Ideas and Inspiration for a Cottage Garden

Often it’s easier to explain what a cottage garden isn’t than what it actually is. A cottage garden doesn’t have a plethora of straight lines, defined borders, or a bunch of tidy plants that stay in neat little balls year-round. On the contrary, a cottage garden is usually defined by its soft, curved lines and hazy borders, and it is filled with plants that love to spill and tumble about rather aimlessly. A cottage garden is romantic and airy, like something you’d imagine from the world of Jane Austen.

Because it is hard to define a cottage garden, it can be hard to plan one. Over the years at Fine Gardening we’ve published several insightful articles on the subject, and in this collection you will find the knowledge and inspiration needed to build a cottage garden of your very own. Or you can use the following expert advice to infuse a little romanticism into your existing beds and borders.

This collection starts out with the basics—the elements that are essential in a cottage garden. Then authors David Kirchner and Scott Warner take you on a tour of their Cape Cod cottage garden and lay out how you can get the billowy look without the beds and borders becoming a jumbled mess. If a traditional perennial bed is more your speed, you can read about how to blend the cottage garden style with a traditional approach featuring scores of common herbaceous plants.

There are a handful of additional articles that offer invaluable advice on the design process behind creating a cottage garden, as well as a few that touch on which cottage garden plants are must-haves. Finally, you’ll get to read about a wonderful cottage garden designed by a Fine Gardening subscriber who endeavored to build her own small-scale cottage garden in Connecticut. Her space serves as inspiration to anyone questioning whether this dreamy style can be employed in their backyard.

Learn more:

Timeless Cottage Garden Roses

Favorite Cottage Gardens from Garden Photo of the Day

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  Design

  Five Traditional Elements of a Cottage Garden

  If you want your cottage garden to be truly traditional, you might be surprised to know that up until the 19th century, many cottage gardens boasted little more than potatoes.
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  Design

  Tour a Cottage Garden Bursting With Blooms

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  Design

  A Cottage Garden That’s Not Chaotic

  An exuberant design filled with frothy perennials needs just the right amount of organization.
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  Design

  Revamping the Cottage Style

  Avoid the shortcomings of this classic look without sacrificing any of its charm.
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  Design

  Defining the New American Cottage Garden

  Native plants and indigenous materials are part of a new American twist on an old English garden theme.
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  Design

  Cottage Garden with a Twist

  Casual plantings and water features contribute to a setting that feels natural, lush, and relaxing.
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  Design

  Mixing the Cottage-Garden Style With the New Perennial Approach

  Why choose between a cottage garden and the New Perennial design? Merge elements from each for a space that looks good longer.
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  Design

  6 Great Plants for the Cottage Garden Look

  Incorporating the cottage garden style into your garden can be accomplished largely by using many of the plants that are hallmarks of the design.
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  Garden Photo of the Day

  A Cottage Garden in Connecticut

  Classic perennials mingle for classic beauty.