Cottage garden ideas

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Cottage garden ideas make a mish mash of vegetation work beautifully together

A cozy cottage garden adds character and warmth to just about any setting. Gorgeous flowers featuring vibrant colors make your yard or outdoor area look charming and comforting.

Figuring out how to plant your garden may have you a bit intimidated, but once you learn how easy it is, doing so is a cinch. Having a few cottage garden ideas in your head can help you create a beautiful landscape that instantly livens up just about any space.

What is a Cottage Garden?

If you’re looking for a pristine, manicured landscape, a cottage garden is not for you. Cottage gardens are anything but perfect; they may have you think of the term ?controlled chaos? when you see them.

Although cottage gardens do feature a variety of stunning flowers, they are sort of strewn about. These types of gardens are an example of how a host of beautiful flowers can grow together happily, without a lot of fuss. Even though the garden should be a little shabby, that doesn’t mean you should allow weeds to take over. Weeding and giving care to the plants is a must, as is watering and fertilizing regularly. But you don’t have to prune or make the gardens look pristine, which makes for easy gardening.

Featured Flowers

The beauty of a cottage garden is that anything goes. Choose whatever flowers tickle your fancy and throw them together to make a lively garden that is full of personality.

Do you want to mix annuals and perennials? Go ahead. Do you find garden herbs a thing of beauty, then throw some of them in there too.

Cottage gardens allow you to place your favorite flowers, herbs, ground cover and shrubs together into one harmonious group. For instance, have you ever noticed just how beautiful basil is? This tasty herb features gorgeous green leaves that would look stunning framing your garden or mixed in with other vegetation. Plus, the fragrance the herb puts out will make your garden smell as good as it looks. And you’ll also have a tasty herb at your fingertips, ready to be placed in sauces, salads and whatever you can think of.

Location

Cottage gardens are often located near a home’s front or back door. Having the gardens situated in these locations offers guests and yourself a gorgeous greeting when entering your home. The garden will also add color, texture and style to your home. However, gardens near a home can cause bugs and animals to stop by, which might not be your cup of tea. On the plus side; however, gorgeous flower, herbs and vegetables are only a step away from your home.

Accessories

Cottage gardens are made even more striking by their use of accessories. Go ahead and throw a few potted plants in the mix. Doing so adds color and helps to shake things up a bit. A sweet trellis adds style to the garden and gives your plants support and something to climb up against. You can also train your plants to grow around your door or window, which makes your garden special.

As you can likely see, you have many cottage garden ideas to chose from. The beauty of this type of garden is that you can let your imagination run wild and it will work. Mixing together shrubs, flowers, herbs, vegetables and whatever else you want makes these gardens one-of-a-kind. Don’t be afraid to try new things and you’ll likely be pleased with the results.

Resources:

TLC: Cottage Garden Ideas

This Old House: Cottage Gardens