|
|
FREE ONLINE HOME GARDEN DESIGN COURSE FROM GARDENZINE.CO.UK |
PART TWO: CHOOSING A STYLE FOR YOUR GARDEN
COTTAGE GARDENS
Cottage gardens are all about the plants. Herbaceous perennials, flowering shrubs, vegetables, herbs, annuals and biennials are all crammed into borders that are positively bursting with colour.
The design of a cottage garden might sometimes be described as chaotic but cottage gardens will benefit from careful planning just like any other style.
Seating areas in cottage gardens will usually be smaller than usual since the emphasis here is on growing plants for the sheer pleasure of growing plants but there will be usually be more than one seating area - places from which to view and appreciate the planting. Paths are rarely straight, often littered with containers and self-seeded annuals between the cracks. Often the plants will spill over the sides of paths all but obscuring them in places.
Planting in the cottage garden is just about anything goes. Roses and other showy flowering plants are likely to dominate and flowering plants are allowed to self-seed wherever they like. Planting combinations are as likely to happen by accident than by design. Scented plants will also be a feature of cottage gardens.
So when it comes to planting up your cottage garden, it couldn't be easier - just buy whatever you like. There is just one rule - no bare spaces, you will have to cram everything in as close as you can and don't be too tidy.
OTHER POPULAR DESIGN STYLES
