Garden Ideas
Formal gardens are all about order and well-defined spaces, cottage gardens bubble in cheerful tangles of flowers that form a kaleidoscope of hue and texture. In a cottage garden plants are grown very close together. They are meant to look as if they have grown naturally without any real plan behind them. If you need some ideas, this video includes lots of down-to-earth advice and tips about how to plant a cottage garden.
Some Tips To Make An Easier Cottage Garden
- Keep your cottage garden small, and over time, as your confidence grows, you can increase the size.
- Do a soil test to learn the type of soil you have. Starting with good, rich, organic soil where plants will thrive with a minimum of watering and fertilizing cuts the work from the start. Add organic matter yearly, either by purchasing compost or making your own.
- Position your plants carefully.
A lot of work in a garden comes from not having the right plant in the right place. The healthiest plants are those that are in ideal conditions and need less care . - There is no right way or wrong way to create a cottage garden, so choose what you love. If you choose high-performance, easy care plants your garden will need less maintenance.
- Mulching helps maintain soil moisture levels, prevents weeds from growing and as organic mulch (bark, compost, or leaf mold) breaks down, it improves soil. Mulch also gives your garden a neater, more unified look.
- Use drip hoses, as it’s easy to put the water exactly where you want it and not on the foliage or flowers. Less water evaporates into the air and rather than having to use a hose you have hands-free watering – saving you time and effort!
