Playing With Cottage Garden Style
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One of the things I like to do in my down time—the little bit that I have—is spend time tending to our new cottage-styled garden.
The key to creating cottage style is to mix colors, allowing your flowers to bloom at different times. Additionally, varying plant heights helps give it that effortless look. As you can see from our home, I’ve always loved the casual feel of cottage style, both inside and outside the home. Being able to invite family and friends over and have them feel they can put their feet up on any piece of furniture makes them comfortable, and gives you as the homeowner peace of mind.
The only enemy we have in the garden is nut grass, so I spend time plucking it out and am about to spray for it in the beds. And although cottage style gardens don’t call for nut grass, they do call for a bit of untidiness and randomness. But the weeds and nut grass must get out!
Incorporating other elements such as decorative stones and river rock can help liven it up as well.
Gardens tend to reflect a bit of what is inside the home as well. If the garden feels warm and welcoming on the outside, the same should hold true when you open the front door.
All of these photos are from our front garden, and I just took the shots minutes ago. It’s a work in progress, but our landscaper who helped create the designs got exactly what I told him, and happened to have dabbled in cottage style gardens when he got his degree.
4 Comments
Lady Frances
Your cottage garden brings me back to the English countryside and Ann Hathaway’s garden in particular.
You have created a sweet spot to relax and enjoy your surroundings. Brilliant!
In fact, our traveling companions can tell you about our experience in Ann’s garden!
Steph's Scribe/Stephanie Verni
It’s funny that the two of you share the same story (see below) and are reminded of it by the look of our gardens. I love that! 🙂
Thanks for the comment and compliment!
Mom
English gardens…and yours too…are Mother Nature’s gift to all of us. The scene in DOWNTON ABBEY with Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton sitting in a blooming garden is so charming. One of these days I’ll have to share a hilarious incident outside of Ann Hathaway’s garden on one of our British jaunts with the Ruoccos.
Steph's Scribe/Stephanie Verni
If I could even come close to Downton Abbey’s gardens…oh, I wish! I love that you and Lady Frances share the same memories of Ann Hathaway’s gardens. (see above…)