Guest Author - Hellie T.

An English Cottage Garden is a thing of beauty yet quite a practical Garden at the same time.
It is a garden that is packed with plants. Every space is used. The garden seems to overflow with flowers.

A true English Cottage Garden contains herbs, vegetables, fruit and flowers. Often perennials, shrubs and annuals are used as edging for the fruit and vegetables.

English homes often only had a small amount of land available for gardening - and other supplies of food were miles away.
Without cars and extra income, families would work to grow everything they needed right beside the house.
The result was a cheerful profusion of colourful flowers that were grown together just outside the kitchen door.

The English love nature, so garden areas would be constructed specifically to attract birds and butterflies.

There would be a bed for vegetables, one for annual herbs and another for flowers like sweetpeas which would be for picking and scenting the home.

Then the herb garden was a vital part of each plot,it would contain perennial herbs providing medicines, cleaning supplies, flavoring for food and aromatic components for sachets and drawers.

Beauty was not overlooked either.
Most English gardens contained and still contain a variety of rose plants, and many factions throughout English history chose a style of rose to represent their cause(such as The Wars of The Roses).

The rose has always been as symbol of love, romance and beauty.
There might be a rambling rose against the wall of the house or draped over the porch combined with honeysuckle which would allow the scent to permeate the house.

The path to the house would be edged with such plants as lavender,feverfew,dianthus,
lilies and catmint.

Cottage Gardens have a romantic feel with rose bowers, arches dripping with honeysuckle and trellis supporting hops and creepers. The art of topiary much seen in the grand Gardens on large estates was copied and adds a little bit of formality to the profusion of plants.

Read on through this site to learn more about how to create your own English garden.
Plants to use and how to care for them

Enjoy your Garden!