Design a Colonial‑Style Cottage Garden

At first glance, a Colonial‑style cottage garden seems contradictory. Colonial gardens were utilitarian—neat vegetable and herb plots behind white picket fences, often with formal layouts. Cottage gardens, by contrast, are lush, informal, and brimming with plants spilling over pathways.

Yet blending the two yields a garden that’s both pretty and practical. You get the structure of a Colonial design with the abundant charm of a cottage garden.

Download our free plan, featured in the August 2010 issue of Better Homes and Gardens® magazine, for a labeled diagram of the garden shown here.