How did you start your Cottage Garden?
sweetbeanmama
11 years ago
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organic_kitten
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agomemo3
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
How long did it take you to finish your garden design?
Comments (20)I have had tomatoes, basil etc for many years. The year before last, we took out a grassy area in the "courtyard", rented a tiller, bought lots of topsoil and compost and put in a garden. Everyone laughed, as I drew up a "to scale" drawing and layed out the garden in anticipation of the spring planting. When I planted last year, I probably changed things 5 times. Again, this winter, I layed out a "to scale" drawing, and again, I changed things 5 times. It's coming along. The herbs are starting to look like an English cottage garden. The vegetables are at home. It is a happy place. Will it ever be finished? No way!!...See MoreHow do you decide where to start your butterfly garden?
Comments (4)Like Miss Sherry says, ultimately a sunny spot is best. Here are a few things to consider( I am writing this assuming that you are a newbie, if not skip); 1. Decide what butterflies you want to attract. Do a little research and find out what species are in your area. It wont do you any good to plant lupines to attract karner blues if they are not in your area. 2. Determine what species of plant attracts those butterflies. This is important. Many of us plant host plants. If you are not familiar with host plants vs. nectar plants, again do a little research (a good butterfly book is a great place to start). Often times you will not get certain species without planting host plants (question marks, zebra swallowtails, etc.). 3. Many of the host plants have differing cultural requirements (this does not mean some like modern art and some like art on velvet). This means some like wet soils, some like dry, some like sun, some like shade, etc. This will determine placement. 4. Most nectar plants, not all, like a lot of sun. Nectar plants need a good dose of sun and water to produce healthy amounts of nectar. 5. Place the garden where you can enjoy it. Next to a patio or provide some seating. 6. I wouldn't place it near a bird feeder. 7. It should have some protection from wind. 8. It shouldn't be near automatic sprinklers. Up to 90% of eggs and first instar caterpillars are lost and many of these are lost to rain. So, a good dose of watering from above can kill caterpillars. A good book to start is "The Life Cycles of Butterflies" by Wayne Richards and Judy Burris. Hope that helps, Elisabeth...See More12 plants you have to have in your Cottage Garden...
Comments (52)Thanks everyone, I'm sure these lists are going to be of help to others as well as myself. It's really nice seeing what everybody is growing, different zones different plants, some I can't grow in the ground but some I can grow in a container for a punch of color then put in the greenhouse for winter protection. From all the contributions Nell has done a survey of what the top 12 plants for a cottage garden are, the ones with the most votes seem to be the favorites, this will be a big help to anyone starting out with a blank slate. It also helps those of us that are still looking for good choices to add to our cottage gardens. If anyone thinks of more to add to this list feel free to do so. I have got some of the plants mentioned above, I'll be selecting more from these lists to add to my garden. I'll post a picture if and when it looks half decent. Annette...See Morestart planning NOW... how will you protect your garden next week?
Comments (30)"TAKING A LOOK AHEAD TO THE WELL ADVERTISED COLD FRONT ON NEW YEARS DAY - THIS WILL BRING THE COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON TO THE AREA. IF FCST LOWS VERIFY THU MORNING...IT WILL BE THE COLDEST SINCE FEB 19TH 2007. IT WILL FEEL EVEN COLDER GIVEN THE VERY WARM DECEMBER WE`VE BEEN EXPERIENCING. OF MOST CONCERN WITH THIS FRONT IS THE CONTINUED DISTINCT FREEZE POSSIBILITY FOR NORTHERN INTERIOR AREAS....GLADES/HENDRY/INTERIOR COLLIER/WESTERN PALM BEACH COUNTIES. MOST PRONE IS GLADES/HENDRY. PARAMETERS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST FREEZING TEMPS ARE POSSIBLE THU MORNING. 12Z MEXMOS IS QUITE AN EYE OPENER...DEPICTING 26 AT PUNTA GORDA THU MORNING! UPDATED THE FREEZE OUTLOOK WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN WORDING AS THIS IS STILL OVER 3 DAYS AWAY AND A FEW DEGREES WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD...BUT ODDS AT LEAST AT THIS POINT IN TIME SEEM TO BE FAVORING A FREEZE FOR AT LEAST PARTS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. STAY TUNED. /GREGORIA " So it looks like Miami will stay above 40? 18z GFS (American weather model) is spitting out a low of 47F for Miami, so we shall see. Its going to feel cold! Last night low in Miami was what, 74F...crazy!...See Moredocmom_gw
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