In the days of old England , many of the workers in small villages were called Peasants and they would own small houses with very small gardens. These gardens would have to supply the family with all of their gardening needs. The kitchen garden would consist of vegetables and mixed fruits. In amongst this array of produce they would also grow flowers. The most popular flowers would be hollyhocks, delphiniums, daisies and also an array of herbs, mint being one of the most popular.
With their mystical charm and abundance of scents, English Cottage Gardens exhibited a style that evolved through the necessity of the times. Many families would have gone hungry if they had not had the benefit of their home grown produce.
Unlike the peasant gardens, the gardens of the landowners or gentry would be very formal with box hedges, straight lines, stone paths and many with wonderful statues depicting the gods of ancient times. They would also have fountains with water flowing into a lake or pond. They were considered by some to be classic with their order and discipline.
When the more romantic influence came into being, plants were considered to affect us emotionally, and the cottage garden was born out of this movement. One of the most famous cottage gardens was designed by the French impressionist Painter, Claude Monet, (1840-1926).
The cottage gardens, with their abundance of roses, growing over fences, their vine covered arbors with flowers climbing towards the sun, are now emulated in North America . Their informal style of tall wonderful perennials many battling it out for space in the back of the borders creating a profusion of textures and substance, the smaller plants in the front of the borders determined to lift their heads to the sun, not to be outdone by their taller cousins, all this creates a palette of color, that would be very hard to outdo.
The other advantage to having this kind of garden is it reduces the amount of weeds that grow as the branching out of the plants hides the sun from getting through to the ground and therefore snuffs out the chances of weeds germinating.
To create a cottage garden, don't be afraid to plant seeds close together as this creates the effect you are looking for. Go for a variety of shapes, plant feathery plants amidst spiky ones, use bold leaf plants with delicate ones, put a sprawling plant next to an upright one.
The best rule of thumb is to plant tall at the back and short in the front of your borders, And medium height plants in the middle. In most cases, try to plant in odd numbers of three or five etc and in very large borders try groupings of up to seven or nine of the same plant, this gives depth and structure to your borders. Also keep foliage in mind, some gardeners say that foliage is more important than blooms.
In the end it all comes down to personal taste, but whether you like straight line gardening, formal gardening or cottage gardening, get your hands dirty, and have fun!
Suggested Cottage Garden
Old-fashioned roses in a cottage garden scheme
This border is inspired by some of the old cottage gardens, and as well as the old-fashioned roses, it also contains a mixture of herbaceous perennials. The colour range uses pinks, yellows, strong purples and lavenders. This border will give you a cheerful, long-lasting border from spring to the end of summer, but it will look bare in winter when it all dies down. You will need a sunny spot, and don't forget to dig in lots of organic matter like well-rotted farm manure before you start to plant.
Key to border plan
A. Rose 'William Lobb'
B. Verbena bonariensis
C. Digitalis purpurea 'Giant Spotted'
D. Rose 'Fantin-Latour'
E. Euphorbia subsp. wulfenii 'Lambrook Gold'
F. Eryngium planum 'Fluela'
G. Astrantia major 'Rubra'
H. Geranium sylvaticum 'Mayflower'
I. Bupthalmum salicifolium
J. Rosa mundi
K. Stachys byzantina 'Big Ears'
L. Delphinium 'Black Knight'
M. Oenothera speciosa 'Siskiyou'
N. Lavandula angustifolia
O. Achillea filipendulina 'Cloth of Gold'
| CODE |
PLANT |
COMMENTS |
SIZE |
QTY |
|
|
|
|
|
| A |
Rosa 'William Lobb' |
sumptuous lavender flowers |
4lt |
1 |
| B |
Verbena bonariensis |
tall lilac-purple flowers |
2lt |
5 |
| C |
Digitalis purpurea 'Giant Spotted' |
long-lasting flower spikes |
2lt |
5 |
| D |
Rosa 'Fantin-Latour' |
deliciously scented |
4lt |
1 |
| E |
Euphorbia subsp. wulfenii 'Lambrook Gold' |
fantastic foliage |
2lt |
1 |
| F |
Eryngium planum 'Fluela' |
rich blue flower-heads |
2lt |
5 |
| G |
Astrantia major 'Rubra' |
flowers that can be dried |
2lt |
5 |
| H |
Geranium sylvaticum 'Mayflower' |
a carpet of vivid purple |
2lt |
3 |
| I |
Bupthalmum salicifolium |
deep yellow daisy flowers |
9cm |
1 |
| J |
Rosa mundi |
crimson and white stripes |
4lt |
1 |
| K |
Stachys byzantina 'Big Ears' |
soft, silvery foliage |
3lt |
3 |
| L |
Delphinium 'Black Knight' |
deep blue flower-spikes |
2lt |
3 |
| M |
Oenothera speciosa 'Siskiyou' |
pale pink groundcover |
2lt |
3 |
| N |
Lavandula angustifolia |
a cottage garden favourite |
2lt |
1 |
| O |
Achillea filipendulina 'Cloth of Gold' |
unusual yellow flowers |
1lt |
5 |
