8 Strategies for Crafting a Blossom-Abundant Cottage Garden Scenery
Creating a Pristine Paradise? Nah, Thanks! Tracie Fish prefers a more laid-back approach to gardening, transforming her family's cottage-style garden into a charming, chaotic oasis. Her garden is overflowing with nostalgic plants, flea market finds, and moss-covered flagstone paths.
Line Your Path with Blooms
In the spirit of cottage garden style, Fish advocates planting a variety of flowers in layers for maximum impact. Her garden path is lined with lady's mantle, purple columbine, lavender, and Sarah Bernhardt peonies to add structure amidst the 'chaos' she loves.
Zone Out
Fish smartly separates her garden into distinct areas by positioning archways as entrances and varying the ground cover materials. Start with the structures, like a picket fence, metal arches, or a quaint chicken coop, then add the flowers.
Encourage Self-Seeding
Alyssums, cosmos, and larkspurs are self-sowing annuals that Fish plant in her garden, allowing them to drop their seeds and pop up next year in random places. It's nature's way of adding a wild touch to her cozy space.
Make a View
Romantic and charming, Fish's back patio is designed to capture views of the lush lawn and perennial borders, while framed by boxwood orbs for an enclosed garden room vibe. Mix rustic-modern furnishings like sleek but aged metal cafe chairs and a wooden dining table.
Roses Red and Roses Blue
Combining old and new rose varieties ensures maximum fragrance and stunning blooms. Antique rose varieties, like those from local plant sales or online sources, can be introduced, while more modern, disease-resistant hybrids provide a modern twist.
Vertical Interest
Add height and drama to your garden borders with tuteurs - French for supports. These structures can help plants like climbing roses and clematis reach new heights and give you something to admire even when flowers aren't blooming.
Take a Breather
To provide visual breaks from the garden's vibrant colors, Fish uses white and green. Alongside a classic white picket fence, a path of green boxwood and white columbines leads to the next exquisite garden scene.
Flea Market Finds
While Fish loves the aged look flea market treasures bring, she knows the difference between an eye-catching focal point and clutter. Her garden features only a few select vintage birdhouses and chippy cement planters.
Creating a space that embodies the spirit of cottage gardens means embracing a 'freewheeling abundance of flowers and vintage structures.' With Fish's tips, you too can cultivate a charming and cozy corner that evokes the essence of a classic cottage garden.
- Tracie Fish recommends planting a variety of flowers in layers for maximum impact, with her garden path lined with lady's mantle, purple columbine, lavender, and Sarah Bernhardt peonies.
- Fish separates her garden into distinct areas using structures like picket fences, metal arches, or a quaint chicken coop, followed by adding flowers.
- Alyssums, cosmos, and larkspurs are self-sowing annuals that Fish plants in her garden, allowing them to drop their seeds and pop up next year in random places.
- Fish designs her back patio to capture views of the lush lawn and perennial borders, framed by boxwood orbs for an enclosed garden room vibe, and mixes rustic-modern furnishings.
