Shop

Cottage gardens

Cottage Garden Design Style

The inviting charm of cottage gardens comes from the design’s use of abundant flowers of varying colours, herbs, rustic features, and their sense of wildness.

If that’s something you find appealing, this guide will help you understand the key principles of the cottage garden design style and provide recommendations to help you achieve your dream garden.

Key Takeaways

Defining a cottage garden

A cottage garden is known for its distinct style, featuring an assortment of colours, herbs, and rustic elements. In essence, it’s an informal design that aims to capture a sense of wild beauty. It is deliberately designed to look without a certain structure, instead creating a carefree yet alluring space.

Key principles

Cottage gardens do not aim to be grand and formal. It’s in the style’s lack of structure that makes it appealing, which is why the key principles associated in a cottage garden style are informal layout, abundant plants, flowers, and herbs, and rustic elements.

Benefits

A coastal garden allows flexibility and freedom when it comes to the layout, plant options, and ornaments because the design itself aspires to be as wild as possible. The style is suitable for any setting and is a way for personal expression and creativity. The abundance of plants also serve as an ideal habitat for pollinators.

Essential elements

The unique elements in a coastal garden style include casual layout, natural landscape, abundant plants featuring a variety of colours, and rustic decorations.

Plant choices

Cottage gardens are known for incorporating an assortment of planting and a mixture of ornamental and edible plants. To bring bright colours into your outdoor space, roses and jasmine are popular options, while herbs like rosemary, mint, and thyme are practical additions that also add to your garden’s fragrance and beauty.

Understanding and defining the cottage garden aesthetic

Cottage gardens often exude abundance and informality, meaning you can combine a variety of plants and flowers you want without worrying about overall cohesion.

You can be casual and relaxed in your approach to design and layout, just letting plants grow freely in your garden so that it’s filled with colours and texture. The outcome is an outdoor space that reflects your own personal expression and sense of practicality.

Key principles of cottage gardens:

Informal layout: Cottage gardens are characterised by their chill, unstructured layout. Plants can grow naturally for a whimsy and spontaneous vibe.
Abundant planting: The design allows your garden to be packed with a wide variety of overflowing flowering plants. You can mix different types of planting and let them grow together in harmony.
Rustic charm: Incorporate rustic elements like picket fences, arbours, and repurposed household items for that extra quaint and charming vibe.

Why cottage gardens are ideal for any setting

The relaxed approach of cottage gardens is one of the reasons why the design is great for any setting. The rules aren’t strict since you’re supposed to just grow plants and flowers abundantly without being required to adhere to certain layouts.

Basically, you can be as generous and wild in terms of designing your own cottage garden.

Benefits of cottage gardens:

You can grow a wide variety of flowering plants
Maximises the use of outdoor space with informal layout
The abundant plants offer a habitat for pollinators
Encourages personal expression and creativity
Simple, relaxed, and suitable for any setting

Essential elements of a cottage garden

To create an authentic cottage garden, certain elements are essential. Let’s explore the key components of a cottage garden:

Transform Your Garden
Dreams into Reality!

Find out what garden style fits you or call our expert garden designers for a consultation!

Take our garden quiz

Call
1300 737
600

Selecting the right cottage garden plants

While the cottage garden design allows the use of multiple variations, choosing the right combinations of plants that are also more adaptable to any setting can ensure success.

All-time favourite flowers and herbs

Roses and Jasmine: These two are staples in cottage gardens for a good reason – they provide fragrance and enduring appeal!
Foxgloves and Hollyhocks: Tall, dramatic flowers for added visual interest; easily attract pollinators.

Small plants that captures attention

Pansies and violas: Colourful, hardy flowers that add splashes of colour and fill gaps in planting beds.
Herbs: Plant herbs like rosemary, thyme, and mint for a fragrant and practical garden.

Evergreens for all-year structure

Boxwood and Holly: Staple evergreens that provide structure and can remain visually appealing even in winter.
Climbing plants: Climbing plants like clematis and honeysuckle bring vertical interest and fragrance to your outdoor space.

Whether you’re looking to design a traditional cottage garden or a more personalised version that will showcase your creativity, the key is to embrace the informality and abundance that define this charming garden style.

Need help deciding which plants are better suited for your garden? Use our garden style plant calculator to give you a better idea.