24 English Cottage Garden Ideas

I love the look of an English cottage garden. The mix of garden flowers and roses creates such a lovely look that smells great too!

English cottage gardens are perfect for any home. I am going to share with you how to create your own English cottage garden.

1. Plan to start small.

If you have a large area to devote to your garden, it’s easy to get carried away and overdo it.

You can always add more plants and expand your garden as you go along.

If you’re starting with a small area, you can still create a beautiful cottage garden. You’ll just need to be more selective about the plants you choose.

Choose a few of your favorite flowers, and then add some greenery to fill in the space. You can also add more plants as you go along.

2. Decide on a theme.

Once you have a plan for your garden, decide on a theme. This will help you decide on plants and other garden elements.

Some popular themes include:

• Butterfly garden

• Bird garden

• Herb garden

• Moon garden

• Rose garden

• Scented garden

• Water garden

You can also create a theme by color, like a pink garden or a blue garden.

3. Spend plenty of time on the initial plan.

The first step in creating an English cottage garden is to spend time on the initial design.

This is not a garden you can just throw together and expect it to look good.

An English cottage garden is a well-thought-out design that looks like it’s been there forever.

It should include everything from the layout of the beds, the types of plants you’ll use, and how you’ll group them.

Make sure to take into consideration the amount of space you have, the sun exposure, and your soil type when planning your garden.

4. Remember

This is a big one. If you take anything away from this list, let it be this. Remember that gardening is a process.

It’s okay to make mistakes.

It’s okay to change things.

It’s okay to have a vision in your mind and not have it look that way in real life.

It’s okay to ask for help.

It’s okay to not know everything.

It’s okay to have a garden that looks more like a wildflower patch. Run your own race and don’t compare your garden to anyone else’s.

the more plants you have

I know, I know. It’s counterintuitive, but the more plants you have, the less work you’ll have to do.

This is because there isn’t any soil exposed for weeds to take root in, and the plants help to shade out weeds.

This is one of the reasons why I like to fill in empty spaces in my garden with annuals.

The only problem with this is that I end up buying a lot of plants.

I mean, A LOT.

I’m talking hundreds of plants.

But I can’t help it.

I just love plants.

And I guess you could say I’m a bit of a plant hoarder.

But I digress.

If you’re not as obsessed with plants as I am, you can still achieve a lush look in your garden by planting in groups of three or five.

This will help to fill in your garden more quickly without breaking the bank.

the more maintenance there is.

I think it’s important to talk about the amount of work that goes into a garden like this because when you look at the pictures,

it looks like a dream. But in reality, there is a lot of work that goes into it.

If you’re looking for a low-maintenance garden, this is not the garden for you.

If you love the look of a cottage garden, but you don’t want to put in the time and effort,

I would suggest a smaller garden or a container garden that has a similar look.

But if you’re someone who loves to garden and you love the look of a cottage garden, then this is the garden for you!

5. Start with plants that are already established.

While it can be tempting to start with seeds, you’ll have a lot more success if you start with small plants that are already established.

Look for plants that are around six inches tall and have a good root system. You can find these plants at your local garden center or nursery.

Starting with established plants will help you get your garden off to a good start and will save you a lot of time and effort.

6. Leave some areas of your garden wild.

One of the things I love most about the English cottage garden style is that it looks so natural and unstructured.

In reality, a lot of work goes into making these gardens look wild and overgrown!

If you want to create the look of a wildflower meadow, you can let some areas of your garden grow a little more freely.

I like to let my garden beds spill over onto the pathways, and I don’t worry too much about keeping the plants contained.

If you want to go for a more structured look, you can use a mix of annuals and perennials to create a more defined garden space.

One of the best things about the cottage garden style is that it’s so forgiving.

Whether you have a lot of space to work with or just a small plot of land, you can create a beautiful garden that reflects your personality and tastes.

7. Do some research.

The English cottage garden is a well-established style, and you can find a plethora of information about it in books, online, and at public gardens.

If you are new to gardening, you might not know what some of the plants are that you see in the gardens you like.

Don’t be afraid to ask the gardeners or take a photo of the plant and bring it to your local garden center. They can help you identify it.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you will get out there and start your English Cottage Garden. It will take a little time to get your garden established, but once it is, you will have a beautiful, low maintenance garden that you can enjoy for years to come.