35 Charming and Quaint Cottage Garden Ideas We Love

Cottage gardens are charming, quaint, and lush with greenery. English in origin, they are dominated by flowers and foliage. But unlike their formal English garden cousins, cottage gardens are meant to be a compact and casual—and also somewhat chaotic—mixture of flowers, herbs, vegetables, trees, and other plants.

Want to design a whimsy cottage garden but not sure where to begin? We've rounded up 35 beautiful cottage garden ideas to get you started.

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Plant Both Edible and Ornamental Plants

Cottage gardens should be both beautiful and functional. One way to do that is to plant both edible and ornamental plants. Garden designer Tim Pilgrim achieves this by packing vegetables, herbs, roses and other flowers into small yet abundant spaces.

Maximize All the Garden Space

When it comes to cottage gardens, maximalism is the name of the game. Gardener Libby Webb has planted nearly every square inch of her backyard cottage garden with plants and flowers of different heights, shapes, and colors.

Install a Greenhouse to Work In

While they shouldn't require much upkeep, even low-maintenance cottage gardens need tending to every now and that. Add a cozy greenhouse to work in—rain or shine.

Build Stone Raised Garden Beds

Gardening blogger Sarah Stiller prefers the look of raised beds made with stones. In addition to adding structure and charm to your garden, the sun warms the natural stones, creating a little microclimate that plants of all kinds thrive in.

Fence in a Vegetable Garden

Fences are practical, but they can also add personality and charm to your cottage garden. Enclose your garden's vegetable section to keep out unwanted animals while dressing up its visual appeal.

Create a Private Dining Area

Create a private dining area in your cottage garden, and enjoy conversations, afternoon tea, and dinners surrounded by beauty.

Design a Paver Walkway

Elevate your cottage garden with a paver walkway that winds through lush beds planted with lavender, roses, peonies, foxgloves, alliums, and other common garden plants.

Lay a Pea Gravel Path

Pea gravel is an inexpensive, easy-to-maintain material to use for creating paths and patios. It adds a graceful, homely look to any cottage garden.

Install a Garden Fountain

This abundant garden, designed by Emily Henderson, features a fountain that's as peaceful as it is decorative.

Place a Beautiful Bird Bath

Invite birds to your backyard with a refreshing bird bath, which not only attracts feathered friends but adds height to your garden.

Install Trellises for Plants to Climb

Take your cottage garden to new heights with vertical climbing plants like spring peas and roses, which rely on trellises to really thrive.

Build a Multi-Level Garden

Break up your backyard landscape with multiple levels planted with flowers, shrubs, and trees. This will add elegant structure to your cottage garden's look and feel.

Plant Rows of Tulips

Colorful and cheerful tulips are a great addition to any low-maintenance cottage garden. Many are perennials, meaning they will flower for many years if left undisturbed in the ground.

Incorporate Ornamental Grasses

The informal nature of cottage gardens invites a mixture of plants of all shapes, sizes, and textures. In addition to flowering annuals, perennials, and shrubs, consider adding ornamental grasses to the landscape.

Plant a Bed of Roses

Roses are a quintessential garden flower for good reason. They produce beautiful blossoms, are perennials that live for years, and thrive in many different climates. In a cottage garden, especially, roses add charm and grace.

Hang Wisteria

A classic in any cottage garden, wisteria is beloved for its beautiful, cascading late-spring blooms. Train it to grow up a pergola or a wall.

Cozy Up on a Chic Bench With Pillows

Bask in the sweet, musky scent of hanging wisteria on a cozy, chic bench in your cottage garden.

Add an Elegant White Greenhouse

Brighten up your lush backyard landscape with a chic white greenhouse, as artist Lauren Knight did in her cottage garden. Use it for gardening chores, lounging, or to host garden parties in.

Repurpose Wood Pallets for a Garden Picnic

You can easily design a cottage garden on a budget, and that includes garden activities, too. Repurpose old wood pallets to make a garden-friendly picnic table.

Use a Vintage Step Ladder to Display Plants

There's no such thing as too many potted plants in a cottage garden. Keep them off the ground by displaying them on a vintage step ladder.

Embrace Rustic Elements

Accentuate the casual charm of cottage gardens with rustic elements like DIY wooden shelves, sheds, and gates.

Add String Lights

Create a bright and charming ambiance in your cottage garden by hanging string lights.

Seek Shade Under a Patio Umbrella

Surrounding by abundant plants, cozy up under an outdoor patio umbrella in a lush, contemporary cottage garden.

Think About the Pollinators

With an array of different edible and ornamental plants, you shouldn't have a problem attracting pollinators to your cottage garden. But it's never a bad idea to add pollinator-friendly plants like asters, coneflowers, milkweed, sunflowers, or zinnias.

Let the Vines Climb

Up your gardening game with flowering vines, training them to climb up trellises, archways, and fences for a lush and full look.

Plant Crocuses for Early Spring Blooms

Crocuses are among the first flowers to bloom every spring, and grow well in a variety of different conditions. Plant them in a sunny spot in your cottage garden for a welcome sign of life at the end of winter.

Relax in a Hammock

The only thing more relaxing than spending an evening in a lush, fragrant cottage garden is doing so in a hammock—perhaps with a book in hand.

Woven Edging Around Garden Beds

In place of plastic, rubber, or brick edging, opt for woven willow edging to define your garden bed borders and give them a natural look.

DIY Aged Terracotta Pots

Finding Lovely used a garden lime wash to add an aged look to her terracotta pots, giving them a rustic, springy look.

Don't Skip the Statues and Sculptures

Accent your space with a cute and whimsical garden statue or sculpture to add a personal touch to your cottage garden.

Create a Cozy Seating Corner

Create a cozy seating area in your cottage garden using a mixture of different decorative elements—stone patio, chaise lounge chairs, fabric patio umbrella—surrounded by lush foliage.

Decorate With the Seasons

Cottage gardens might come alive in the spring and summer months, but they don't have to be forgotten during other times of the year. Decorate with the seasons, transitioning to fall decor and plants when the temperatures fall.

Plant Privacy Shrubs

If you have nearby neighbors but want to design a cozy, casual feel of a traditional cottage garden, fast-growing privacy shrubs can help your backyard feel more secluded.

Grow a Cutting Garden From Seed

Cutting gardens are both beautiful and purposeful, just like cottage gardens. Build a few raised beds and plant flowers designated for cutting and building bouquets with.

Plant Flowers in an Old Wheelbarrow

If you have a forgotten wheelbarrow hanging out in the back of your garage, or happen to stumble upon a good deal on one on Facebook Marketplace, repurpose it as a whimsical planter for bright and cheerful flowers in your cottage garden.

Frequently Asked Questions

What vegetables are in a cottage garden?

Cottage gardens are often planted with a mix of edible and ornamental plants, including vegetables such as peas, beans, kale, cabbages, and alliums like onions or leeks.

Popular herbs for a cottage garden are thyme, sage, basil, chives, and lavender.

What are the colors of a cottage garden?

A range of different colors are popularly featured in cottage gardens: purple, pink, white, yellow, and more. No colors are off limits.

What is the difference between an English garden and a cottage garden?

English gardens are formal and defined by their hedges and crisp, well-defined shapes. While cottage gardens are English in origin, they beloved for being casual, wild and/or unkempt, with an informal look and mixture of vegetables, flowers, and shrubs.

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Read the original article on The Spruce.