I don't always think I have a 'Cottage' garden until I take a look at some of my snaps that scream COTTAGE. I think hollyhocks always say 'cottage garden' . These are from seeds that I planted a few years ago. I love this soft single color. Please post some pictures of your garden that you think defines the 'cottage garden' style best. Patti
Lovely - and I'll take some photos today if I decide any of my gardens look cottagey enough.
Garden4ever, I need an arch. That is so welcoming. I think I am going to try to spiff up the little veggie bed we have and turn it into an inviting potager (French cottage garden that is basically veg & herbs with a few flowers) with something like you have done with the arch and fence. Here is a picture that I just took of part of my long border that speaks of the cottage garden style, I think. SAD dead maple that will have to come down in the fall off in the distance. Patti
How about two important elements---daisies and knick-knacks? LOL
I love the french cottage garden interpretation---this is a nice potager:
http://www.frenchgardening.com/visitez.html?pid=31106784011481
Wouldn't you say?
All such pretty shots. Here is one of mine that has some elements that are cottage to me--rock edging, roses, larkspurs, poppies, that is hollyhock behind but wasn't blooming yet--and a whimsy.
Here is that area once the hollyhocks bloomed, should have taken at the same angle. ; )
bbrookrd - Beautiful! Love the border. The arbor that you see in the picture is actually SIMPLE and cheap. 8 landscape timbers, 4 prebought trellises, 4 post holes and concrete and wala. I admired my friend's arbor, and for my 15th anniversary, her husband and my husband cracked the fencing and arbor out in a few hours! I was estatic. Best gift I ever got. Loved it so much, we made one at the back side of the courtyard garden area.
Tabasco.........I agree, those are wonderful gardens. I wonder how many people are required to maintain them?
bbrookrd........They look like cottage gardens to me. Beautiful work!
I lean towards the cottage look myself. Here are a few photos taken this morning of my efforts.
early_bloomer
This message was edited Jul 15, 2007 1:40 PM
This is one of the beds in front of the house.
early_bloomer
Fountain, daylily's and zebra grass.
early_bloomer
And finally, a border of daylilys, coneflowers, and russian sage.
EB love those shots, especially of the fountain. Tabasco those are gorgeous-really formal kind of cottage contained in a formal border. I have to spend some time exploring that link. Thanks for posting it. I often plant tomatoes, squash, and lettuce in with other flowers. And I have strawberries under some of my roses. Does make it a potager? LOL!
I love to mix up veggies with flowers. I like to plant curly parsley as an edging and artichoke as a focal point, for instance. And mix a climbing squash vine with morning glories or some such over an arbor...I can't do it at this house, but we did it in our California house...
When we lived in London many years ago our land lady (a real "Lady" who had a 10 acre country garden too complete with Greek follies) planted our front yard (about 25 feet by 15 feet) with all kinds of flowers and used veggies as accents. It really "Wowed" us--but what did we know--we were uncultured Americans...!?! LOL Those were the days...I wish she were around now!
Wish we could see photos of that English Lady's garden, sounds divine!
Early Bloomer, gorgeous photos - especially the one with the fountain. What a lovely setting.
Cactuspatch, I just finished looking at your flickr - just beautiful.
Tabasco, I am seeing your pictures all over - each one is nicer than the next.
Everyone shows great creativity.
Thanks, penne. LOL Well, after a long wait to finally get my camera fixed I sort of overreacted I guess! I am pretty excited that our garden is actually blooming. Last summer it was pretty much a bust!
Thanks PF, I really was hoping that others would have their garden shots there. I love looking at the flickr photos!
Well catcuspatch, since you asked for more photos...
I went away on vacation, and now it is starting to look like a jungle! This is part of the walkway go my front door. Black eye susans, purple fountain grass and casablanca lilies.
The view from the driveway looking up towards the house. I have roses, black eye susans, irish eyes, red monarda, and echinacea. On the trellis is a purple clemantis, and some black eye susan vines.
A closer view. You can see the liatris in this photo also. This is the main bed. There are three more in the front of the house.
My crape myrtle still hasn't begun to bloom. I have black eye susans, barberry, white swan coneflowers, lavender and lot of lantana.
Wow! Beautiful, thanks for sharing. ; )
Close up of the casablanca lilies with the purple fountain grass to the left.
One of my echinacea with a guest. Black eye susans in the background
You asked for it cactuspatch!
Purple liatris, purple fountain grass, black eye susans, and summer sky coneflowers in the back
I'll take pity on you. This is the last one. This photo is from earlier this summer.
This bed has roses, echinacea, salvia (I think it is may night), red annual salvia, geraniums, zinnias, and irish eyes. Later on, the coreopsis, and black eye susans were blooming. There's an azalea, and a really sharp holly bush in the back.
I ran outside the update the previous picture.
Fabulous, Pennefeather - gorgeous gardens!!!
How is this for Cottage. Delphinium and Phlox. Love everyones pictures, lots of Ideas and combinations!
Perfect!!!!
ladygardener is that a pickett fence around a house? do you have photos...; lovely pics:)
Yep, that picket fence says cottage to me. Growing up in the SW I always think an old adobe wall is very cottage too. ; )
cactus until i saw your lovely garden i would have said ....an adobe wall , cottage?.... but yours is gorgeously cottage:)
Hey the only cottages I had seen most of my life were old adobes. I got the biggest kick out of my UPS guy. He was delivering to my door and said "I just love your Santa Fe/cottage chic garden!" I don't think I am chic and never thought I would hear the UPS guy say that? LOL!
wow...that IS too cool....; my ups driver would say something like that.....he noticed my corgis....and LIKED them....most people say....what mix of dogs are those? funny:)
I just looked at your flickr photos--wonderful, and artsy arrangements of your lovely pots etc. Love those coleus.
cactus....do you know where i am ?? boy we are burning up daves garden today...
where is la luz? is your house in the middle of the desert or is it just photoed to look like that?
Duh, edited to say I just remembered where Crosbyton is--near Lubbock right? I lived there when my dh went to Tech.
My house is actually in the foothills of the Sacramento Mts. and in the desert. The northern Chihuahuan desert, about an hour north of El Paso and 20 miles from White Sands National Mt. I actually live between La Luz and Alamogordo, but my PO box is in La Luz, and my elevation is the same as La Luz, higher than Alamogordo. It is the real desert, I have lots of cactus and rattlesnakes on the property. Found a banded lizard under one we were moving today!
This message was edited Jul 31, 2007 4:58 PM
