If you love a profusion of blooms from spring through fall, and color, shapes and sizes in such abundance that you can't tell where one blooming plant ends and the next begins, then a cottage style garden is for you. Even if your yard space consists of a 10 x 10 foot cement patio or a small sunny porch, you can grow a cottage style garden in containers. The trick is to plant a mixture of all shapes, sizes and colors in your containers, and to not be afraid to crowd them all together.
To plan you cottage container garden, first determine where you will locate it and how much space you will allow. Full sun is best for most cottage-style plants. If your garden area is especially hot, however, plan to locate your garden where it will get partial shade during the hottest part of the day. Remember that your garden will change the micro-environment somewhat, and taller plants can provide shade for shorter, delicate ones.
Once you have decided where you will locate your garden, decide how tall you want it to grow. The typical cottage garden has very tall plants, such as hollyhocks, foxglove, dahlias, sunflowers, and climbers as a backdrop, with mixtures of these and shorter plants throughout the middle and front of the garden. If you have limited space, however, or your garden will be subject to wind, you may wish to keep you garden shorter. The maximum height you select will determine the varieties of plants you will grow.
Don't forget to include your favorite vegetables in your design. Tomatoes, eggplants, and squash are just a few of the vegetables that add color to your cottage garden.
If you have a large space for your container cottage garden, consider growing one or more dwarf fruit trees in the mix. They will add to the beauty and interest, and give you the added bonus of fresh fruit from your garden. You can also add elderberry, blueberry, and quince for their beautiful blooms and luscious fruit.
Another great addition to a larger container cottage garden is a climbing rose trained on a trellis. I have three in my garden, trained on trellises to form a garden wall, blocking off the garden area from the driveway. These are planted in large ½ wine barrels, and I care for them just as I would a rose planted in the ground.
Other tall choices can be perennials or annuals. Here are some excellent choices:
Tall Annuals
Trellised:
Sweet pea, Morning Glory, Nasturtium, Scarlet Runner Bean
Free-growing or staked:
Hollyhock, Foxglove, Sunflower
Tall Perennials
Shrubs:
Rose, Mock Orange, Lilac, Lavender, Flowering Maple or Chinese Lantern
Trellised Vines:
Clematis, Trumpet Vine, Honeysuckle
Tall Flowers and Bulbs:
Delphinium, Canna, Dahlia, Gladiolus
Mix these taller plants in with medium and short flowering annuals and perennials for a truly beautiful cottage-style garden. There are many excellent choices:
Annuals:
Sweet William, Larkspur, Zinnia, Pansy, Poppies
Perennials:
Yarrow, Lady's Mantle, Lupine, Viola, Agapanthus, Penstemon
Bulbs and related:
Iris, Narcissus, Crocus, Tulips, Tuberose
and for in the shade:
Lily of the Valley, Bleeding Heart, Astilbe
Be sure to mix up the colors, sizes and shapes of your plants to get the true cottage garden feel. There are two ways to accomplish this: Plant a mixture of many plants in large containers, or plant many plants in smaller or individual containers. The individual container approach will be much more flexible in its arrangement and the swapping out of plants, but will need more day-to-day care ensuring adequate water. Planting in large containers (such as ½ wine barrels) yields a garden much easier to water and keep from drying out, but is less flexible in re-arranging and re-planting throughout the season. I have a mixture of both, and find the combination a great compromise. If you limit your smaller containers to ones that hold water well and plant them with drought-tolerant plants, you can all but eliminate the drying problem.
Experiment and have fun! A cottage-style garden has no strict rules or pattern – make it what you love!
