The Cottage Garden

Cottages are a retreat for our soul. Places where we can both unwind and regenerate our families and ourselves.

Generally our cottages are nestled in areas of raw bush and craggy rock. The mistake many people make with their cottage garden is to ignore their rugged landscape and attempt to create a structured or "city style" garden.

The best cottage gardens are those that take advantage of and enhance the stark beauty of the wild. As the saying goes, "you can't improve on Mother Nature".

Rather than "affecting" a design, plant a mixture of indigenous and hardy shrubs, perennials and wild flowers that will thrive in your local. Not only will this save you needless heartache and hours of maintenance, it will save you money from continually replacing your "ill-suited" plants.

Begin by selecting a variety of shrubs that will give your garden a sense of structure, such as "Blue Rug" Junipers, Cotoneaster horizontalis and for those especially difficult area's, Juniper Sabina. The Sabina will actually thrive in extremely rocky, poor soil areas; just remember to plant in full sun locations only.

Perennial Geraniums, also known as cranesbills, are the perfect cottage perennial. The cransebill is a hardy, adaptable perennial that is disease and pest resistant. Whether your garden is a full sun or predominantly shady location, there are a variety of cranesbills all in a marvelous array of colours (white, mauve, purple, magenta, blue, and pink).
For complete shade locations try G. macrorhizum, a strong spreader with delicate mauve blossoms. In semi-shade areas try G. maculatum, particularly in a rock garden location. In full sun gardens try G. cinerum (ballerina). All of these species are drought tolerant, aromatic and will spread evenly in your garden but not invasively.

Another "perfect fit" for a cottage garden are Sedums (also known as stonecrop and orpines). This family of plants is extremely varied with species that will thrive from full sun to semi-shade. They are incredibly durable, well suited to poor soil conditions and come in a veritable rainbow of colours. Try S. spurium, a dwarf variety stonecrop best suited for billing in gaps in rock gardens and S. album and S. kamtschaticum for "clumping" or featured plants in your garden.

Mix in with these a variety of hardy grown daylilies, irises, Martagon lilies and ornamental grasses. All of which are hardy, adaptable and beautiful. The Martagon lily is especially well suited to the cottage landscape due to its ability to thrive from southern locals to the Yukon and in nearly every soil type.

Don't forget to carefully consider and plan your hardscape elements before installation, such as retaining walls, terraces, decks and steps. You will need to examine the drainage pattern on your property and take into consideration the effects of fall frost and spring thaw. Consider speaking to a professional landscaper for these hardscape elements, as you will want them to last for years to come.

Try to naturalize your seating (patio) areas by using local "flatstone" or flagstone. Using a natural medium will both soften the appearance of your cottage and make it your seating area more inviting. Natural stone also makes the perfect stair material, as it won't rot, is perfectly suited to the landscape and will give your cottage a sense of "permanence".

The "golden rule" of cottage landscaping is to create an oasis of peace, beauty and relaxation. "...A cottage is a friend you can visit anytime..." This saying conveys how we feel toward our cottages and our beliefs in their restorative powers. Our cottages are a place of hope, of exploring not only nature but also ourselves and for nurturing and deepening our relationships with our families. All of this occurs in our little parcel of rural landscape, or as many passionate cottagers refer to their cottage; their "Garden of Eden".