From an outsider’s point of view, a well-designed traditional cottage garden farm seems to have grown organically. Of course, it didn’t. However, the architecture standards it adheres to are straightforward.
So, what is a cottage garden? The English originally conceived the term in the 1400s, when even the smallest land plots were forced into operation to provide food for families.
Herbs, flowers, and fruit trees grow tightly together, making every inch of soil count. The result turned out surprisingly lively and charming.
You might think it’s not easy to build your modern garden cottage, but don’t be intimidated because it’s a straightforward garden and delightful to do. Here are 15 simple cottage garden ideas to start with.
1. Gertrude Jekyll
It’s impossible not to mention the saint of contemporary English cottage gardens, Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932). This English gardener has popularized the casual, herbaceous boundaries you usually see in an American picket fence and English country houses.
She favored a more natural appearance, with plants grouped by flowering season, color, and height. The cottage gardens florist takes inspiration from the Victorian planting designs and principles.
2. Erase the Borders
A recommended cottage garden design is to plant a wide variety of flowers at the garden beds’ border, thus encouraging them to grow into pathways.
By doing so, you will create a modern cottage garden . Bonus points if your ankles are brushed with fragrant flowers as you walk by.
3. Arbor Installation
A cottage-style garden would be more quintessential if garden designers add sturdy trellises and arbors. This addition allows climbers and vines, especially fragrant roses, to develop in surging shapes against gates, doorways, and walls.
4. Furniture Strategy
The traditional English cottage garden design includes strategically placing tables, chairs, and benches in the garden. This arrangement entices you and your friends and family members to spend time sitting together amid the blossoms and enjoy its calming vibe.
It’s advisable to add seats to a secluded corner or in the center of a lovely flower bed (don’t forget to lay some stepping stones for guidance).
5. A Touch Of Colors With Blossoms
There was no space for mistakes in the traditional cottage garden planting. Therefore, you want to choose plants that thrive in the local climate.
Regarding temperate climate, hollyhock, poppy, nasturtium, cosmos, foxglove, and nicotiana are popular cottage garden flowers. If you live in a different environment, you can have a similar result by planting native wildflowers.
6. Punctuation Marks
You might want to consider planting small trees and shrubs here and there to give the garden beds more visual appeal, structure, and height.
7. Romantic Traits
This type of garden tends to have a romantic feel to them. Perhaps it’s because pastel colors are common in this type of garden or because people usually choose fragrant flowers over other species.
Specifically, old cottage garden roses and peonies bring a hint of sumptuous sensuality to the breeze. Jasmine and lavender are also great options for your garden. Not only are they easy to grow, but they also tolerate bad weather very well.
8. Pollinator Attraction
Pollinators play an essential excellent part in producing crops, whether you grow berry bushes, vegetables, or fruit trees. Choose flowers that bees can’t resist, such as asters, yarrow, and lavender.
9. Plant Combination
An essential step in cottage garden planning is to combine different types of plants and flowers. They are frequently a mix-and-match trial for a simple reason: having small clumps of various plants avoids diseases and pests.
10. Rustic Design
Unlike formal gardens, cottage gardens pick up a more casual, personal, and picturesque style.
You can get away with building irregularly formed flower beds and using pathways to establish the garden’s perimeters and gaps. A curving walkway is preferable to a straight one in cottage garden plans as you can slowly walk while appreciating it to the fullest.
11. Lovely Doorways
Another idea for your modern cottage garden is to frame front and back doors and windows with lovely flower and foliage arrangements in the same color palette as your landscape exterior.
You can add some fragrant plants to the mix as well. One of the most inviting feelings is being greeted by a delightful waft of scent. Thus, a pair of lavender-filled planters would make your entrance stand out.
A welcoming porch sets the tone and allows you to display your love of plants. Hence, it’s ideal to choose some classics, such as annual cornflowers and lupins, to grow naturally.
12. Dreamy Lilacs
Lilacs never go out of style when it comes to traditional cottage garden ideas. Not only is it easy to grow, but it also comes in countless lovely shades, along with the great soft mauve.
The French Lilacs are the oldest species. Mme Lemoine’s lush double flowers are pure white, and the heady scent is unrivaled, so it quickly deserves a spot in your modern cottage garden.
13. Healthy Soils
Your plant beds are likely to remain healthy and beautiful right from the start with excellent, rich organic soil. Don’t forget to apply fish emulsion fertilizer, tea, and compost to achieve this purpose.
You can also apply mulch to the soil. This component is essential because it keeps the land moist, regulates temperatures, and enhances soil quality as it decomposes.
14. Surround the Cottage Garden
Since a traditional cottage garden farm usually deals with outdoor space limitations, the appearance of the surrounding fencing is critical. A traditional fence is usually shorter than a modern one, and a rustic fence gives off a vintage feeling.
A lattice fence or a picket fence with flowering vines, including climbing roses, wisteria, and clematis, are common options for a cottage-style garden.
15. Experiment
While evaluating different traditional cottage garden plans, don’t hesitate to go out of your comfort zone and experiment with many styles, plants, blossoms, and accessories to find out the best design.
You can blend old-styled flowers with modern varieties. A typical garden’s various great conventional designs might consist of jasmine, perennial grasses, or succulents. These choices depend on your area’s sort of climate as well.
Conclusion
Before building a quintessential cottage garden for your house, going through the above tips will help you better prepare. Don’t be afraid to try different styles, as experiments allow you to develop the most appropriate design.
