Achocolate-box house and a riot of colour... how cottage gardens have blossomed for over 700 years
NOWHERE in the world is there anything quite like the English cottage garden’. Not my words, but those of influential 20th Century gardener and author Margery Fish, taken from Cottage Garden Flowers, published in 1961. Apart from changing the word ‘English’ to ‘British’ for inclusivity’s sake, I wholeheartedly agree with her statement.
If truth be told, few sights are as likely to result in me going weak at the knees in summer as a traditional cottage garden. Wrapped around a charming chocolate-box house, these spaces boast a striking jumble of roses, shrubs, perennials, bulbs and climbers and are brimming with activity from bees, butterflies and birds.
The bucolic look that’s admired by gardeners around the world is perfectly recorded in the watercolours of Victorian artist Helen Allingham. She travelled the countryside painting picturesque thatched cottages clad
The look can be adapted to suit a property in a city – or the middle of nowhere
in climbing roses, and gardens full of lupins, sunflowers, hollyhocks and apple trees.
Despite being closely associated with plots surrounding period homes in rural locations, the cottage garden look can be adapted to suit any type of property, whether in the city or in the middle of nowhere.
Those with tiny spaces can even capture the essence of one by growing a few cottage-garden classics in a container.
Cottage gardens have their origins in the 14th Century, when tenant farmers used the land around their dwellings to grow their own fruit, vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants.
There was no real structure to these spaces, with different types of plants crammed in closely together and everything allowed to self-seed.
These early examples were put together largely for self-sufficiency, but gardens became more ornamental in the 19th Century following the arrival of vibrant plant species from overseas.
Plots were given a stronger structure, plants arranged more thoughtfully, and gardens used for pleasure, not just out of necessity.
Mention cottage gardens and most people will think about a mass of plants jostling together, but it’s important that spaces have a defined layout to prevent things looking too chaotic. Keep the design simple, as the aim is to create a garden that looks relaxed, romantic and informal, and not at all regimented or fussy.
Install paths using materials that suit the look, such as bricks, flagstones, gravel or grass.
Straight lines are a bit formal, so allow paths to meander, breaking up planting areas and giving access to different parts of the garden, whether it’s a lawn, vegetable patch or a space used for outdoor dining.
Upright features are essential elements. Apart from adding vertical interest, structures like arbours, arches and pergolas can be used to divide the garden into ‘rooms’, act as focal points and add a sense of flow.
Don’t go mad, though. A few features are fine, but too many will leave your plot looking like a theme park.
Delphiniums, hollyhocks, lupins and other upright perennials are classic cottage-garden plants. Use them to provide a backdrop for phlox, aquilegias and campanulas, setting hardy geraniums, pinks and other low-growing, floppy things at the front.
In autumn, plant spring-flowering
bulbs for an early shot of colour. For maximum impact, set plants in odd numbers, in groups of three, five and so on, and ignore planting convention on spacing – place closer than suggested on labels to allow everything to knit together quickly, helping to hide bare patches of soil and creating a relaxed and maturelooking display.
Dot in the occasional shrub to extend the season of interest and provide structure before perennials get going.
Philadelphus, shrub roses, hardy fuchsias, syringas and hydrangeas are all ideal.
Remember to use upright structures to support scented climbers, such as wisteria, honeysuckle and jasmine.
As for maintaining a cottage garden, be prepared to put some effort into their upkeep. Many perennials will require staking early in the season, dead-heading over summer and cutting back in autumn or spring. Every three to five years, lift and divide congested clumps to keep them floriferous and within bounds.