Grow a Cottage Garden
by Kathy Wilson
Description: Tips for growing a cottage garden -- American style.
Cottage gardens are traditionally thought of as English gardens,
lushly planted with colorful jumbles of flowers and shrubs, and grown
in areas with mild winters and cool summers. Unfortunately, most
places in the U.S. outside of the Pacific Northwest do not have the
proper climate for an English garden.
Luckily, American cottage gardens are just as beautiful and better
adapted to our climate. Still based on the lovely informal array of
flowers and shrubs, they are perfectly suited to most informal
suburban homes or country lots without the need for a huge English
manor garden space that few of us have.
American cottage gardening encompasses using more drought tolerant and
native plants, plants that are hardier for cold winter climates, and
plants that tolerate and even thrive on the sunshine. The style tends
to look natural and free flowing without any plan or design, however
does indeed usually have a backbone plan to bring out the best in
plant color combinations and textures that compliment each other. That
being said, cottage gardens are also places where self seeded plants
may be allowed to pop up as they will, and the garden is always a
surprise from one season to the next! Flowers, shrubs, vegetables and
herbs may share the same beds, and roses abound! Vines soften fences
and walls, and furniture and decor is simple and comfortable.
Some easy to grow, drought and heat resistant plants perfect for the
American cottage garden include yarrow, valerian, Russian sage,
coneflower, coreopsis, scabiosa, joe pye weed, daffodils, sunflower,
butterfly bush and roses. Many herbs also love heat. Sage, thyme,
purple basil, golden oregano and lavender all thrive in my high desert
garden. Annuals can be seeded directly in the garden and many self sow
for next year as well. Good cottage gardens choices include cosmos,
annual sunflower, cleome, alyssum and poppies.
Cottage gardens are magical places, full of charm, whimsy and
surprises, and a perfect place to let your creativity in the garden
shine and grow. Don't forget to add a meandering path, a rustic or
painted arbor, and a picket fence here or there.
My own garden here at The Garden Glove is a cottage garden style, and
I wouldn't have it any other way. See photos and read articles on
cottage style gardens at http://www.TheGardenGlove.com/cottage_garden.html.
If you're looking for a laid back style, beautiful easy care flowers,
and a charming feel for your home and garden, cottage style is for you.
Kathy Wilson is a home and garden writer, author and consultant and is
the home decorating expert for LifetimeTV.com. Visit her for more home
and garden ideas at http://www.TheGardenGlove.com and
http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com. Also visit her at
http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com where any woman can learn to make
money on the internet!
