How You Can Create a Typical English Cottage Garden

Garden themes come and go just as interior themes can do. The thing with an interior is that you can alter this far more easily than you can a garden which is why it is so important to either choose a theme that you know you will love for years to come or choose one that is timeless. The most popular, the most pretty and the most charming of garden themes that never goes out of fashion has to be the English cottage garden. It fits in well with all sized garden out there and it can be the most achievable too, as you will see from our pointers here…

Patio Area

No English cottage garden is complete without a place to enjoy afternoon tea in the sun. The patio is an important area which not only brings people together, but it also provides a place for you to sit and look at your garden from and is the perfect home for beautiful English plants in pots.

Pots, Pots, Everywhere

You cannot go wrong with a plant pot, in fact, fill your boots! Purchase a variety of sizes, look for vintage styles, look for a mix of styles and fill them with traditional English plants and flowers such as Lavender, Roses, Geraniums, Busy Lizzies, Cosmos and Ivy. Plant pots can be placed around a patio, down pathways, next to a shed or garden cabin and even on the lawn. The great thing about using lots of plant pots is that if you get bored of them being in one area, you can easily move them around and change up the overall look with very little hassle.

Trees

A quaint English cottage garden just has to have a tree of some sort. What you opt for will highly depend on the size of your garden, the space you have been given and how much shade you want to create. Trees don’t have to be overbearing. You could choose ones that group together to form a bush, such as Holly, Fir trees, common box all of which can be regularly trimmed to keep their size down. If size isn’t an issue you can look at more adventurous options such as an apple tree, a silver birch, a willow tree or perhaps even an oak tree? 

Lawn

One of the most iconic things about an English cottage garden is a stunning lawn. Regardless of size, if you can grow a luscious green, healthy lawn and allow wildflowers to grow, your garden will look beautiful all year round.

Rockery

Some people see a rockery as outdated but it has such charm that I have to disagree. The great thing about this garden feature is that you can make it work in any garden and in different ways. You could create a rockery out of a garden wall by planting within the cracks and allowing flowers and plants from the bed to trail down to the new plants below. You could build your rocks up tightly in a corner of the garden and plant between them or you could create a flat rockery in a flower bed by loosely dotting rocks around and planting between them. You could use gravel or bark as a backdrop and allow yourself to get creative with your style. The great thing about rockery plants is that they are perennials so will return year after year.

Pond

There is nothing more tranquil than having water in a garden. If you can create a garden pond with a waterfall, even better! You can sit back and enjoy the relaxing sounds whilst sipping your tea sat on your patio. See how it all ties in?! It doesn’t have to be a large garden pond, just enough to bring more wildlife and insects to your outside space, to give your garden another focal point and to provide the space with more luscious greenery.

Summerhouse

And finally, nothing screams English cottage garden more than a cutesy summerhouse. Think bunting and gingham, a cast iron table and chairs, cute curtains, a reading nook, a cream exterior and window boxes filled with beautiful sweet-smelling lavender. Just perfect. A wonderful place to spend looking over your English cottage garden whilst the sunsets. 

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