A cottage garden is not complete without....(fill in the blank)

15 years ago

I'm new to this and am just getting started (I have ALWAYS wanted a cottage garden) I'm curious...to you, a cottage garden is not complete without WHAT?

Looking forward to your responses. :)

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Comments (39)

gottagarden
15 years ago
Fragrance, butterflies, weeds :-)
irene_dsc
15 years ago
An open attitude to what makes a cottage garden? ;)
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mmqchdygg
15 years ago
Def open mind...If you found GW, you know that there IS life outside the sterile Petunia & Marigold world of the local nurseries, and your willingness to try anything will be pleasantly rewarded! I would never have dreamed of using certain 'herbs' in my gardens, but there are some now that I will never be without! (Valerian!!!)
Mickie Marquis
15 years ago
Free flowering plants; reseeders; butterflies, a happy gardener and all surrounded by a nice open fence for mystique!

Mickie
natalie4b
15 years ago
A cat, walking and sniffing around, and occasionally proudly bringing a dead mouse inside.
FlowerLady6
15 years ago
Roses, herbs, flowering vines, a bench or two, a water feature or two, an arbor, a gate, whatever you wish. There are no rules.

FlowerLady
seamommy
15 years ago
Roses, phlox, hydrangeas, fennel, hollyhocks and all things tall, blowsy, scented and blooming. A mixture of colors and textures, waves of blooms, a profusion of flower petals. Yellow pear tomato vine, golden, sweet and warm little fruits to nibble on while gardening. A quiet gurgle of water dripping from one stone surface to another, as a backdrop to the sound of a mockingbird singing on the fencepost and the whisper of the wind in the tree branches. A swath of warm green grass soft as velvet on the little pink feet of children as they play. Their laughter like bubbles rising out of an alpine spring. Daisy chains. A hammock. Cheryl
christinmk z5b eastern WA
15 years ago
A sense of humor.

Because theres no telling what will happen in a Cottage Garden! Something will not go the way you planned, you will incounter an invasive plant that threatens world-domination, a beloved shrub will die, things will pop up that do not do with the 'scheme' of things. So go with the flow and keep an open mind.
Happy Cottage Gardening!
CMK
luckygal
15 years ago
Curving edges (few straight lines), mix of plants - trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vines, herbs, ground covers, maybe even a few veggie plants interspersed, birdfeeder and birdbath, large birdhouse, a bit of grass to rest the eye, stone or interesting stepping stones.

So many lovely things to choose from so every garden is a complete original.
bearcat73
Original Author
15 years ago
seamommy! That was beautifully poetic! Did you write that yourself?
keesha2006
15 years ago
a chair...

a gate

and a family pet wandering...cat dog..ect..
memo3
15 years ago
A little blood, a lot of sweat and sometimes, even a few tears.

MeMo
plantmaven
15 years ago
Hollyhocks, which I have trouble growing, are common in old cottage garden photos.
marcy3459
15 years ago
An old rose growing on a picket fence and irises hiding the rose's feet.
mulchy
15 years ago
A nice big cluster of sweet williams!!!!
midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
15 years ago
A cat, or a dog.....a plant that is totally out of control....

Nancy.
PRO
Nell Jean
15 years ago
How about a cat and a dog, completely out of control, Nancy? I already had trouble with the cat helping; now the puppy wants to help.

What completes my cottage garden is seedling petunias. My mother used to call the nearly wild petunias that bloom in white. lavender and sometimes near purple, 'Washpot petunias.' In my garden, those have been replaced by 'Laura Bush' petunias which freely reseed and are wonderful magenta, blooming all spring and summer.

Nell
DYH
15 years ago
a cottage gardener.
frogview00
15 years ago
Cameron, you stole my thought. But I was going to say " the shadow of the gardener".
rosewitch
15 years ago
all your favorite plants, wildlife and you, the gardener.
Kat
Annie
15 years ago
ROSES....
{{gwi:637919}}

Climbing,
Clambering,
Rambling,
Bushy,
Thorny,
Flowering,
Colorful,
Fragrant ROSES!!!

In pots,
In the ground;
Up trees;
Down banks;
Fanned on fences;
Tumbling over a wall;
Framing a doorway;
Covering an arbor;
Across a trellis;
Trained on a pillar;
Colonized with others within a bed;
Or Standing alone as a glorious specimen...ROSES, heavenly Roses!!!

Pinks and yellows;
Reds, whites & blues;
Creams, Purples, Orange & Mauve;
Cerise, Apricot, and Blends;
Roses of all colors, even Green;
Roses...colorful Roses!!!

Mosses, Floribundas, Polyanthas, Shrubs;
Old Garden Roses, Musks, Chinas,
Damask and Teas;
Climbers, Bucks, Species and Ramblers;
Minis, Hybrids, Austins & Trained up as Trees;
Noisettes and Bourbons,
Albas, Gallicas, Rugosas and All,
Climbers, Shrubs, Pillars, from Tiny to Tall.

Nothing conjures up a vision of an Old Cottage Garden like ROSES!!!
{{gwi:637920}}
mayblooms
15 years ago
The first thing that came to mind is a picket fence and hollyhocks...and roses!
FlowerLady6
15 years ago
Annie ~ Your are a girl after my own heart. I can't have enough roses, although I've stopped buying them as they are expensive. Have gotten some cuttings and babies from other gardeners, plus make more plants from my own cuttings of favorites in my gardens. But, the 'wish I had' list is long, if you know what I mean.

FlowerLady
mrtoad
15 years ago
this could not be the answer you are looking for - but my garden would not be complete without the two friends that stop by at 3:30 for a chat and a cold british ale

mr toad
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
15 years ago
I'm with Brenda on this one only it's in a different order in my garden. Weeds, fragrance, and butterflies, I hope we have a few this year.

Annette
PRO
Nell Jean
15 years ago
A shed, or a barn, or a lath house.

Go see this, just recently posted.

Nell

Here is a link that might be useful: Thin Man's Barn
happyintexas
15 years ago
An arbor, a winding path of stones or mulch, lots and lots and lots of blooms. Color. Butterflies. Bees. Birdhouses and bird baths. Birds.

Ideally, there should be a picket fence, too.

Did I mention lots of colorful blooms?
Annie
15 years ago
FlowerLady,

If I couldn't propagate flowers, I wouldn't have much at all! Most of my garden is planted with divisions or rooted plants, including my roses. And bless my dear friends who share!

I don't have near enough roses for me to call this place a proper cottage garden...not yet anyway. But, God willing and the country doesn't go belly up, I hope to be living in a rose-covered cottage someday, surrounded by a garden filled with sweet smelling roses, rose arbors and rose trellises...and of course Irises. I must have my irises!!

If I could just win a lottery...

~ Annie
midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
15 years ago
Mr. Toad - yes, and if the 3 of you give enough notice, there will be ale and crisps for all. You may be asked to help with a small amount of hardscaping, as in, where do you think this should go,,,, or this.....

Nancy.
flora_uk
15 years ago
Beer - we call it beer. If you go into a pub and ask for ale you'll get a funny look - unless of course you're ordering one of the beers called ales eg pale ale. Otherwise order by name eg a pint of Gem please. But well done on the 'crisps'. And Mr Toad, not TOO cold please. 11 - 13C. (52-55f) As for the original question I would say remember the spring garden. Starting with snowdrops, and moving onto crocuses, daffodils and then tulips. Forget-me-nots to go with the tulips and also wallflowers. The smell is incredibly evocative for me. And I wish petunias would self-sow here. They would be a great addition. We have to grow them as half hardy annuals.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:637918}}
schoolhouse_gw
15 years ago
Nancy, when I first read your reply I thought you meant a toad! Which would have been the cutest and a perfect answer to the OP subject line. Oh but wait - your Mr. Toad probably is perfect and cute! hee hee.
seamommy
15 years ago
Thank you very much Bearcat, yes I did. Cheryl
thinman
15 years ago
Hey Nell, thanks for linking to my little barn building page. I've been getting some visitors from here as a result - it's fun.

ThinMan
cottagegirl_tn
15 years ago
Volunteer plants that pop up in unexpected places, a water source aka a pond, fountain, a fuzzy dog at your side, a rose covered trellis, hollyhocks, peonies, iris, some 1950s metal chairs, a swing and a winding path...just to name a few!
Jen
bekcgarden
15 years ago
Hollyhocks & pinks
westcoastgardener
15 years ago
The original English cottage gardens were practical and grew vegetables and herbs for the cottage kitchen! Flowers were the fillers. Cherry Tomatoes. Lavender. Nepeta. Has anyone said lavender? Lupins. Delphiniums. A nice touch is "elevenses" (morning coffee at 11:00 a.m. with digestive biscuits) and afternoon tea (out of cups, the ones that have saucers) with sconds and jam from that raspberry cane in the corner.
sstephan
15 years ago
Definitely large groupings of color - plant many of one plant in a bed (they say groups of threes - but who cares?)

General controlled chaos is what I think of when I see a "proper" English cottage garden.

Rolling lawns with curving walkways.

Garden "rooms" (did someone mention this?) - creating different areas throughout the garden: a swing, tea table, etc.
misskimmie
15 years ago
Bees! ( Honey Bees)

kim
HerbLady49
15 years ago
Your Best Garden Buddy

{{gwi:637921}}

A cottage garden is not complete without....(fill in the blank)

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