Borders for walkway

Sorry I can't upoad a foto...

My front yard is going cottage. A narrow walkway straight from the front door to the sidewalk divides what will be two separate "rooms" of the whole. It's mostly shade.

From the existing walkway, "through" one room to the driveway, will go a bluestone path.

Am I correct that the border for that bluestone and its side of the concrete walk need to coordinate with each other MORE than I need to match the two sides of the concrete walkway to each other symmetrically?

In other words, can I NOT edge the straight walkway in symmetrical hostas (and sort of pretend it's not there) as I plan around it?

What I think I want are mowable curves on each side of that walk, but not symmetrical.... so do I fill those beds with different plants or similar plants? Can I have one side short, and one mixed heights?

This message was edited Oct 17, 2014 11:09 AM

This message was edited Oct 17, 2014 11:13 AM

Coordinating the plants in a cottage style garden is more about repetition in different areas, not making symmetrical beds. A cottage garden is almost a jumble of many things, but by repeating the same species, variety or just the same color, you create some tie-ins that will bring it all together. It is not really a jumble. There is some planning so that low, spreading plants are toward the front and taller toward the back. Plants that bloom early, then are cut back are planted next to a slower plant that takes over when the early one is cut back.

I would much rather see a blend of plants on opposite sides of the walkway that might be the same or similar (such as different colors of the same plant), but different percentages of each type.

So one side of the walk might have 30% Hosta, 10% Spiderwort and 30% Astilbe with lots of whites and 10% Alchemilla and the other side might be 20% Hosta, 5% Spiderwort, 45% Astilbe, with lots of pinks, and 30% Alchemilla.

I would work for a tie-in with hardscape elements: Boulders, driftwood/logs, a birdbath... then if you pair up some Liriope and a Hydrangea with the boulder grouping on the left, then tuck more Liriope around the boulder grouping on the right and show off a deciduous Azalea. So there is some, well, not symmetry, but a certain amount of repetition of the same elements.

A more formal garden might have matching rows with the same variety, the same species on both sides, and repeat the same accent plants at the beginnings of each walkway, perhaps plant a formal circle around the junction of the concrete and stone paths.

It would be more helpful IF you could give a size, of the garden, even the light / shade, soil type etc as I hate giving advice or ideas to new gardeners while NOT knowing a little more detail.

I would to begin with, ask that you go along to a good book store or your local library to search out books on COTTAGE type gardens,
As Diana has informed described for you, Cottage gardens are actually simple, easy to look after and VERY productive garden BUT correctly telling you also that they are a mixture of sameness.

IF you can find any books on this subject, they will give you lovely pictures, layouts, maybe even diagrams of plants and planting to suit your ideas or at least set you in the right direction with regards to planting and hard landscaping pathways, seating areas, structures like Rose arches or similar for climbing plnts, many more structures to add the ambiance of a cottage garden, you can use as many of the ideas as you feel you can afford, have room for or wish for, but a cottage garden is not a flat surface filled with half a dozen type of plants, they added height be adding climbers and NOT just against a wall but by giving a focal point while maybe a edible crop of beans etc where the flowers added colour and after that, they fed the family once the beans were ready to harvest.

I was brought up with cottage gardening as I was born before the end of WW11, so here in UK everything was on ration, clothes, furniture, bedding, fabric, AND food. to help stretch out the family ration of food most gardens were filled with edible crops like potato's, loads of other veg, fruit, both bush and tree's and my MUM was allowed to grow flowering plants in among the edible plants.
I can assure you, this was by no means an ugly looking garden, the idea was to give a show of beauty, design, as well as practical. there was never an empty area of soil,
The flowering types of borders now-a-days is to grow 3-5-7 plants ALL the same type/colour and height, so this was maybe 5 Lupin plants colour pink, all spaced apart as given by the seed or grower /nursery. they were never planted in a row, more a large clump like 3 behind 2 in front, beside/ next to that, there could be another large clump of pale pink or light mauve Delphiniums, tall and stately, plante much the same as the Lupins in 3-5-7. you go on like this all along your bed/border BUT maybe select half a dozen different type of plants, try to grow Perennials as these are the true cottage garden plants, however, annuals were used to fill in any gaps untill the perennial types filled out to fully occupy there space. in my younger days, these spaces were filled up with edible fast growing plants like salad faster grower, or herbs, but also we had the odd cabbage planted beside a Rose bush because the cabbage bed was full and there were a few little plants left over from sewing the rows. Pea's, beans, runner beans, were all grown in spaces needing filled as bare soil meant weeds took hold.
If you can get hold of a few books you will get a better understanding of what and how to lay out and plant up your cottage garden,
Just an idea, IF you can, try avoid a straight line pathway, better to have a slight curve or diagonal layout as it's better to meander through a cottage garden than to start at one end of a path and be looking at the very end of the path without taking a step, always try to aim for little surprises around a bend in the walkway, it also makes the garden beds / borders appear larger.
Make the depth of the beds / borders 6 ft wide at the least as after a few years the plants mature and they require room to spread roots and you need to stem onto the soil for weeding/ dead-heading and planting / pruning. it allows plenty air into the plants too and easier to water.
Also prepare your soil well for your plants by adding as much humus / manure as you can lay your hands on as these plants have to be in situation for many years to come. prep is all important to give your plants the type of life they deserve.

Hope all this gives you some ideas for the layout and plans for your new venture into Cottage gardening as you will have many, many years of pleasure in it.
Kindest Regards.
WeeNel.

Going way back in time to the early gardens of Cottage types, there is very little change in style,

The portion of the yard I'm referring to above is abt 20' x 20'. The adjoining section is dominated by an enormous, grand old tree and I want some separation of those 2 areas. The section I'm focusing on in this thread will be cottagey as well as child-oriented, so given that and the small size I'm thinking dwarf varieties and scale.

A helpful learning ground for me is the neighborhood gardeners-- it's an old, well established subdivision where all the houses and lots are the same size, so looking at how folks have used space and scale appropriate to the plethora of one-story bungalows had kept me out of trouble so far....

I'm at least a year from planting, but do want to get beds laid out and mulched as soon as I can get questions-- such as my present questions above-- resolved. THEN I can start planning bed content and start amending the poor clay soil in the way most suited to the desired plants.

Start amending now. Add as much organic matter as you can. It can be fallen leaves, compost, almost anything. I would rototill in a LOT. Plants that thrive in partial shade are native to forest floors and need a lot of organic matter in the soil. If you can add 12" of coarse stuff like leaves it will break down to be less than half that by next spring, and will be encouraging the microorganisms to get going in the soil.

Taller plants can make a nice separation between this area and the large tree-dominated area near by. Does not need to be a formal hedge, but a mixed row of Hydrangea, Rhododendron, Pieris... with an under story of Ferns would be a nice dividing line and background for your cottage garden.

Great.... thanks!

Pictured:

The 20x20' area between an existing straight concrete walkway and driveway. The bed in front of the house holds a few struggling hollies at present, with a peony at the dtiveway end. There's enough sun for an adjoining peony to curve that bed around to run along the seldom-used driveway. The "dumped" bluestone flags are not laid out yet. The white rocks are filling a hole and trench left by a stump and root that were removed-- thinking a dwarf Spirea and bulbs to start.

The walkway I want to use as a separator. This and the last shot taken from front door.

A long shot of the side yard, showing the grand maple tree that 'hinges' the children's garden and the side-yard garden. The walking area between that tree and the front door passes a bed in front of the house like the other one above; it's a mower-width path to get from door to side yard. The tree section is also about 20x20 as is the side yard section.

On that empty section of white siding is planned a picture window. Probably a dwarf lilac at each of the corners of that wall, and a small picnic area with arbor. (To the right of what is pictured is our other, more-used driveway, so another path will need to lead folks around to tge front door.)

This message was edited Oct 22, 2014 4:20 PM

This message was edited Oct 22, 2014 4:22 PM

So, is this the area of biggest concern? Or are we also talking about a 20 x 20 area with the tree in it, and another 20 x 20 area in the side yard?

Is this where you are thinking of putting a path? Connecting the driveway and walkway?

Some quick thoughts, questions:

That walkway is awfully straight! Can't alter that, but disguise it! Add something here and there on alternating sides that might make it look at least somewhat meandering!

Idea: Add crushed rock (quarter minus, quarter by dust) in different sized arcs along the path. Add a bench in one of these, a birdbath in another...
Make the junction of the random path with this walkway into a bit if a focal point by making it into perhaps a circle, or something.

Here is a quick sketch with some concepts. Just a sort of 'small plants here, then medium height, then taller. Though the 'taller' area should not be a solid mass of only tall items. Just avoid the tallest against the edges.
Blue circles are tall focal points, perhaps Japanese Maple, Redbud or similar small trees.
I put a couple against the house. I have NO idea where the windows are. Put these between the windows.

These are great questions and great ideas, Diana-- which are really pushing my thinking.

The main concern here is that darned straight walk. I want children in particular to see/know that access into ANY of these areas is via designated walkways, and to be led by them from any starting point into the children's garden-- which, as far as I'm concerned, can eventually have no grass to mow, but a series of child-size stopping points of surprise.

Then I will need that straight walkway to get groceries, etc from street parking in front. Other times, my access will come thru the children's area via the driveway.

I think what is immediately do-able is laying out the wavy beds along that straight walk and the circle around the front step, knowing I will fill these later with the types of plants you've so kindly suggested in that off-balance layout.

And since I already have some bluestone on the step itself and want that to be my culture-of-origin statement-- I'm going to use it right thru that circle instead of thru the children's garden! (I have plenty of white rock to edge the circle like the tree is already encircled with.)

So you've given me just what I needed-- an immediate task of drawing and mulching the circle, first, with bluestone to walk thru it. And if I can before it's too cold, the wavy beds extending from it along the straight walk which will always be the best path to the door thru snow, and easy to snow-blow, too. (We unloaded several trailer-loads of furniture up that walk in January!)

Before laying out plants in the beds along the walk, I can dummy-in some place-holding boxes and baskets of various sizes (to play with scale/height/color), and place the birdbath/sculptures/bench as you suggest.

Thanks so much!!!

This message was edited Oct 23, 2014 4:50 AM

This message was edited Oct 23, 2014 4:53 AM

(And the stepping stones in the children's garden can be made BY THEM at a block party, hand-prints and all!!!)

Glad you are taking off running with this.

A garden hose makes a pretty good wavy line that you can play around with to see just how you want it to go.
Lay it out, walk it, see how it feels.

If children will be using it, remember they will probably be running, so no sharp turns.
Neat idea for the children to make the stepping stones, or at least some bed markers or something! Gives them some input to the garden.

When you are selecting stones for a flagstone path get big ones, heavy ones. Much more stable than small ones. 2' minimum diameter, 50 lb min weight.

All the bluestone came from another home. Those on the small side will be embedded in concrete.

When you are mortaring them onto concrete then it does not matter what size they are.
Nice to be able to reuse things.

Well I have several smaller, thinner ones to group into mortar solidity, and several larger, thicker ones. Bluestone cracks easily if too thin.... that's where the smaller ones came from. ;-)

Diana, my husband has now tentatively OK'd removing that straight sidewalk at some point-- like after we use it to move in with all our boxes, because it does facilitate sidewalk-to-front-door deliveries. But once it's gone I can use the gravel described here as the whole path, with bluestone river rock as a suitably untidy edging.

~S~


This message was edited Nov 25, 2014 5:55 PM

I'm reposting the sketch Diana was kind enough to provide above, because I have now found a centerpiece resident to plan into the section for talls, shown below as the pink section.

And this one in the lower left green section, surrounding a concrete swan now positioned in the middle of that section... lots of sun closest to the driveway. With some veggies there as well, such as green peppers and hot peppers.

On the shadier side of the talls:

http://gardening.about.com/od/plantprofile1/p/Polygonatum.htm