It's about embracing nature's beauty and intricacies, rather than forcing it to conform. Rambling, rather than rigid. Imperfectly charming, rather than perfectly chic.
While certain established cottage garden ideas will help you to get the overall look and feel, you should embrace the freedom to create a scheme that is truly unique to you and your home.
6. Pick the right flowers
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According to garden designer Tracy Foster MSGD, historically, as well as being pretty to look at, the plants in a cottage garden earned their place by being easy to grow, useful, edible or a mixture of all three. When deciding on your planting schemes, take inspiration from kitchen garden ideas as well as companion planting ideas to help you combine the best mix of blooms and crops.
It’s the versatility of the cottage garden style which appeals too. Tracy suggests that ‘the resulting symphony of shape, texture, colour and scent in a seemingly unstructured layout can bring bucolic charm to any plot, even in the heart of a city.’
For a truly authentic cottage look there will be a variety of different shapes and forms in the border. Landscape and garden designer Ana Mari Bull MSGD recommends using history as a guide, ‘where possible look at modern cultivar equivalents of the plants which would have originally grown in a Victorian cottage garden.
Roses are the obvious choice but they must be scented.’
Tracy Foster adds height with hollyhocks, delphiniums and foxgloves. For other flower shapes try the flat panicles of achillea, ball shaped inflorescences of globe thistle (Echinops ritro) or cheerful daisy flowers of leucanthemum or rudbeckia.
7. Install raised beds to create a sense of order amongst chaos
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As has already been said, the beauty of cottage garden ideas is that there are no rules. Therefore, you don't necessarily have to embrace the floral free-for-all of traditional cottage style. There are plenty of raised bed ideas that will help to bring order to your space, while still letting you indulge in the vibrant and chaotic planting of your cottage garden ideas. Confining plants to the boxes not only makes your garden easier to navigate and tend, but also makes it easier to combine plants and crops together in one place – as you would when planning a kitchen garden.
8. Add vertical interest with climbing plants
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If you’re looking for cottage garden ideas that will create the most impact, then start with the best climbing plants. There are so many varieties that can be grown upwards, and so many benefits to adding them – from covering an unsightly wall to filling the air with fragrance.
‘For millennia we have used climbing plants to green a surface or espaliered fruit against a warm wall. Arbours, arches, tunnels, trellises and pergolas can become lovely focal points adorned in profusely flowering roses entwined with clematis for example,’ says gardening expert and writer Leigh Clapp.
Roses are a classic option – consider a rambling rose, such as the repeat-flowering Phylis Bide from David Austin , which will grow more quickly than a standard climber and cover a larger surface area. If you are thinking about adding roses to your cottage garden ideas, be sure you know how to plant roses and how to prune climbing roses for maximum flowers.
‘Another easy way to include vertical interest is to add some hanging baskets or containers on windowsills, balconies, along walls or displayed on stately plinths or a theatre stand,’ adds Clapp.
9. Grow plants overhead for instant drama
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As well as growing upwards, explore the possibilities of growing plants overhead in a cottage garden, for a truly immersive experience.
Pergola ideas is ideal for this purpose and can also create a private shaded, sheltered area to escape the midday sun.
If you know how to grow wisteria, then it's the obvious choice, with its twisted branches and glorious drapes of purple flowers; but roses, clematis, honeysuckle and jasmine are all good cottage garden plants to provide overhead interest.
10. Go for a pink and mauve color palette
Verbena bonariensis in a mass of jewel-toned colours
(Image credit: Jonathan Buckley/Sarah Raven)
Choose the right color scheme for your cottage garden look and you’re halfway there.
A muted palette of soft pinks and mauves (perhaps with a dash of purple to add some drama) always works, especially if you keep things simple and stick to it.
Add in some touches of vintage cream and set the whole thing against a neutral backdrop of green and the result will be positively painterly. As you get more confident mix in some pale greys, washed out blues and silvery foliage to add depth and complexity that will segue beautifully with your look.
Where to start? With drifts of heavenly mauve lavender and ruffled old-fashioned pink roses (of course), as well as jewel-toned purple and magenta Verbena bonariensis like these beauties.
11. Plant a wildflower meadow in your cottage garden
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One of the most romantic cottage garden ideas, adding wildflower garden ideas to your borders creates a sense of areas being reclaimed by nature, and, as they will be packed with plants for pollinators, is a wonderful way to attract these precious insects to your plot.
‘Meadows can be a glorious addition to the garden, whether purely wildflowers or enhanced with other species. They make a harmonious medley, attractive to us and also to a host of wildlife,’ says Clapp.
A meadow area doesn’t have to be big – you can sow seed in neglected corners or even large containers, as long as the area gets good sunlight. Classic seed mixes can include ox-eye daisies, marigolds, teasel, chamomile, foxgloves and poppies, but you can also include ever-popular cosmos and ammi majus.
‘Once established, meadows are quite low maintenance, needing cutting down after flowering and cuttings removed so they don’t increase fertility,’ says Clapp. ‘Annual meadows will need some repeated sowings; others will improve over time with many plants self-seeding to reinforce the natural effect. As your perennial meadow matures, add in some new plants for a longer season of interest, such as spring and summer bulbs.’
If you are hoping to introduce a wildlflower meadow to your cottage garden ideas, it is essential that you know how to plant a wildflower meadow to ensure you achieve a thriving tapestry of blooms.
12. Use paths and steps to zone areas
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
In times past, cottage gardens didn't have large, pristine lawns, but were intersected by winding paths giving access to different areas.
While today there is no reason why you can’t embrace a luscious lawned area, consider how effective a meandering pathway would look to help your eye – and feet – travel through your cottage garden ideas.
'Paths are important as visual relief, give a sense of discovery on your journey and allow access,' says Clapp. 'Use materials in keeping with the look, such as weathered bricks, flagstone, wood chips, gravel or stepping-stones, for paths and paving.'
Steps are also a wonderful way to embrace different levels in a cottage garden, and make a lovely spot to add potted plants.
The trick is not to cut a straight line through the garden – keep it winding; seemingly random. Even though it takes careful consideration to plan the perfect route, you want it to appear effortless.
13. Blur the boundaries
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This is so easy to achieve. Pick plants that will flop over paths, tumble from arbors and pergolas, and scramble over walls and fences. This softens the hard landscaping so it fades into the background rather than being the dominant force as is often the case with more contemporary gardens.
It’s time to let nature takes its course too. Put away those secateurs and let your plants go on a rampage. Get a hazy effect with lady’s mantle (AKA Alchemilla mollis, used to edge the path here).
The soft lacy flowers form scalloped edging. And you can’t beat airy cow parsley to blend in hard boundaries. It’s like looking through a filtered lens to enhance things.
14. Fill your cottage garden with containers
(Image credit: Ali Allen/Jacquie Melville/Nassima Rothaker)
Container garden ideas provide the perfect way to punctate hard landscaping in your cottage ideas. They also offer wealth of other benefits too.
It is easy to control the soil mix – growing acid-loving plants, for example, when your have alkaline soil.
You can also plant earlier, as when the soil is too cold to grow in early spring, containers filled with snowdrops, anemones or bergenias can absorb the warmth of the sun from their higher ground. You can also use your containers to reflect the changes in the seasons, for example there are plenty of fall planter ideas that will help bridge the gap between high summer and your winter garden ideas.
If your garden is small or largely paved over, containers also work wonders to add cottage garden color and interest to your cottage patio ideas.
‘The choice of container material is endless,' says Isabel Palmer, founder of The Balcony Gardener . 'Large-scale planters, such as dolly tubs, add maximum impact, while containers made from natural materials complement plants well – wicker planters create natural looking displays reminiscent of a cottage garden.
"‘Thriller, filler, spiller,’ is a useful phrase to bear in mind when choosing plants for the container. Select a strong statement variety to act as a focal point, and then complement it with filler plants – mixing upright choices at the back with compact ones arranged in the middle. Then add in spiller plants that will trail over the container sides.’
15. Bring in the bees
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There are plenty of plants for pollinators but not all of these are flowers that attract bees. Ana Mari Bull avoids plants which are wind-pollinated as they don’t need the help of insects. She advises that double flowers, though attractive in a cottage border, should be avoided as bees can’t get into the plants and many are sterile.
For summer Ana likes geranium ‘Rozanne’ for small gardens and lavender for low hedging to edge a path. But late winter and early spring supplies of pollen are important. She says ‘Hellebores, cyclamen, primroses, crocus, lamium, galanthus, eranthis and winter flowering clematis with be a food source for early emerging bumble bees, who can fly at lower temperatures than other bees.
‘Borage flowers refill their nectaries every couple of minutes so are perfect for bees and other pollinators. The flowers can be added to Pimms too,’ concludes Ana Mari Bull.
16. Introduce fragrant plants
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The scent of lavender and the soothing buzz of bees hovering around it on a summer’s day are a traditional but timeless feature of the cottage garden.
Plant lavender near a path or doorway so you can brush your fingers through the scented leaves as you pass by.
A heavenly fragranced rose scrambling over an arbour will envelop you as you wander underneath, while a twiggy wigwam of sweet peas will drench the air with their old-fashioned scent.
Other favorites for packing perfume into borders include frilly garden pinks and sweetly honeyed phlox, while a perfumed lilac bush always works well and is a butterfly magnet too.
17. Grow your own plants in a greenhouse
(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)
There is no better way to get closer to your plants than by growing them from seed, and so one of the best cottage garden ideas is to include a greenhouse or glasshouse.
‘Glasshouses are intrinsically linked to a romantic, comforting notion of Englishness,’ says Martin Toogood, chairman of Hartley Botanic , which creates luxury glasshouses for both the US and European markets.
As we approach summer, greenhouse ideas can take on a multifunctional purpose in a cottage garden, used as more than just a growing space, but somewhere to enjoy spending time, immersed among the plants. ‘We see customers introducing relaxation, dining and lifestyle elements into their greenhouse, and we expect this trend to grow, particularly this summer as we come back together post lockdown,’ adds Toogood.
Some of the best cottage garden plants are annuals or short-lived perennials, so you will be able to nurture beautiful plants in your own growing space.
Plantswoman Sarah Raven has a particular love for traditional cottage garden plants. One of her favourites that can be easily grown from seed, is foxgloves: ‘They make some of the very best cottage garden early summer garden plants and cut flowers,' she says.
'If you pick the king flower – the main spire, you create lots of prince flowers and the plants will then go on flowering for longer.'
18. Pick flouncy cabbage roses
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With their big, blowsy blooms and glorious scent, old-fashioned roses add a dusting of magic to the cottage garden. Available in a range of opulent colors, their silky ruffled petals pack an old-style glamour punch. They are the ideal flowers for creating a sense of romance in your cottage garden too.
Opt for something like this ‘Enchrantress’, a stunning double pink ruffled rose with densely packed velvety petals that gets a top rating scent wise and is also what’s known as a ‘repeat flowerer’.
Remember to keep snipping off any faded blooms and you'll be rewarded with a second flush. It has a good vase life too, and looks gorgeous paired with lilac.
19. Add a secluded spot to sit
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Don’t forget to plan seating areas in your cottage garden.
Positioning a bench in a secluded spot – beneath a tree with low branches, or an arch covered with roses or wisteria – will immerse you in the sights and scents of your garden, and enable you to take in the view.
Think carefully about where you place your seating, so that you can get the best vista to appreciate all your hard work. Choose a spot that isn’t overlooked by neighbors and offers some shade from the glare of high summer sun.
20. Plant around a focal point
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Adding a few key focal points or yard art ideas to your cottage garden is important to help draw the eye, and create a gentle sense of purpose and structure, without overlapping into formality.
A bird bath surrounded by borders, a trickling water feature, a colorful container display, or a romantic rose arch – all these cottage garden ideas will help you to appreciate the wider scheme you have created.
21. Make a vintage display
(Image credit: Pippa Blenkinsop / Kasia Fiszer)
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.
Also keen an eye out for whimsical signs, outdoor furniture and cast iron items that could be used to display plants on.
22. Get the picket fence look
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Traditional white picket fences are the signature look for a cottage garden. Also known as palisade fencing, back in the day they were the obvious choice as they were simple to construct on site with standard pieces of timber.
The fence was often painted white to improve longevity and it’s this iconic look that we've grown to love. Now there are new long-lasting products on the market to achieve the same look with modern materials that don’t require upkeep. Once they're in position all you need to do is plant a mass of blooms that will peek over and through the panels.
23.
Make doorways pretty(Image credit: Future)
Set the scene by framing doors and windows, both front and back, with pretty collections of flowers and foliage in a restrained color palette that fits with the exterior scheme of your house.
Add perfumed plants to the mix too. As you walk up your path one of the most welcoming sensations on arriving home is being hit by a delicious waft of fragrance so a pair of planters (we love these terracotta chimney pots – what could be more cottage garden?) with lavender will give your entrance the standout factor.
Combining with inviting cottage porch ideas helps to create the right mood and lets you show off your passion for plants too. Tap into cottage vernacular by choosing classics like lupins and perennial cornflowers, then let them romp around in a naturalistic way.
24. Escape to nature with dreamy lilac
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The most magical of plants, lilac is one of the cottage garden shrubs of old that’s rightly having a comeback.
A longtime favourite of cottage planting schemes, where it was once considered the height of fashion, it grows easily and the showy cones of blossom come in a range of pretty shades as well as signature soft mauve.
Some of the oldest varieties are known as French Lilacs. The lush double flowers of ‘Mme Lemoine’ are pure white and the heady perfume is incomparable so it easily earns its place in the cottage garden.
Lilac can be grown as a tree, a shrub or in a pot according to variety, and adds a pleasing shape to the structure of your planting.
25. Plant in romantic drifts
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This is a signature look for cottage gardens, where swathes of naturalistic planting is used to create a loose and unstructured effect. It’s easy to do too. Just remember you’ll need three, five or seven lots of each plant, then arrange them in repeat groups for impact.
One of the most distinctive cottage garden plants with their tall spires of speckled bells, foxgloves are a natural choice for this look.
Drift planting works best when it creates a gentle wash of color, so foxgloves are perfect for the job as they come in a range of dusky pink, soft apricot and misty mauve shades.
Add punctuation marks to the structure of the planting scheme with pompom plants like agapanthus or alliums, also planted in repeat patterns.
26. Add stunners to fill borders
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Choose dramatic spikes with striking vertical lines and big showy plants with larger than life leaves to add show stopper moments to a cottage planting scheme. If you want drama in your borders opt for statement plants like these.
For attention seeking towering spires go for showy lupins, delphiniums and foxgloves as they will always catch the eye. A few vertical notes from plants like this will lift a run of the mill border and turn it into something special.
The huge, silvery, thistle-like leaves of towering cardoons make it a stunning addition to the back of a border.
Just perfect for some leafy seclusion in your favourite relaxation spot.
27. Choose a cottage garden classic
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Adding fragrance, color and height, traditional sweetpeas would have to be your first option if you could only choose one plant. Once you know how to grow sweetpeas, they will quickly become an integral part of your cottage garden ideas.
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.
'Three Times As Sweet' is new – and the first cultivated modern grandiflora variety, with a ton of that lush, rich and evocative scent that's the signature of these cottage garden classics.
The tri-color blooms of this variety blend lavender-blue, purple and white to create an eye-catching display that's just the perfect finishing touch to a cottage garden.
28. 'Right plant, right place'
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
‘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.
If your border is either heavy or very dry then mulch it with a good quality compost. Looking to the long term if clumps get too big then lift and divide them to grow your space even more and prevent overcrowding.
29. Combine edibles with flowers
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'The traditional cottage garden encapsulates a hand-made, do-it-yourself style of gardening so when it comes to planting include a mix of simple flowers and edible plants,' says Debbie Roberts of Acres Wild .
Herb garden ideas can include 'scented, herbal and healing varieties will by definition be beneficial to butterflies and bees, and when combined with some good structure you will have a chocolate box image of a cottage garden.'
30. Consider function and form
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'A cottage style garden still needs to function in terms of design, so routeways and destinations still need to be considered, somewhere to sit in sun or shade, along with good views to exploit and eyesores to screen, perhaps with a carefully located blossom tree for bees and that will also provide berries for birds later in the season,' continues Debbie Roberts.
'The idea here is to create an ambiance to transport you to a time and place and disguise anything that detracts from this.'
31. Choose the right hard landscaping
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When you are considering backyard landscaping ideas, think: local.
'Locally sourced, natural materials and building techniques ground a garden in its place and would have been what was used in the past. Nearby salvage yards and local stone suppliers would be a good starting point for paving materials and search out local craftspeople for furniture and ornamental additions,' continues Debbie Roberts.
'For terraces and pathways reclaimed stone is ideal, along with brick, if this chimes in with the locality, and gravel (cinder would often have been used in the past).
'Small ornamental pieces may be salvaged and randomly arranged.'
32. Consider a cottage garden water feature
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Cottage gardens should always include pond ideas.
'Water might be used to animate the space. A salvaged stone trough with a hand pump for instance wouldn’t look out of place in a cottage garden. If a pond were to be considered in the overall layout it would be appropriate if it were designed to encourage wildlife and so increase the biodiversity of the garden,' concludes Debbie Roberts.
How do you lay out a cottage garden?
When deciding how to layout a cottage garden, the trick is not to overthink it. Cottage gardens are traditionally simple and regular in layout, with a path to the door, and rectangular beds on either side packed with unrestrained planting.
Hedges and decorative topiary can be used to divide the garden into a series of enclosed spaces with different planting themes.
The combination of soft and riotous planting with formal clipped hedges and decorative topiary works as a design contrast.
Choose natural stone, reclaimed brick, setts and cobbles, and other found materials to add structure but blur the edges seamlessly with moss, lichen or creeping plants like scented thyme filling the gaps.
Gravel pathways and simple picket fences also suit this naturalistic design style. Add twists and turns with curves and wilder planting to introduce elements of surprise, while romantic arbours or arches with blooms scrambling over them frame entrances to other areas.
How do I start a cottage garden from scratch?
To start a cottage garden from scratch, the key is to plant traditional flowers and plant at the right time of year. Garden landscape designer Fi Boyle MSGD explains that there are two key times of year to plant. ‘The first is the early autumn when the soil is still warm and not waterlogged but everything is starting to die back and settle in for the winter.’
For Fi, the advantage of planting in the autumn is that the plants settle into warm earth and start to establish their roots before the winter. This means that when spring comes they are ready to get going.
However, if you have missed the autumn window fear not, you can also plant in spring and this does work just as well.
You may need to keep a bit more of an eye on your plants as in recent years we have had very dry springs. Fi recommends giving plants a good soaking from time to time while they’re establishing.
How do I set up a cottage garden on a budget?
You can set up a cottage garden on a budget by growing plants from seed and allowing others to self-seed in your garden. In fact, cottage garden ideas are one of the easiest styles to set up on a budget. The look is unpretentious and informal, and borders and containers can be filled with many plants that you can grow yourself from seed or propagate from cuttings.
Consider arranging a seedling swap with friends, so you can share your home-grown wonders, and make your garden more diverse. Also learn how to take plant cuttings to multiply your collection of plants for no additional cost.
Scour vintage stores and fleamarkets for old garden furniture, pots and vessels that can be repurposed for the garden – anything from crates to ceramic sinks.
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.
What is a cottage garden style?
Cottage garden style is characterised by dense planting, profusion of color, and mix of different flowers used in pockets of planting with different themes. While many cottage gardens stick to simple patterns, others are more relaxed with paths delineating spaces, although any geometry is blurred by the generous planting. It’s an informal style that feels ‘undesigned’ and the appeal lies in getting the mix right. You can't beat this style of planting to give your garden the standout factor every time.
Lifestyle journalist Sarah Wilson has been writing about gardens since 2015. As well as homesandgardens.com she's written for Gardeningetc.com, Livingetc.com, Easy Gardens and Modern Gardens magazines. Her first job on glossy magazines was at Elle, during which time a visit to the legendary La Colombe d'Or in St-Paul-de-Vence led to an interest in all things gardening.
Later as lifestyle editor at Country Homes & Interiors magazine the real pull was the run of captivating country gardens that were featured.
Cottage garden ideas: 24 charming looks
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Our favorite cottage garden ideas are all about creating a beautiful space that’s packed with soft flowers and scent. From overflowing borders filled with cottage garden plants to pretty accessories and seating that adds instant charm, there are plenty of ways to create a cottage-style vibe in your own plot.
A cottage-style garden is basically a very informal and traditional type of plot, where flowers steal the show. We're talking voluptuous borders full of color and texture, amidst traditional materials such as stone walls and red brick edging.
Often thought of as the opposite of clean-cut, contemporary gardens, cottage gardens are romantic, whimsical, and have more of an 'anything goes' attitude.
Traditional cottage gardens would have been full of edible plants and even livestock. You'll still find the odd ornamental vegetable in cottage-style borders nowadays, but less chance of cattle!
And, if you're the owner of a small, urban garden, don't be discouraged. You don’t have to live in a picture-postcard thatched cottage in the English countryside for this type of garden design. The look can work just as well on a smaller scale for a flower-filled city garden.
24 cottage garden ideas for charming plots
Whether you want to create winding pathways, design a pretty seating area, or introduce more cottage garden plants to your space, there's plenty to inspire you in our selection.
1. Introduce tall features to layer up the view
This small plot has plenty to admire
(Image credit: A Garden/Alamy Stock Photo)
Whatever garden style you're going for, it's always wise to consider the vertical space. Using plants and features of different heights helps to create interest at all levels for a fuller, more impactful display.
Obelisks are a good climbing plant support idea that suit a cottage garden well – whether placed in a large container or amongst other blooms in a deep border. Sculptures can also provide height and character, as can a smart garden building or one of the best trees for small gardens, such as this birch.
We also like the use of Corten steel in this small plot – for both the edging and the central water feature. It brings warmth and contrast against the pale gravel, as well as structural appeal.
2. Create shapes with topiary
Topiary can add plenty of creative opportunity to your space
(Image credit: Miriam Heppell/Alamy Stock Photo)
Topiary is tons of fun to play around with, and not too tricky with a bit of practice. In a cottage garden, try adding neatly-clipped evergreens to provide a sense of structure against all the lush blooms – whether they're framing a doorway, lining a pathway, or containing a bed.
There are all kinds of shapes to try, from cones to clouds.
Here, a cottage garden patio is kept simple yet elegant with the white flowers – including lupins, a cottage-garden classic – contrasting against the shades of green.
3. Use natural landscaping materials
Use woven edging to add texture and subtle definition
(Image credit: Jacky Hobbs)
Cottage gardens take a relaxed feel in comparison to sleek, contemporary plots. A great way to enhance this vibe is to add handmade features, made from natural materials, into the mix.
For instance, garden edging made from woven hazel has an artisanal appeal and is perfect for putting alongside borders to subtly contain all the flowers within. We love the laid-back curves used here too, for that softer look.
4. Go for easy-grow perennials
Nepeta and Alchemilla mollis make a lovely pairing
(Image credit: Mark Bolton Photography/Future)
There are tons of perennials that make perfect choices for cottage-style, low maintenance garden borders. Think hardy geraniums, for starters. They're ideal for pollinators and available in a wide range of stunning varieties from the prolific purple 'Rozanne' to the elegant 'Kashmir White'.
Other plants that will come back year after year include nepeta with its spikes of violet blooms and aromatic foliage, as well as Alchemilla mollis with its pleasingly-scalloped leaves and lime-yellow flowers. As demonstrated above, they make a delightful summer duo for the border, especially with a rambling rose as a backdrop.
Although you may be tempted to fill a cottage-style garden with every plant you can find, it might be wise to hold back ever so slightly. 'Make a list of the plants you want to include, then go back over the list and tick the ones you most want,' says garden designer Fi Boyle . 'You may be a self-confessed "plantaholic" like me and simply want everything, but it is definitely best to limit the palette. Less is more, as the saying goes.
'By having groups of the same plant repeated through a border you create a rhythm which helps the border to hang together and feel less busy,' she adds.
5. Position a bird bath amongst the blooms
A stone bath adds a delightful touch to this flower bed
(Image credit: foto-mix/Alamy Stock Photo)
Cottage gardens are a celebration of vibrant colors and life, so why not encourage feathered friends to pay a visit to your plot?
One way to do so is by introducing bird bath ideas amongst your borders – old stone designs will fit right into the theme and provide a visual focal point. What's more, watching the birds flit to and fro as they take a drink or wash their wings will bring delight to any onlooker.
We love how this design has been surrounded by hot-hued blooms – including the likes of marigolds and geums.
6. Create an air of mystery with hidden gateways
A secret gate adds a sense of intrigue
(Image credit: Mark Bolton Photography/Future)
Garden gate ideas come in all shapes and sizes, but more traditional-looking designs can make lovely additions to cottage-style plots. This wooden one is a good example with its classic metal detailing, but picket-style looks work well, too.
Punctuating an old stone wall and surrounded by plenty of climbing plants and luscious borders, it adds a real sense of intrigue to the scene. If you're looking to separate garden 'rooms' or simply provide a greater sense of security from the outside world, then this is definitely an idea to consider.
7. Make a kitchen garden area
Try growing ornamental veg alongside your flowers
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
Traditionally, the purpose of the cottage garden was to grow staple produce like peas, beans, cabbages, onions, leeks and carrots, but also a wide array of herbs used in cooking and for medicinal purposes.
So, for a true cottage-garden feel, grow produce amongst the flowers in whatever space you have. If you have the luxury of more space, dedicated raised garden beds could be created in a sunny south-facing area.
8.
Embrace classic charm with a greenhouseA stunning Alitex greenhouse in a cottage-style kitchen garden
(Image credit: Alitex)
Grow-your-own zones don't have to be well-tamed in a cottage garden – wilder looks are all part of the charm. However, you can still opt for a smarter style if you prefer, while sticking to the theme. Just take a cue from this scene above.
Red brick walls, raised beds made from sleepers, and a jumble of vintage terracotta pots all offer a country-classic vibe that still feels laid-back. As well as all your favorite veggies and herbs, try training sweet peas up a home-made support of sticks for a shot of irresistible color and scent. Or, have a go at espaliering a fruit tree for a fall harvest – it's a great approach if you're a little short on space.
If you're a keen gardener, you may want to consider greenhouse ideas, too. This glorious build not only looks the part, but will also be hugely practical when colder weather comes around.
9. Create a tucked-away retreat in your cottage garden
This summer house offers a hidden spot to relax in peace
(Image credit: Mark Bolton Photography/Future)
Have our summer house ideas got you tempted for one of your own? Undoubtedly, a calm and quiet retreat amongst the flowers is a lovely addition for any garden, so why not introduce one to a cottage-style plot?
We love how this ornate design can be spotted through the generous flower beds in front, which only add to its sense of privacy. Add a comfy sofa or chair inside, a small table, and perhaps a vase of freshly-cut blooms as a finishing flourish – it'll be your new favorite spot before you know it.
10. Add a pretty arbor
A pretty spot to sit and take in the view
(Image credit: Photimageon/Alamy Stock Photo)
Good cottage garden ideas need to include somewhere to sit, so that all those flowers can be appreciated fully.
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.
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.
11. Plant up hanging baskets
Spectacular hanging baskets at RHS Hyde Hall
(Image credit: Joanna Kossak/RHS)
By now, you'll know the importance of flowers in a cottage garden. But, if space is at a premium, it can be tricky to create that sumptuous look whilst still being able to use the area for seating and entertaining.
Enter hanging basket ideas – a fabulous way to utilize the verticals in a garden – whether you have a small courtyard, patio, or even just a balcony.
Fill with colorful summer favorites such as petunias, pelargoniums and lobelia. Then, hang from a bracket, a hook, or even your fence railings for an instant pick-me-up for your plot. Don't forget that you can switch them up as the seasons change, too – heather and cyclamen make a lovely pairing for fall containers, for instance.
12. Opt for a relaxed feel with curved borders
Use soft curves for a romantic feel
(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)
While formal gardens were laid out with parterres and terraces, traditional cottage garden layouts would have been much less predetermined. There would have been little space for lawn and no hard surfacing.
To capture the romance of a classic cottage garden, try to avoid straight lines and instead, factor in plenty of deep, curved borders for planting. Curved landscaping always creates a more natural and relaxed feel that allows you to meander along pathways through the flower beds.
13. Set the scene with your front garden
Deep borders full of blooms provide the perfect setting for this cottage
(Image credit: Andy Roland/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images)
Cottage garden ideas aren't just for backyards. Why not set the scene with your front garden, too? If you're lucky enough to live in a period property such as this, billowing borders of soft flowers will provide the perfect setting to complement the architecture.
But, even for modern houses, a cottage-style front garden will provide a wonderful welcome for you and your guests.
14. Create a meadow-like feel by layering plants
Layer up your plants for a wilder look
(Image credit: Joe Wainwright)
Historically, the quintessential cottage garden would have evolved slowly and planting would have had no strict plan.
Self-seeders were welcomed and plants propagated from cuttings (just like in our guide on how to take cuttings from plants). They would have also been gifted by neighbors and perhaps collected from the native countryside (although the latter may get you in a spot of trouble nowadays). All would have been planted in whatever space was available with little thought to hierarchy or height, which resulted in a magical jumble of shape and color.
Although color blocking is a great way to create cohesion and impact, if you're really after a wild meadow feel, layer up a variety of hues and heights.
Or, split your garden into two zones – one more naturalistic and carefree than the other. Our guide on how to plant a wildflower meadow may come in handy.
15. Add in meandering pathways
A pathway allows you to admire your garden from all angles – this one was spotted at the Alitex stand at Hampton Court Garden Festival 2022
(Image credit: Jacky Hobbs)
Keep embracing that relaxed feel with it comes to planning your cottage garden paths.
Avoid geometrical, rigid materials like square paving, and instead, try materials that are softer on the eye. Think, for example, a gravel path lined with reclaimed bricks that have a worn patina, or a design like this, which combines bricks with bark chippings.
16. Add romance with roses
Climbing roses add interest to your garden's vertical views
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
'Arguably, no cottage garden summer would be complete without roses and their perfume,' says the RHS .
We agree – a rose garden is perfect for that cottage-style look.
With their abundance of pretty floral sprays, climbing or rambling roses are brilliant for softening harsh walls or fences. And, they can be used to bring height and structure when grown over an arch or obelisk. The RHS suggests 'Madame Alfred Carriere' with its creamy-colored, repeat-flowering blooms.
Alternatively, choose shrub or bush roses for borders, or if space is tight you can grow them in pots, too.
17. Paint gates in pretty pastel colors
This mint-green door adds a pretty focal point alongside the nearby blooms
(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)
Add extra charm to your cottage garden by painting gates, woodwork and even wooden furniture in soft, muted colors such as pale greens and blues, or gentle pinks.
These types of shades work well with pretty cottage garden planting and will add another layer of interest to your garden scheme. To get started, take a look at the best exterior wood paint in our buying guide.
18. Frame your front door with flowers
What could be more welcoming than a front door surrounded by flowers?
(Image credit: Brent Darby/Future)
Admittedly, most of us aren't lucky enough to live in a charming thatched cottage such as this. But you can still give your house similar curb appeal by growing hollyhocks along the front of your garden or by the front door.
Showcasing jolly spires of color in summer, hollyhocks like light, well-drained soil – which is why they are often found close to houses. It's thought that before homes were built with damp-proof courses, hollyhocks would often be grown close to cottages to help take up the water.
19. Choose traditional furniture to suit a cottage garden
Add an elegant bistro set, like this one from Garden Trading
(Image credit: Garden Trading)
After all your hard work in the garden, it's important to have somewhere that you can sit back and enjoy the view.
An ornate metal garden bench would work well in a romantic setup – match it with a coffee table for somewhere to pop your cuppa.
Classic furniture such as the best bistro sets, or wooden benches or dining sets, are other go-to choices to suit cottage garden schemes. Nestle furniture in amongst the planting to soften the effect, and stick to natural finishes or colors such as pale greens, grays and blues to help them blend in with the background.
You want your planting to be the star of the show rather than a bright and bold item of furniture that could detract from your beautiful blooms.
20. Mix up your planters
A jumble of different containers adds character
(Image credit: Jacky Hobbs)
Traditionally, the cottage garden was a humble space worked for necessity and crops would have been grown in anything that came to hand. To capture the quirky charm, think outside the box and reuse unwanted containers as garden planters – just ensure you drill holes in the bottom so that the soil can drain freely.
In his book Cider with Rosie, Laurie Lee describes his mother's cottage garden in the Cotswolds in great detail and observes how, 'she also grew plants in whatever would hold them – saucepans, tea-caddies and ash tins. Indeed she once grew a fine crop of geraniums in a cast-iron water-softener.' Use whatever you can find and line them up along a path for a characterful scene.
21. Get creative with color schemes
Try color blocking your plants for added impact
(Image credit: Jacky Parker Photography/Moment/Getty Images)
Garden designer Fi Boyle shares her expert advice when it comes to colors in cottage garden style planting: 'Think about the color scheme and decide what you want,' she says.
'Do you want a hot border filled with oranges, yellows and reds, or do you want softer colors such as blues through to purple, with hints of pinks and white?' Sticking to a specific range for your garden color scheme will add an enchanting yet cohesive feel to your plot, so give it a try.
22. Decorate a garden shed with vintage finds
Add a touch of vintage charm
(Image credit: Jody Stewart/Future)
What better way to make the most of your garden than a little she shed hideaway tucked away that you can retreat to with a good book?
Brighten up the interior with a lick of paint and furnish with a couple of comfy armchairs. In the make-do-and-mend spirit of a cottage garden, use the structure to support rambling plants which will also help soften the building.
23. Screen your space with a stone wall
Smart stone walls make an eye-catching backdrop to indigo-toned plants in this design by Fi Boyle Garden Design
(Image credit: Fi Boyle Garden Design)
Stone garden wall ideas make lovely additions to cottage gardens, for a timeless, countryside look. It also provides a useful divider between 'rooms' of your garden, or for added privacy and shelter.
You can plant it up with foliage, succulents, moss, and even tumbling flowers such as erigeron, for a softer, fairytale-like feel.
24. Embellish benches with floral cushions and throws
We love these beautiful fabrics from The Observatory collection at ILIV
(Image credit: ILIV)
When it comes to accessories for cottage garden ideas, floral fabrics are your friend. From outdoor cushions to throws and rugs, choose designs in soft pastel shades and pretty patterns to add interest to your space.
Natural materials such as cotton, linen and bamboo will be soft to touch and in keeping with the natural country vibe. Don't forget about table linens, too, for your next vintage-style garden party.
How do I start a cottage garden?
Start with a plan – where are your borders going to go, what shape are they going to be?
'Think about the aspect of the border – in other words, which way does it face? You can assess how much sun it will get or if the border is in shade most of the day,' says garden designer Fi Boyle. This will help you choose which plants go where.
'Do you know what the pH of the soil is? If not, do a test as some plants are fussy about the type of soil they grow in,' she adds. Our guide to soil types has more advice should you need it.
Once you've got a plan, start sowing your seeds. Annuals such as poppies, cosmos or zinnias are lovely in a cottage garden. Perennials like scabious or penstemons are also beautiful additions and will get bigger and better every year. You can usually plant them from small pots bought from the garden center.
A beautiful cottage-garden style border, designed by Fi Boyle Garden Design
(Image credit: Fi Boyle Garden Design)
Pippa is Style Editor for Period Living magazine and spends many a weekend exploring the Cotswolds for decorating shoot ideas. When she's not writing about homes and gardens for Period Living and Homes & Gardens, you'll probably find her pottering on her Gloucestershire allotment, called Pippa's Plot, where she has cultivated a stunning cutting garden so she can grow flowers for styling her own home and interiors shoots.
With contributions from
- Holly CrossleyActing Deputy Editor
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How to make a beautiful garden and garden with your own hands, which would excite our delight and bring pleasure? Nowadays, a garden and a city are not just a land where food is grown for the table, it is a refuge from the hustle and bustle, a place where our soul returns to beauty.
And the principles of creating a beautiful garden and kitchen garden can be applied to your summer cottage, as well as to landscaping a balcony, or even to your collection of indoor flowers.
You can be in the garden at the dacha for a couple of minutes or for hours - it does not matter, because. every second you enjoy every cell of your body. And although our home and garden is a purely personal and personal space, a few general recommendations will help you achieve true perfection and create a beautiful garden and vegetable garden with your own hands.
CONTENTS
Separate garden and vegetable garden visually.
Zoning the space in the garden will help you create a more coherent and harmonious design. A flower bed with tall ornamental herbs and flowers serves as a kind of partition between the vegetable garden and the garden.
And although the garden is located very close to the garden, separated by such a decorative border, it will turn out to be more comfortable and beautiful.
Consider the view from different parts of the garden.
It is beautiful to admire your garden from a distance, but it is much more important to enjoy it from the inside. Therefore, the views that open both from your gazebo and from a path or a secluded bench in the garden are important.
To create an interesting structure, use curvilinear paths and arches with climbing plants in the garden, carefully fitting them into the general arrangement of shrubs and fruit trees.
It is important to take into account not only the beauty of flowers, but also their fragrance, then, walking in the garden, you can feel how the scent of roses flows into the wonderful scent of jasmine or lilies.
Use any corner of your garden as a flower garden.
Your garden is not just a place to fight for the harvest. With a little effort, you can always give it a more interesting look - by planting spicy herbs or flowers that repel insects as a border.
Even small corners of the garden, such as the back wall of a house, can be used to set up a cute flower garden with hardy perennials.
The fence is a great place for a flower garden with garden vines, it is enough to strengthen the garden net on it. For the sunny side of the fence, you can plant a weaving rose that will bloom all season.
For a shady spot, plant honeysuckle, which blooms for a short time but has a very pleasant aroma.
And of course use clematis! This is the most popular garden vine and can transform your garden in absolutely stunning ways. Moreover, clematis will feel best on a garden arch, because. he needs shade in the root zone and light for shoots.
A garden is not only a decoration, but mainly a harvest. Using grapes to wrap around a garden arbor, we will solve two problems at once.
Firstly, the grapes will create a pleasant coolness on a sunny day, and secondly, in the fall they will delight us with a generous harvest.
Shade-loving and light-loving plants can be planted side by side.
In any corner of your garden, you can combine your favorite plants, creating the lighting regime for them.
Create a luxurious look.
Don't be greedy and don't plant all the beautiful varieties of flowers you see in your garden. It is better to choose 1-2 beautiful varieties, but create a truly luxurious flower bed out of them by planting several bushes nearby. It is important to learn how to grow quite a few plants - for this arch near the gate, two varieties of weaving roses were chosen, but these are really healthy and well-groomed bushes that give abundant flowering.
Add contrast.
Where there is no interesting structure, use color. The mint thickets in the far corner of the garden do not have a particularly interesting aesthetic appearance, adding a container with contrasting foliage to these plantings, we got an excellent result.
Moreover, the contrast can be not only color, but also light.
So white flowers in a shady corner of the garden will visually make it less gloomy, giving it an almost mystical charm.
Mix.
A beautiful garden and garden with your own hands means creating an informal relaxing atmosphere. This can be achieved by using a combination of plants in the garden in the most unexpected way.
By adding some simple flowers next to vegetable gardens, you can turn a simple vegetable garden into a triumph of the beauty and bounty of nature in your garden.
Agree that a good harvest brings no less aesthetic pleasure than a flower garden?
And enjoying the taste of homemade vegetables is another gift from nature for us.
Use unpretentious plant varieties.
Do-it-yourself garden and vegetable garden means organic products, preferably with minimal use of chemicals.
And the best way to avoid chemicals is to choose disease-resistant varieties.
Before you bring a new plant to the site, ask about its resistance to diseases and pests so that it does not create problems for you or the surrounding plantings in the garden or vegetable garden.
This applies to both vegetables and fruits and flowers.
You can always find those varieties of plants that will grow well in your conditions, without requiring special attention from you and the use of chemicals.
To each his own place.
Every corner in the garden has its purpose, has the right to exist and your love.
Therefore, a compost bin and a shed should not be dirty foundlings in your garden, but should be as loved and well-groomed as flower beds and a vegetable garden.
In return, every corner in your garden will only please you.
Think big.
When creating a garden and vegetable garden with your own hands, it is important to plan plantings not only on the plane, but also to use the height difference - then your landscape design will be more rich and interesting. In this regard, those who have a garden on a slope are lucky - if there are certain problems, such a garden will always look better than flat plantings with a vegetable garden and a couple of fruit trees in the corners.
For those who have a flat garden area, arches and pergolas will come to the rescue, which will turn your garden into a fabulous place. Plus, it's a great way to showcase your beautiful climbing roses and clematis.
The question often arises of how to cover climbing roses for the winter. In fact, you make a minimum of movements - you cover the roses with a film right on the arch.
Garden as a place for creativity.
Although it may be too late to change anything in the garden this year, it is never too early to make a qualitative leap towards a better garden in the future. Analyze what your garden looks like now, whether you want to add, remove or change. Draw a plan.
Think where are the gaps, where are the errors? Is your garden not as luxurious as you would like? Visually, fewer varieties in one place creates a greater effect. Plant only one type of vegetables on the beds - then it will look denser.
Surprise yourself.
