Country Cottage Gardens: Secrets Revealed

Cottage Gardens Origins

Cottage gardens date back to medieval times. The first cottage gardens were attached to rural dwellings and used for cultivating fruits and vegetables, along with flowers and herbs for medicinal purposes. Early cottages were usually inhabited by laborers who worked on the estates of rich landowners.

Cottage gardens were born of necessity, where cottagers would use every inch of land surrounding their humble abodes to feed their families.

Cottage Gardens Media

Cottage Gardens: Popular Plants

• annuals: alyssum, begonia, blanket flower, bizzie lizzie, Californian poppy, candytuft, Canterbury bells, China aster, convolvulus, dianthus, cornflower, cosmos, forget-me-not, foxglove, hollyhock, honesty, larkspur, lobelia, love-in-a-mist, lupine, nasturtium, ornamental cabbage, pansy, petunia, pincushion, poppy, polyanthus, marigold, snapdragon, spider flower, sweet pea, Virginian stock, wallflower, zinnia
• perennials: achillea, anemone, aster, astilibe, astrantia, aubretia, campanula, columbine, coral bells, dahlia, delphinium, echinacea, euphorbia, geranium, globe artichoke, heartleaf bergenia, iris, lady's mantle, lamb's ears, lungwort, peony, phlox, pink, polyanthus, red hot poker, rose campion, salvia, sunflower, valerian, violet
• shrubs and trees: azalea, camellia, fuchsia, bridal wreath, holly, lavender, lilac, mock orange, rock rose, rosemary, viburnum, winter jasmine
• roses: Albertine, American pillar, ballerina, Celeste, Elizabeth of glamis, iceberg, Lady Hillingdon, May Queen, Old Blush China, peace, Queen of Denmark, Shropshire lass, Tuscany superb, wedding day
• daisies: blue daisy, Shasta daisy, rose pink marguerites, marmalade daisy, everlasting daisy
• bulbs: bluebells,crocus, daffodil,hyacinth, iris, lily, muscari, ornamental onion, snowdrop, tulip, viola
• climbers: black-eyed Susan, Chilean morning glory, clematis, honeysuckle, ivy, Montana,nasturtium,runner beans, sweet pea, vines (fruiting and ornamental), variegated hops, Virginia creeper, wisteria
• fruit trees: apple, apricot, cherry, fig, lemon, medlar, mulberry, peach, pear, plum
• herbs: basil, bergamot, chamomile, chive, lemon balm, mint, parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, rue.

Country Garden Accessories

• containers: 'frayed effect',weather-worn terracotta or oak half-barrels; stone troughs; wooden wheelbarrows; galvanized baths
• window boxes: in stone or wood; lined hay baskets make an imaginative alternative to traditional window boxes
• terracotta birdbath: framed in box bushes and clumps of daisies or foxgloves
• trellis: wooden trellises or an old wooden ladder fixed to the wall to form a trellis
• arches and arbors: positioned as an entrance to a 'secret garden' off the main cottage garden
• wooden benches: preferably a Lutyens-style country garden bench—named after the British architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869 to 1944)
• gazebo: a strategically placed gazebo will enhance the ambience of any medium- to large-sized country garden
• meandering pathway: flagstone, fieldstone or square slabs in natural stone are perfect materials for cottage garden pathways.

Modern Country Garden Design

• Create a picture postcard scene, framed by the view from your home.
• Plant trees and shrubs for shade and privacy.
• Focus on small groups of plants, in threes or fours, not in large masses.
• Mix and match 'old-fashioned' flowers and modern hybrids; intersperse with flowering herbs.

Cottage Gardens Set-up Tips

• Create a framework of paths and walls using natural materials such as stone, cobbles or gravel.
• Sow mainly self-seeding plants for continuing random effects.
• Naturalize bulbs such as snowdrops, crocus or narcissus in rough cut grass.
• Encourage native species to encroach on garden boundaries, thus blurring divisions between country and garden.
• Plant a kaleidoscope of perennials, annuals, climbers, shrubs, herbs and bulbs.

Cottage Gardens: Maintenance Schedule