How to Plant a Classic English Cottage Garden

In old England, village workers—often called peasants—tended small cottage gardens that supplied all their family's needs: vegetables, fruits, and flowers intermingled. These gardens evolved from necessity, not ornamentation. Meanwhile, gentry gardens were formal with boxwood hedges, straight lines, stone paths, and statues. The romantic movement later celebrated the cottage garden's emotional appeal, famously exemplified by Claude Monet's garden at Giverny.

Signature Cottage Garden Plants

• Hollyhocks
• Delphiniums
• Daisies
• Herbs—especially mint

Abundant roses climbing fences and vine-covered arbors became hallmarks of the style, now widely emulated.

Creating Your Cottage Garden

The informal style features tall perennials battling for space at the back of borders, smaller plants in front lifting their faces to the sun—a profusion of texture, color, and substance. Dense planting naturally suppresses weeds by shading the soil.

Plant seeds close together for the desired effect. Mix shapes: feathery with spiky, bold leaves with delicate, sprawling with upright. Plant tall at the back, short in front. Use odd numbers—three, five, seven, or nine of the same plant in large borders—for depth and structure. Consider foliage as carefully as blooms; both create satisfaction.

Whether you prefer straight-line formality or cottage abundance, get your hands dirty and enjoy the process!