I forgot I have 2 miniature climbing roses..1 pink does pretty good, one yellow, (Maybe lady banks) not so good. Both on square trellises

Hi Sandy, I am in Tampa and have a cottage garden. It sounds like you have some great foundation trees and some great plants that lend themselves to the cottage garden look. Here's a list of some of the plants I have that do well for me and I am sure would do well for you:

Black-Eyed Susan; Coneflowers (Echinacea); Butterfly Bush; Salvias; Gardenias; Mexican Sage; Verbena; Herbs (Rosemary, Sage, Lavender, Basil, Thyme, Oregano); Jatropha; Porterweed; Phlox; Roses (esp. climbing, old garden, china and noisette varieties).

I'm sure there are tons more that I am forgetting. Anyway, I think the key is to plant what you like and let your imagination run wild. I would "Google" cottage gardens and you'll get lots of pics that will help you get started.

You have a large area to plant in so you could do several large beds with a mixture of perennials, roses and herbs. I think you would do well by focusing on plants that attract butterflys, bees and birds as those plants always fit in a cottage garden. Maybe think about connecting the beds by gravel or mulched pathways or some stepping stones. Also, I have bird feeders and bird houses in my yard and they add whimsy to the garden.

Keep your eye out for clearance sales at some of the big box stores. I picked up some finch feeders a few weeks back for $3 each and some metal watering cans for $.60. They can be placed in the garden in different areas for a cottage look. I also got a wooden wheelbarrow planter at Kirkland's for $9. Also, go to garage sales and dollar stores because you can find treasures. Oh, and look on e-bay, too.

Gosh, I could write pages and pages on this. I hope this helps get things kicked off for you. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can offer anything else. Maybe send some pics from my yard?

Thanks so much!! Funny I just sent you an email asking about provence lavender then come to this forum and see your reply. I think what I need most of is patience *s*
My husband accuses me of wanting an "instant garden" and he is probably right. Some pics of your garden would be wonderful. Also think just getting started is the key...working on one section at a time maybe. I have an antique planter leaning against my oak tree I am going to plant something in which will 'flow' over the sides. Any suggestions? I am also looking for suggestions for roses..I have 2 Don Juans which have beautiful flowers but they look a little thin foliage wise. I would like something on a large bush with lots of foliage, and lots of roses with great fragrance. Is that asking too much? At least I am started in my mind.

I don't know if this will be of any help but... the way I laid out my garden was focusing on one area at a time, when I was satisfied with it I tried to visualize what I should do to make it flow into the next little area and so on. Lot's of constructive staring, a comfortable chair or was it the glass of wine that helped, maybe all three?
There are so many beautiful gardens and very talented gardeners in this forum. Each one of us has their own ideas of what makes a cottage garden, all a little different but beautiful in their own right. Look through the photo's posted here and in the gallery, pick out the things you like and put your own stamp on it. It takes a bit of time but I'm sure you will create your dream garden.

Annette

I also started by doing a small area at a time. This farm has never seen a flower or a shrub until I moved in lol. First I tackled the foundation area along the south side of the house since it faced into the farm yard and since guests would see this side most frequently. Next I added a brick sidewalk from the house to the driveway. Third I tore up the weeds and ground on the west side of the sidewalk, composted heavily with aged manure and then planted my vegie garden there. That allowed that space to mellow for a year and the following year I planted my cottage garden. It's still a work in progress. I have since added two more large beds. I'm just kind of working my way around the yard. I plant vegies in new beds the first year and replant them to flowers the second year. It's working very well for me and slowly but surely I'm getting control over this giant weed patch. Maybe that same kind of approach would work for you in your situation?? Good Luck and enjoy the process!

MeMo

You've got a pretty big area there. If you don't have much time, don't go overboard on your plantings. I love cottage gardens and have a only 1/6 acre - about 2200 sq.ft. in planted beds, the rest house/hardscape. It takes a good chunk of time on a regular basis to keep things looking good! I don't mean to discourage you, but there's nothing more frustrating than having a vision but not the time or money to both implement it AND keep it looking good going forward.

I agree it sounds like you have good structural plantings. What do you want to do outside? Hardscape is expensive, but once in, allows you to both use and enjoy your garden plantings. You want to avoid wasting the work of installing plants, but then deciding that spot would make the perfect 'hammock in the shade' area, and having to move things around unnecessarily.

Create a garden bed - maybe the first one should be right where you are looking out the window. See how it does - some plants will do great, others will crash and burn on you. Some may become thugs and try to crush their neighbors.

Think about where you want a second bed. Then think hard about how the two should be visually connected, both in terms of plants and also in terms of the overall scale and layout of your entire sightline.

Do you have a good idea of how to layer your beds into tall/medium/low plants? How to select for interesting foliage - flowers come and go, but foliage is what makes or breaks an interesting bedding scheme for year-round pleasure.

Is your soil properly prepared? The old adage of spending 90 cents on soil and 10 cents on plants still holds true. Good soil prep means the difference between a garden that looks terrific in a year and one that is three years old but still limping along.

Do you have the infrastructure for easily watering such a large lot? If not, some planning can avoid problems beforehand.

Take your time. Gardening is for the patient, and if you aren't, it will TEACH you patience, LOL!

Good luck!

I ought to know better than to go against the trend here - almost everyone who posts here is a better, more experienced garden than I am. But I'm gonna.

My dh and I moved "to the country" a few years ago...to a 5 acre property that is mostly dense woods with a double wide in the one cleared area. Picture LOTS of scrub oak, wannabe hickory and long needle pine. The house is o.k. inside - outside it's VERY, VERY long and very boring. And it was graced by dull, dark green shrubs that I shovel pruned last year.

What I've done is get ahead of myself. I planted a lot of things I brought with me from the last (gorgeous, lush) garden before I did any amendments. Poor things have struggled but then, so have I. I simply HAD to have something growing. And since then I have looked at the BIG picture. I wanted to get the shape of things working and I think...maybe...this year it will really work. This will be the third summer and between the poor struggling transplants, the ones I've bought, and the wintersowed bounty I may just have a respectable garden this year.

The important thing - to me - is the shape of it. I completely changed the way the beds are laid out. It was all straight and cramped before and I don't want that because the house is so unrelieved straight (and long). Here is a photo that may help you visualize it.
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I want a plan. My plan. And gradually I am getting there. My method has been to look at the big picture, lay out the beds and then amend and work on soil development so that things can grow in there. If I did it little by little, one little bed at a time, I'd get lost.

Sandygator, good question. How *do* we start? You have gotten very good suggestions already. Maybe I can add a little. It is a good idea to look at the big picture, but if you're like me, you really don't know what the big picture is. If you do, then you can lay out your beds, even in your mind, and work on one at a time. If you do some research on lasagna gardening, you can work on one while you layer on the next one and have it ready for spring. What you can do is to look at the existing plants, which already are cottagey, and see if you can encircle a couple or 3 of them in a round or figure 8 type shape. Then fill in with some new plants, annuals or perennials, stick a bird bath in there, and then mulch it well. you will have an instant island bed and just a couple of those really fill the place in. You can do this around a tree too, go big. I would investigate old garden or antique roses. I love the Antique Rose Emporium online. One last thing: enjoy the process! I have a hard time doing this, because I want it all done fast! I had a lush garden but had to move to a blank slate and it was very hard. But enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the birds, put some feeders out, and some bird houses. Enjoy the little wildflowers that pop up in the less-than-perfect lawn, even the dandelions are pretty. I also second the idea of a comfortable chair or hammock and a glass of wine. A cup of coffee or tea works too.
laurie

I think it's a good idea to have a general long range plan of what you want your garden to be. Go to the library, check out some garden books that are heavy on the photos of original gardens and dream a little as you read them. While you're doing that, analyze your site. Walk around, notice where the light and shadows are, notice where the views and vistas are and try to envision how you'd like to utilize the space. Which area is most pleasant to you? Which one is cool enough or warm enough to enjoy at the proper time of day that you want to be in the garden? Where would be a pleasant place to sit? What would you like to see out of your house windows? Where would you like to create privacy? With that large of a lot you could have multiple garden rooms, or different seating areas, or whatever. Don't be limited by what the neighbors are doing...try to envision a dream garden and then sketch out a plan how you might get there in 5 to 10 years. After you have your plan sketched out pick out an area you'd like to develop first. Build a border or bed with one of your existing trees as a focal point and make sure you make the bed large enough and deep enough to make an impact. To get a lush look you need to layer your plants and not have one little row of soldiers. Put in any backbone shrub/evergreen type things you want and get them started growing. After that just start filling in with your perennials and annuals. Go to local plant sales, ask for divisions from friends with gardens, and look for sales and bargains at big box stores. When you buy a gallon perennial of a clumping plant, look for one that you can divide into three right off the bat. In good new soil amended with compost and organic fertilizer they will grow quite well very quickly. Also, as you're starting to develop your garden, it may be a good idea to invest up front in any trees you envision and get them started right away. It's not necessarily the most fun part when what you really want to do is buy and plant flowers which are fun, but in the end, it is a good thing to get the framework and foundation of the garden started as it will take time to develop. Also, planning for paths and things and developiing beds around them even if you may have to finish off the paths or patios or whatever later. I have three unfinished seating areas in my garden that are only soil now with plantings around them, but when I can finally afford to hardscape the way I want to it will (hopefully) look finished. Most of us are on some kind of budget so having an overall general plan and working it in stages is essential. Also, if you're new to plants, find a few good garden books for your region that tell you what type of plants will be successful in your area and with your growing conditions. Whatever you do, just enjoy having your dreams, and enjoy what your are creating as you do it! I would kill for 3/4 acre by the way...I'm on 7500 SQ with a house on it! Good luck and have fun with it and don't forget to post your pictures as you go.

I garden close enough to North Florida that the Georgia Native Plant Society gave our region to the Florida Native Plant Society because our plants don't thrive in Atlanta, or was it the other way 'round?

Start with what you know. If you can grow gerberas, you're a gardener. Build on that. Plant other flowers that are South African natives. Search for web sites of University of Florida, TAMU and Mississippi State for plants that will thrive for you and combinations that work.

Build up your soil first. If you're near Quincy, you can get mushroom compost by the pickup load. If you're near the Alabama or Georgia line, you can go to a cotton gin and get composted gin trash -- the compost is free, trucking is dear, or they may lend you a trailer to haul it. There are many other compostable alternatives. I hauled peanut hay out of a field this fall -- you should see the magnificent weeds growing under that! Lots of mulch will be helpful for your garden as it builds the soil as it protects the roots and keeps down weeds.

There are great suggestions in previous posts for dividing plants to make more plants. Growing your own plants from cuttings, seeds and bulbs are economical. You'll need patience, but it pays. You may be surprised what natives turn up on your property. I suddenly have corydalis, brought by ants, or perhaps fairies? I found sisyrinchium at woods' edge. Keep your eyes open. Dogwood trees are easy from seeds.

Go to plant sales, such as those of Daylily Clubs and other plant groups. Talk to them about what they have for sale. Read regional gardening books. There's a great book called something like 'Gardening with Perennials in the Coastal South' that I found at the library; most helpful. Think about what works: gingers instead of hostas, vitex instead of lilacs.

Here's a link to how I built some island beds and how quickly they were garden-like. There are links to some other garden pictures, too. Perhaps you can see something that will give you an idea.

Nell

E-mail me if you have questions. Oh, Roses. My best fragrance is from Rose de Rescht and Reine des Violettes. Toughest roses I know aside from Knockout are Climbing Peace and Queen Elizabeth. My very favorite is a pink floribunda, Gene Boerner. I made another Island bed last fall. I've planted Eclipse roses and the rose formerly known as Nacogdoches, to be released next year by TAMU as 'Grandma's Yellow Rose,' along with daffodils, yellow daylilies, blackeyed Susans and calendulas from seed and other goodies including spiderwort, which grows wild in the yard anyhow.

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Here is a link that might be useful: How I Built My Island Beds.

Thanks so much to all of you for the ideas as well as the encouragement! I am so enjoying sitting in my yard with my hubby and a sketch pad...the coral honeysuckle which I just threw in a pot a few years ago before we moved away is all over my porch railing and the humming birds have been so busy in it! I also live in a long straight mobile home and lindakimy's curved bed in front is a great idea!
I have also found myself collecting "things" to add along the way..an old small wooden ladder, a fat antique tea pot without a lid (trying to decide what to put in it) a half whiskey barrel water garden..I was definitely guilty of the 'soilders in a row' so am trying to forget that approach.
I will definitely record my progress in pix.
I am going now to cover my newly sprouted morning glories and moon flower vines...ONE MORE cold snap.
Sandy

There used to be a photo on Garden Junk of a lidless teapot hung by the handle so that the spout tipped over enough for the soil to drain. She planted a Christmas cactus (or similar cactus) in it.

She allowed me to publish the photo on one of my websites. Some of you may remember 'Nigella.'

Here is a link that might be useful: Planted Teapot

foxesearth, that is a great idea for the teapot! Mine is similarly shaped. Also I was wondering if you are close enough to Gainesville (Fl) to attend Kanapaha Botanical Garden's Annual Spring Garden Festival? I love the place but never went for the festival...and plant sale!! Hubby will not let me take the truck )-:

Here is a link that might be useful: Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

Oh, Sandy, that would be a treat! It's a long way from here to Gainesville, more than a hundred miles. I'm north of Tallahassee, at the center of the universe, where everything is at least 60 miles away, in 3 states.

I really don't need to be wandering off to where more plants are available, but I would take the truck, heh, heh.

Make a list before you go so it will be less overwhelming. I make lots of negative item lists: 'No More Tulip Bulbs,' 'Purple, not Red,' 'Evergreen, not deciduous for the front beds,' 'Natives are better than exotics, when possible' (an example of how I decided whether to plant more dogwoods vs. non-native small trees).
Nell

Sandygator, I have a sister that lives pretty close to Gainsville. I passed your link on to her just in case she was unaware of the Festival. She teaches horticulture to at risk youth at a state facility. She has more gardening talent in her pinky finger than I have in my whole body. Thanks for sharing the link!

MeMo