Cottage Gardens and Landscaping

When landscaping your new cottage home, there is a danger of remaining too plain, lacking character and style. Often landscapers will surround a non-descript cottage with a small, narrow landscape at the front, which only enhances drab lines. But cottage gardens can be so much more romantic and stylish, creating a simple but elegant environment that you will love.

Select plants that soften the angles and blend with the landscape, enhancing rather than hiding the cottage. Trees should be used to frame the scene rather than interrupt it, and avoid large, stiff evergreens that may overwhelm your garden scene. Some good plant choices include dwarf flowering shrubs such as crab apple, dogwood and holly.

Add colour and life to the landscape with rose, lilac and mock orange, arranging hanging plantar baskets filled with flora with an effect of controlled chaos. A raised flower bed or a birdbath are some other charming additions and can be used to centre the garden, and a run of ground clover can create a natural and inviting look for your drive.

Climbing rose vines create a storybook atmosphere in your cottage garden. A quaint and stylish way of doing this is by adding an old-fashioned white picket fence with shrub roses growing along the line. Often, a wrap around porch or patio area can be a homely addition to your house, giving you a relaxing and comfortable area from which to view your beautiful garden.