Although cottage gardens are often associated with plantings around a rustic cottage, they are appropriate around any home. There is no reason to deny yourself the pleasure and beauty of a cottage garden simply because you do not live in a cottage. The casual appearance of a cottage garden with its riot of colours and textures make this among the most attractive and inviting of any garden designs.
Cottage garden design is not difficult as long as you remember that to capture the spirit of these gardens. You want to be sure to include flowers and plants that have a history of being used in a garden of this type. Also, leave all formality behind and don’t plan every minor detail, part of the charm of a cottage garden is a careless, more naturalistic feeling. Cottage gardens were first used by British peasants to grow their own food and medicine. They would grow their own herbs, fruits and vegetables, ensuring that their gardens were both aesthetically pleasing and practical. A few flowers were added between the vegetables, just because they looked nice, but most of the garden would wind up in the kitchen.
Today’s cottage garden is mostly flowers, but don’t hesitate to include some herbs, especially lavender and thyme. You will probably find that roses will be the backbone of your garden, and rambling and climbing roses will bring your garden right up the walls of your home. Some excellent rambling roses include Paul’s Himalayan Musk, Kiftsgate, Blush Rambler, and Princesse Marie. Trellisses can be used for some of the less adventuresome climbers to add some vertical interest away from the home. Don’t hesitate to add shrub roses, as well, especially fragrant, old rose varieties like Duchess d’Angouleme and Topaz Jewel. I have grown Topaz Jewel for years, and have found it to have one of the most entrancing fragrances possible.
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Both perennials and annuals have a place in the garden design, and such perennials as phlox, lilies, hollyhocks, and cowslip are very appropriate for your garden. You can bring your garden to life in the spring if you plant peonies, tulips, hyacinths, crocus, and lily-of-the-valley. Bear in mind that most perennials will spread over time, so be prepared to thin down the more aggressive spreaders every year or so. You can either replant them in another section of the garden or give them to a gardening friend.
Annuals definitely brighten and cheer up the summer garden, and the multitude of colours and forms will add variety to your cottage garden. Many people who make these gardens enjoy using heirloom annuals to lend more authenticity to the setting. It is nice to think that the flowers such as sweet peas, bachelors buttons, cleome, poppies, and larkspur were all planted lovingly by women centuries ago, and we are still using them in our gardens today. Alyssum is a lovely white annual with the fragrance of honey and will self-seed reliably. This flower will begin to bloom in early summer and continue right up to a hard frost.
The individual gardener will have to decide whether to keep their plantings in more orderly rows or use drifts of one kind of flower to draw the eye into the garden. Your rambling rose on the house wall will provide a great backdrop for a drift, especially if there are a few accent plants scattered through it.
Paths are as an important part of any cottage garden as are the flowers. Do not make your beds between the paths too wide as it will be difficult for you to reach if you need to weed or transplant. Paths will also allow you to more fully appreciate your garden, especially if you have the space to make it fairly large. Wood chips or gravel are favored material for use on the path, but bricks can also blend in quite nicely in the cottage garden.
Always keep in mind that there is no one ‘perfect formula’ for creating cottage garden. Creating the perfect garden is a very personal matter and reflects on the thoughts and dreams of the gardener.
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It’s important to establish how big your conservatory is. This indicates the size of furniture you should buy, as the last thing you should do is crowd in too many pieces. A conservatory should be light, airy and have a feeling a space, and therefore only the largest can incorporate dining pieces. For smaller rooms, you can utilise rattan sofa sets with a light colour which will reflect the light, offering subtle furnishings and creating a relaxing ambiance.
If you want some formality to your patio, then you only need to think of English Heritage gardens for some inspiration. Topiary can be perfect in this instance, and you could use cones and spheres of clipped privet in pots, or box hedging around the seating area. Ornate garden statues are also an integral feature of traditional gardens, as is symmetry, so try and balance all planting and designs accordingly.
Modern gardens often utilise manmade materials to instantly create an ambiance which is up to date. Fussy and flowery planting should be avoided, and like in formal gardens, you can use topiary. However, your choice of pot might differ here, using a stainless steel or reinforced glass container to offer a sense of the futuristic. Grasses also work well in modern gardens, and are easy to look after in the patio environment. You can always introduce some flowers to the scheme as well, but limit your palette and plant choices, staying away from traditional cottage garden plants such as roses, poppies and peonies.
On a warm, still night, there is no better way to light the garden than with candles. Whilst it’s not as easy as flicking a switch, taking the effort to bring one of the most natural lights available to the garden will have great rewards. Flames will gently flicker in a soft breeze, and you can create a truly romantic scene in any outdoor space by using candles. In addition, if you don’t have much in the way of nightly scents, you can utilise perfumed candles to offer an additional aroma to the garden (candles on a patio; right).
3. Fire Pits
In the UK the concept of outdoor living has increasingly caught on over the past decade. With 
This increase in demand has led to furniture manufacturers designing ranges of outdoor furniture that stand the test of time whilst being convenient, attractive and comfortable.
creation of 
Not only is it extremely practical but it’s also is impervious to weather. This ensure that is can be left outside all year round allowing it to be left outside all year round, further adding to the appeal of this stylish and comfortable outdoor furniture.
Fennel and Fern is one of the UK’s top blogs and gardening websites, and you’ll find more than enough here to keep you occupied. The blog is updated most days with inspirational garden design ideas, new plants which have become available, or even the chance to enter competitions. Fennel and Fern also have a growing advice section, a daily photo blog and links to beautiful gardens around the country. Their photography is sublime, and you’ll come away looking forward to popping back each morning for your inspirational read. Keep updated by following on 
Potting Up is one of the great garden design blogs written by Whichford Pottery gardener Harriet Rycroft (
Suburban gardener Geoff Wakeling (
The Guardian 
If you’re looking to find a creative, innovative and inspiring read, then Laetitia Maklouf is a fantastic blog. Laetitia (
Garden accessory company Garden Beet offer a great blog if you’re looking for some design tips. Whether you want specifics on garden design ideas, or simply want some inspiration to help formulate a new design for your own space, Garden Beet 
It’s important to pay attention to plants in the winter garden and ensure that you have a variety of specimens that will light up any space through the colder and darker months. Like the rest of the year, shrubs play an important part in providing a structural backbone to any winter garden design, but at this time of year you should try and incorporate evergreen species (see Cambridge University Botanic Gardens use of winter evergreens; right). Species of photinia, aucuba, pieris and even conifers are ideal, allowing you to create a backdrop against which other plants can be placed. Deciduous plants can also be used creatively to some degree, and the sparkling trunks of silver birch or the fiery tones of common dogwood stems do wonders at bringing intense colour into the winter garden.
Simply having winter garden plants isn’t enough to draw your design together though, and you need to ensure that your planting makes the most of your plants. Like gardening at other times of the year, you should ensure that your evergreen shrubs and deciduous varieties are planted with contrast in mind, allowing the red stems of dogwood to shine even more brightly against the lime green of aucuba leaves for example. Meanwhile, you should ensure that you plant smaller flowering species in groups rather than dotting them individually throughout flowerbeds (use clumps of snowdrops rather than placing individual bulbs; see picture). Pansies, cyclamen and small bulbs including crocus can easily become lost if planted individually. They will not create the vibrant impact that is needed in a winter garden design, and therefore must be planted in large groups to draw the eye. It is far better to have one or two groups at the approach and ends of your garden, than to have many plants spread throughout but which easily get lost amongst other planting.
“I think guerrilla gardening’s important because there are things in life that it’s best to just go and do rather than ask for, guerrilla gardening is about winning people round through your actions, your commitment and demonstrating that the fears which might deny you permission were you to ask, are usually unfounded,” says guerrilla gardener Richard Reynolds. And, if you want to venture beyond the boundaries of your garden, and indeed your conscience, then guerrilla gardening is certainly for you.
Whilst many in the guerrilla gardening movement opt to head out under the cover of darkness, others dare to plant areas in daylight. Richard Reynolds book, ‘On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening without Boundaries’, is an inspirational read, and it’s a great place to find do’s and don’ts, especially if you’re a little concerned with venturing out alone. 
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