How to create a Cottage Garden
Cottage Gardens
- Thread starter LouisFerdinand
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A rustic abode, a little pond, curious object d'art, and flowers, flowers, and more flowers, so very many flowers.
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Just to be a little pedantic, those are better described as English Romantic gardens rather than Cottage. Cottage gardens had a mix of veg, herbs and medicinal plants rather than oodles of flowers.
I'm sure many garden-book authors have neatly divided and precisely labelled all types and styles of gardens, but how porous and intermingled those categories truly are.
Yes, on average, Medieval peasants and Romantic poets probably did garden the plot of land around their 'cottagey' hovels somewhat differently, but flowers would have still been everywhere, even on crop plants. Also, why should we coarsely assume that even the most frugal and industrious bucolic would not have cultivated some plants for sheer ornament and beauty. Conversely, the aforementioned romantics would still have had to descend occasionally and eat physical food from a potagerie. For that matter, poppy flowers were probably more a source of opium than beauty, for the more extreme decadents.
Yes, on average, Medieval peasants and Romantic poets probably did garden the plot of land around their 'cottagey' hovels somewhat differently, but flowers would have still been everywhere, even on crop plants. Also, why should we coarsely assume that even the most frugal and industrious bucolic would not have cultivated some plants for sheer ornament and beauty. Conversely, the aforementioned romantics would still have had to descend occasionally and eat physical food from a potagerie. For that matter, poppy flowers were probably more a source of opium than beauty, for the more extreme decadents.
William Robinson (1838-1935) was a famous gardener who invented English Garden style.
Five plants for a Cottage Garden
Hollyhock for a charming Cottage Garden
Cottage Garden Blend Wildflowers
Cottage garden flowers ** Baby pink
English Cottage Entrance