Nothing in Basket!
DATE : 27 May, 2020 by Christina TAG: Gardening Advice
27
May
The cottage garden is a distinct style that uses informal design, traditional materials, dense plantings, haphazard self-seeding and a mixture of ornamental and edible plants. English in origin, it depends on charm rather than grandeur and formal structure.
The plant layout needs to look like nature made it happen, so think about how the wind blows and where seeds may have fallen, this will help you visualise where you need to place your plants. Start off with odd numbers of plants, although numerically unbalanced odd numbers of plants creates more harmony to the eye.
The season for the English country garden begins in spring with daffodils, bluebells, and clusters of tulips that give way to early summer foxgloves, roses, clematis, geraniums, lupins, aquilegia, alliums and ornamental poppies.
Summer, which only lasts for two months in England from July to August, gives way to highly scented lilies and jasmine, and brightly coloured salvias, achillea, crocosmia and heleniums, with the tall spires of delphinium, verbascum, hollyhocks and red-hot pokers adding visual height.
Late summer into early autumn can look just as colourful with drifts of cheery asters or michaelmas daisies, anemones, helianthus and rudbeckias which all provide layers of colour.
If you are on a small budget or just want to start off with a few plants to get you going, here are five key plants to help you achieve the Cottage garden look.
A classic cottage garden plant, the Digitalis genus consists of biennials and short-lived perennials. Their spires provide bursts of colour in early to mid-summer. Together with other self-seeders such as granny's bonnets, they add to a sense of jostling companionship.
How to grow them: foxgloves thrive in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Raise annually from seed.
Foxgloves you could start off with:
A fragrant addition, Lavandula is particularly at home in cottage gardens. They tend to be used to front borders or run along pathways. They release a beautiful scent when you brush against them, which is possibly why people favour putting them along pathways.
How to grow them: lavenders prefer free-draining soils and full sun. They grow well in chalky and alkaline soils.
Lavenders you could start off with:
Impressive flowering spikes arrive in mid-summer. They vary in height but the Belladonna Group contain smaller branches that often repeat flower in late summer. The Elatum Group are taller at around 6.5ft.
How to grow them: in full sun but sheltered from strong winds. Most need staking. Once in the ground, protect from slugs. Cut back and feed to encourage a second flush of flowers in late summer.
Delphiniums you could start with:
Philadelphus have clouds of early summer flowers with an overwhelming scent. Size varies from 2.5ft to 13ft.
How to grow them: in full sun or partial shade. They like all soil types.
Which Mock Orange could you buy:
A true Cottage Garden always has roses. They come in lots of different shapes and sizes, so choose the height and habit for the situation you have.
How to grow them: roses tolerate a range of conditions but prefer full sun in moist, well-drained soil. Fertilise and mulch in early spring. Deadheading will encourage many to flower again, although the old fashioned roses only flower once a year.
Roses you could start off with:
Nothing in Basket!