The cottage garden style is as old as there have been poor crofters and cottagers in England. Cottage gardens weren’t considered a style at all until the late 19th century when gardener and garden writer, Gertrude Jekyll, shouted their cause. In her opinion, the cottage garden was a very good source for design ideas as well as wise gardening tips.
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In the English cottage garden, the gardener of old filled every space with any plant that was freely available. He increased his stock by propagation, begging cuttings from neighbors and exchanging seeds.
The first plants to fill the cottager’s garden were plants that sustained the family and filled the larder and root cellar. Vegetables, fruits and herbs were more important than flowers. Flowers may have first arrived in the garden as a need – larkspur to counter lice, or yarrow to reduce a fever.
The result was organized chaos. A row of hollyhocks would line a stone wall. Rambling roses would climb into apple trees and over the rooftop. Runner beans grew up sunflower stalks, cabbages lined the path, shadowed by larkspur, bright orange poppies, pink phlox and gooseberries. The gardens were so full and colorful, it would have appeared that everything was flowering at once. But there was charm in the chaos.
Contemporary gardeners can learn much from the design of the English cottage garden and there is a revival of the cottage garden in England, as well as in North America and elsewhere.
Small mixed gardens are becoming popular choices in both the design of the garden and its uses. Consider the family’s needs for fruits, herbs and vegetables and add those plants here and there throughout the garden.
The layout in the contemporary English cottage garden is more defined. The chaos of the cottage gardens of the past has given way to cleaner lines and well-ordered beds. Gardeners can still have a neat and tidy garden, but might consider spreading their “useful” plants throughout the space. Planting garlic beside a rose, will still keep the bugs at bay. Orange marigolds will still keep the squirrels from nibbling. The wisdom from English cottage gardeners is still put in practice today.
Cottage Gardening in Town and Country, Philip Swindells, Ward Lock Ltd., 1986
The Gardener’s Essential Gertrude Jekyll, Breslich and Foss, 1983
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