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How to Design a Cottage Garden
Posted by Bridgman on
Credit: UGArdener's photostream
Both perennials and annuals have a place in the garden design, and such perennials as phlox, lilies, hollyhocks, and cowslip are very appropriate for your garden. You can bring your garden to life in the spring if you plant peonies, tulips, hyacinths, crocus, and lily-of-the-valley. Bear in mind that most perennials will spread over time, so be prepared to thin down the more aggressive spreaders every year or so. You can either replant them in another section of the garden or give them to a gardening friend. Annuals definitely brighten and cheer up the summer garden, and the multitude of colours and forms will add variety to your cottage garden. Many people who make these gardens enjoy using heirloom annuals to lend more authenticity to the setting. It is nice to think that the flowers such as sweet peas, bachelors buttons, cleome, poppies, and larkspur were all planted lovingly by women centuries ago, and we are still using them in our gardens today. Alyssum is a lovely white annual with the fragrance of honey and will self-seed reliably. This flower will begin to bloom in early summer and continue right up to a hard frost. The individual gardener will have to decide whether to keep their plantings in more orderly rows or use drifts of one kind of flower to draw the eye into the garden. Your rambling rose on the house wall will provide a great backdrop for a drift, especially if there are a few accent plants scattered through it. Paths are as an important part of any cottage garden as are the flowers. Do not make your beds between the paths too wide as it will be difficult for you to reach if you need to weed or transplant. Paths will also allow you to more fully appreciate your garden, especially if you have the space to make it fairly large. Wood chips or gravel are favored material for use on the path, but bricks can also blend in quite nicely in the cottage garden. Always keep in mind that there is no one ‘perfect formula’ for creating cottage garden. Creating the perfect garden is a very personal matter and reflects on the thoughts and dreams of the gardener. Image Credit: Image 1, Image 3
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