There’s nothing more charming than a typical British cottage garden. Whether you’ve got the white picket fence or not, designing one of these gardens is as fun and heartwarming as the final product. While Australia’s climate may not be anywhere near Britain’s notoriously wet and dismal weather cycle, it’s easy to replicate this stunning rustic feel with a bit of cleverness and persistence. Here’s your cottage garden ideas guide.
First, understand what makes a cottage garden sing
You may look at this cottage garden and think there’s no rhyme or reason to it. It’s just beautiful in its whimsical nature and colourful playfulness. A landscape architect’s mad design or expression of pure creativity.
Not so fast. Designing a cottage garden that looks this homely actually takes some careful planning.
Important features to get right
- Keep it playful. You’re not expecting the Queen to visit, but you’re hoping all your friends feel comfortable chatting in it.
- Make it edible. Herbs and fruit trees make a garden feel homely – that’s because the garden actually contributes to your home by providing a source of delicious snacks and cooking ingredients.
- Make it dense. Sparely planted gardens feel empty and lack the homely, welcoming feel that cottage garden plants have when they’re basically stacked on top of each other.
- Stay colourful – including a wide variety of flowers and seasonal plants can create a beautiful rhythm that can add to the traditional feel.
Adapting your cottage garden to the Australian climate
The good news is, many plants typically featured in British gardens were actually imported. Some of these also happen to thrive in the Australian climate. Here are a few ways to navigate the climatic divide:
- Choose edible herbs and plants like rosemary, thyme, perennial basil, and rocket, plus other delicious smelling shrubs like lavender to build out the lower and mid-levels of your garden. These plants often are good in drier climates and thrive in Mediterranean climates like Perth.
- Keep the fruit trees local and relevant – plant citrus trees you’ll actually use like lemon or lime, and compliment with the likes of a weeping mulberry, these are a great addition for children wanting a free snack.
- Use native climbers to connect your levels together. If you can grow vines to hide brick walls and over gates and arches you’ll really be on your way. Native Wisteria is a prime example of a native climber that can add volumes of rustic cottage style to your garden.
- Including a permanent pond or fountain is a great way of providing a constant source of water for some of your more water dependent plants. This will also bring the local bird communities into your yard – further completing your cottage garden feel.
Design your garden based on location and surrounding features
Sometimes you just don’t have the idyllic cottage as a background to work off, but this doesn’t mean you can’t pull off some landscaping magic to create a stunning cottage garden using the space you have to work with. Incorporating existing archways, rafters and pathways is a great way to bring your garden into sync with your surrounding environment.
10 Best Cottage Garden Plants
Here are 10 cottage garden plants you should think about including in your garden design:
- Hardy geraniums – these light yet sturdy flowers are perfect for nailing the cottage garden scene. Coming in a range of colours, they add the pop of colour that helps make cottage gardens what they are.
- Evolvulus hybrid ‘Blue My Mind’ grows so well in the typical warm Australian climate. These plants have bright blue flowers for months and thrive on little attention.
- Honeysuckle – if you’re lucky enough to get a big bush of this growing along a fence you’re well on your way to a cottage garden feel. These plants are easily adapted to Australian climates and will provide a sweet smell for passers-by.
- Lavender – a downright essential pop of spring colour for any cottage garden, this shrub is what will round off the delicious smell in your garden.
- Buddleja davidii ‘White Profusion’ (butterfly bush) will add the white flowers every cottage garden needs. Growing in full sun, this is a beautiful hardy plant.
- Limonium sinuatum (statice) is a stunning and easy to grow plant to add to the garden. With their long lasting papery petals, they are super popular in flower arrangements.
- Camellia sasanqua comes in a variety of pinks and whites and makes the perfect shrub for a semi-shaded part of your cottage garden. In spring time they create a colourful petal carpet.
- Scaevola humilis ‘Purple Fusion’ (fan flower) is an Australian native with light purple flowers in the summer months. Allow it to grow along pathways where it can soften the line between garden and path.
- Rhodanthe chlorocephala ssp. Rosea (everlasting daisies) is a native annual coming in pinks and whites. Sprinkle the seeds through the garden for beautiful spring flowers. If you have irrigation you can also sow seeds in spring.
- Vegetables and edible herbs – don’t forget to include a vibrant veggie patch. Root vegetables, rockets, onions, lettuce, and a mix of herbs are all smart additions to a healthy cottage garden design.
Consult the Cottage garden experts
Here at Luke’s Landscaping, we’ve done our fair share of cottage garden designs and are always inspired by new ideas and projects. If you’ve got a design you’re buying to try out, give us a call and we can talk action.
