by Noelle Bertram | Jan 28, 2022
I have two favorite garden styles: a relaxed, French country garden, & the kind we’ll discuss here ~ a beautiful, flower-filled English cottage garden. If you watch British television shows like “Downton Abbey,” chances are, you’re more familiar with English gardens than you might think. Cottage style is the opposite of minimalist. It signifies the use of MANY flowers, typically in pastel shades instead of primary colors. In this article, I’ll explain how to create a stunning English cottage garden in your own backyard….with plenty of examples & photos for inspiration!
David Austin roses can be used in almost ANY garden zone as a focal point for your cottage garden…
Tiered Fountain
Garden Book
Climbing Roses
- Cottage gardens tend to be more informal, rather than more formal, structured gardens; they have a wild, natural feel to them;
- They utilize MANY plants, densely planted (& closely together), to achieve a feeling of abundance & plenty;
- English cottage gardens in particular exude a feeling of charm & character;
- Perennials OR annuals can be planted in the cottage garden, as well as edibles such as fruit trees, vegetables, or herbs for cooking ~ this was actually the origin of the English cottage garden: as more of a “Kitchen Garden;”
- Meandering pathways are preferred over straight lines & straight paths, & if they lead to a beautiful fountain or bench…even better;
- Some famous English gardens utilize the concept of “Garden Rooms” in their design plan, & this can also be used in a cottage garden, by creating different “vignettes” or seating areas in your yard ~ i.e. having a separate “Herb Garden” surrounded by roses for beauty, next to a raised dining area with table & chairs, etc.
- Best Flowers for the Cottage Garden: Hydrangeas, roses, violets, hollyhocks, romantic wisteria, climbing roses, or any climbing vines, peonies, salvia, geraniums, catmint, lavender, Russian Sage, snapdragons, delphiniums, foxgloves, with various fruit, vegetables, & herbs artfully mixed in.
The color palette here is a near-perfect cottage garden design: mounds of pink roses surround a central fountain, while tall blue delphiniums tower above the far backside of the garden. Photo by Homes & Gardens.
The best way to get a feel for cottage gardens is to see some great examples of them, both in the States & in Britain. Some of the photos include delightful little “She Sheds” ~ if you’re interested in creating one of your own, check out this article.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more exuberant cottage garden than this one!
The profusion of plantings next to a (nearly-hidden) pea gravel path is a wonderful example of cottage-style gardening.
Quintessential cottage-style garden. Photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens.
A meandering pea gravel path leading to a garden bench, surrounded by effusive flower displays IS a true cottage garden. Photo by Cottage Garden.
The best way to create a “Cottage Entrance” to your home is to plant climbing roses right near your front door.
Does this place look familiar? These are the gardens of the real-life Downton Abbey, which combine a more formal style with lower, more dense purple & white plantings. Photo by the Daily Mail.
More from Downton….& the Dowager Countess. Photo by Sunset Magazine.
Pastel-blue hydrangeas all in a row have long been a hallmark of both French country AND cottage garden style…
Learn more about hydrangeas & great plants to pair them with in this article….
A cozy white “She Shed” beckons in the distance of this pretty cottage garden….
A bevy of blue hydrangeas really POP in front of this white cottage home.
A misty morning reveals the beauty of this lovely, densely-planted garden. Photo by Victoria Magazine.
England is famous for its gardens, particularly within the region known as the Cotswolds. The area is surrounded by rolling green hills, pastoral views, with ancient castles sprinkled here & there throughout the landscape. It’s a magical place. Hidcote Manor Garden is one of the most famous gardens in England, & it’s located in the Cotswolds, just outside of quaint Chipping Campden.
Masses of blue hydrangeas surround this humble cottage in Britain’s Cotswolds area.
An absolutely quintessential cottage inn entrance = LOTS of flowers!!
I once took a tour of Hidcote Manor Garden, located in England’s Cotswolds region. It is a must-stop for garden lovers.
Riotous purple flowers, shades of white & yellow, & climbing pink roses in back. Photo by the Financial Times.
I stumbled across this “Hillside Cottage” in the Cotswolds & became enchanted….
More from Hidcote Manor. Photo by the National Trust.
The luscious purple flowers of wisteria are a classic must-have for the cottage garden. In my Zone 6 garden, I’ve purchased no less than FIVE of them. Photo by HGTV.
One final area that provides maximum cottage garden inspiration is the lovely California coastal town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Walking down Ocean Avenue towards Carmel Beach, then jogging off to the left takes you through a maze of some of the loveliest, cottage-style homes you’ll ever see. Take a look….
A quintessential Carmel home, surrounded by flowers.
The stone walls of the home lend a perfect backdrop for the cottage plantings in this front yard.
Hydrangeas are one of the most popular cottage flowers: & they love partial shade, as is shown on the side of this home.
Climbing roses adorn the entryway to this Carmel home…
That’s it for English cottage-style…..I absolutely love photos of these kinds of gardens! Arbors are a great way to add height & privacy to a garden. And personally, I’ve found that my lovely, tiered garden fountain is one of the best purchases I’ve made. It adds such charm & serenity to the garden, the birds love it, & it drowns out the voice of my next-door neighbors (which is why I bought it)!
For more photos of my garden, you can tour in the article below….
xoxo Noelia
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Rebecca F.on March 1, 2022 at 2:49 pm
This article is fantastic! I’ve long been a fan of British television shows like “Downton Abbey” and “Miss Marple,” and one of the reasons I love them so much is for their beautiful gardens. I want to start a small cottage garden of my own, and this is article gives me a good foundation to start from. What has been your best-performing cottage-type flower, and what garden zone are you in? Thanks!
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Noelle Bertramon March 1, 2022 at 3:38 pm
Hi Rebecca, great question! (Side note: I just discovered “Miss Marple” & am LOVING it!! Huge Agatha Christie fan). So far, in my Zone 6 garden, the foxgloves last year did PHEnomenally!! They got so tall (3-4 feet), & were such lovely pastel shades of purple, I just loved them. And they’re such a quintessential “cottage” flower, & match the tone of a soft, pastel-shaded garden. In my front yard (the only place that’s shady enough to grow hydrangeas), I grew some fabulous pink hydrangeas in a pot & they were SO beautiful. But the heat can kill hydrangeas pretty quickly in my zone ~ so you really have to find the perfect “morning sun” location! Hope that helps : ) xoxo
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Nancy Danielon June 24, 2023 at 9:32 pm
First, it’s all about the soil and compost. Second, what is your zone? Third, your plan. Even a tiny area needs a plan. THEN you can think about plants…
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Noelle Bertramon June 25, 2023 at 9:11 am
All very true, Nancy. I’ve got very hard, dry, Central Oregon volcanic soil in Zone 6. I keep adding mulch every year (40 bags this spring!), & am growing a true English garden here. It can happen!
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