Attention all natural garden fans! Today we will explain to you how you can create a cozy cottage garden by following a few rules. Anyone who dreams of a typical English garden can easily design it themselves and create their own oasis behind and in front of the house. Anyone who thinks that flowers simply have to be planted wildly around the area is not entirely correct. What you should consider if you want to create a romantic and dreamy garden area can be found in the following lines. We have listed the typical characteristics and some planting and design tips for you there. This means you can start planning your personal garden next year at the latest. But why wait, you might ask? Well, this is simply because most flowers and plants should be planted and sown in spring as it is too hot for that in summer. Nevertheless, you can start with a few things this year and prepare your future cottage garden.
Creating a cottage garden – The characteristics of cottage gardens
Chaotic and controlled at the same time – that is English garden design! Lots of colorful flowers that are reminiscent of meadows and seem to grow wild in the garden, a natural atmosphere and lush arrangements are the goal if you want to create a typical cottage garden. It should be romantic, fairytale-like, enchanted and playful and in this way guarantee wonderful hours of relaxation. A wide variety of plants and flowers can be used for this purpose, a selection of which we would like to present to you below. You can find beautiful planting plans with plants for the cottage gardenhere.
An important element that should not be missing in a real cottage garden is of course a cottage. This is a small hut that can be perfectly integrated into the garden with the help of a garden shed. And that's not only pretty to look at, but also very practical: you can use the garden house like a shed and store various garden tools and other things there, or you can transform it into a small guest house. The garden house is also ideal as a playhouse for children. Or how about a cottage-look greenhouse? So as you can see, with this important decoration you kill two birds with one stone: you create the perfect cottage garden atmosphere and get a useful space that can be used for different purposes.
English variant with structure
Wild and enchanted doesn't mean that you shouldn't create structures and boundaries at all. Despite the naturalness, the different areas should be clearly visible when creating a cottage garden. After all, you don't want to lose track when you're sitting on your patio and enjoying the garden. There can only be game in the beds themselves. Garden paths, terraces and flower bed borders, on the other hand, should always be neat and structured. However, too strong boundaries should also be avoided. For this purpose, for example, slightly taller plants can be planted at the edge of the bed, which can also protrude slightly above the bed perimeter. Bed borders are an important keyword because they create the necessary structure. Designed from the right materials (more on this below), they also fit perfectly into the cottage style and look natural and beautiful.
Suitable garden paths
There are also a few things to consider when it comes to garden paths. If you want to create a typical cottage garden, you should make sure that the paths are not too straight. Instead, create curved and curvy paths. That seems much more romantic! Also, avoid dead ends that lead nowhere. Every garden path should have a specific goal, be it a fairytale bench, a pergola or even the cottage. If the paths also border beds or are designed with blooming perennials and flowers or grasses and other suitable plants, the right atmosphere is guaranteed.
Design with fences, walls, privacy screens and partitions
Is your patio adequately protected from prying eyes if you build a fence or privacy screen? Then you should leave it with this type of privacy protection and not unnecessarily separate your terrace from the garden with high walls. The outdoor area looks much more cozy and romantic if the terrace remains part of the garden and is only visually separated from the rest of the garden with the help of paths or colorful beds.
However, if you don't get the protection you need with a wall or fence, you can of course also use a privacy screen with which you can shield one or more sides of the terrace. A green hedge is particularly recommended as a privacy screen. This can be as high as you like to suit your needs. No matter which type you choose, the flowers and plants will provide a perfect background and will be shown to their best advantage. For this reason, it is also advisable to design the beds right in front of the wall or fence.
Suitable materials
In principle, anything that is natural is suitable as a material when creating a cottage garden: stone, wood, metal (especially ornate and painted white), but a little brick here and there can also be used. For example, stone in the form of gravel or slabs can be used for paths, garden stairs or flowerbed borders. Privacy screens and fences are very attractive when made of wood, although the material can be either freshly painted or naturally weathered. Walls are also ideally made of stone, but can also be made of brick, which comes in different colors.
Creating and planting a cottage garden – which types are suitable?
If you want to create your cottage garden and equip it with the right plants, there are actually no limits. On the contrary, you can even combine as many plants and flowers as you like. But don't forget to have lots of flowering specimens, including representatives for every season, so that you can enjoy bright colors all season long. When it comes to colors, you decide how you combine them. Choose nuances of a color as you wish and in this way separate the flowers in color or create a colorful mix. The main thing is that the arrangement looks natural! Even vegetables are suitable for planting.
When planting, also avoid gaps and excessive distances between plants. However, since some plant species require space, these may be less suitable. Just ask about the needs of the plants you want. Since every plant needs time to spread properly, the perfect cottage garden also requires patience. But the wait is definitely worth it!
No matter which shrubs or bushes you choose, precise topiary is completely out of place when creating a cottage garden. Instead, let them grow freely and only apply the annual pruning that each specimen needs. Combine with numerous perennials, of which there are representatives with a wide variety of flower colors and heights.
Popular and typical plants:
- Mohn
- Margerites
- Dahlias
- Sun Bride
- Suneye
- Chrysanthemums
- Cornflower
- Fresien
- lilac
- Gold and wisteria
- Rittersporn
- Begonias
- Rosen
- petunias
- Lilies
- Jasmin
- Hydrangeas
Herbs should also not be missing when you create your cottage garden. In principle, all types are suitable, but with lavender, thyme and sage you can also get a pleasant scent in the garden. Therefore, it is recommended to plant them near the terrace or other seating areas. While the herbs decorate your garden, they can also be used in your home-cooked dishes.
It is also worth using vegetables and fruits for garden design. Even then, you not only get a decorative effect, but also ingredients from your own and organic cultivation. Shrubs such as blackberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries or elderberries and many more are popular and well suited. Cabbage and rhubarb create beautiful color accents in the bed and are decorative and delicious at the same time.
The right decoration and accessories
When creating a cottage garden, it is important to not only know how to plant English gardens, but also how to design them with decorations and accessories. The shabby chic style and all the decorations and accessories you can find in this style are ideal. Furniture and decorations made of cast iron or wood are preferred. As already mentioned, it can definitely be ornate! Trellises or planters can then be set up from these materials.
Not only trellises can be used as climbing aids. If you have a wooden fence, try to plant suitable climbing plants in the immediate vicinity, which will then spread along the fence and use it for climbing. Also worth mentioning is the arch, which is particularly suitable for roses.Benches, canapés and swings are also suitable and will help you create the perfect seating area for relaxation.
Get a bird bath, hang or set up birdhouses (how about a cottage look?), add pleasant wind chimes to the patio, or build a wooden shelf on which to display potted flowers and herbs. The ideas are endless, which is why we have put together some cottage garden pictures for you below to inspire you when planning and implementing them.
