Cottage Gardens

planting ideas, and design plans for cottage style yards and landscapes

When I think of cottage gardens, what comes to mind are pictures of Roses, white pickett fences, arbors, and most traditional plants such as Snapdragons, Poppies, Cornflowers, and Hollyhocks.

The cottage garden style is often whimsical and as you'll see from most of the pictures and plans here, sometimes has a feel of just being thrown together. However, most times the gardeners that tend this style of yard have a great passion for and knowledge of plants. So while there is some thought behind this, there generally is no formal design.

Initially, cottage gardens were created for crops to sustain families. Flowers were few or established by blown in seed.

There is usually no room for lawn. Only flowers and paths leading through them. There's also very little weeding as weed can't become established in the thick mass of plants.

Oftentimes this style still makes room for kitchen, herb, and vegetable gardens. As a designer, I don't get much opportunity to do landscapes like these. However, I really do enjoy the "at home" feel that they create.