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    My view of cottage garden style


    November 26th, 2016 - Autumn gardening, Popular posts, Pots and containers

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    Here are my thoughts on how I would describe my own cottage garden style.

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    I like close planting with little or no bare earth, a mixture of shrubs, trees and perennials, simple forms, old varieties, single flowers, easy to grow, native and non-native mixed. Scent, movement, wildlife, changing seasons, minimal weeding and watering, simple pruning, no staking except for when sadly it’s too late, self-seeders welcome, loads of home made compost, a small pond, and lots of seating.

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    I’m not too fussed about colour schemes but when choosing I go for: yellow and blue for spring; red, orange and purple for late spring; green in summer; deep yellows and burnt orange in autumn; and greens in winter.  I avoid white as I find it hard to blend it in.

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    For style, shape, form and habit I like things loose, floppy, spreading, weaving, scrambling and robust.  I don’t have much success with anything tender, delicate or that slugs like to eat.

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    I don’t have a greenhouse, cold frame or potting shed, so I don’t use seedlings or cuttings and I don’t overwinter anything.  I don’t even do summer bedding.  Some pelargoniums in pots seem to thrive if I totally ignore them.

    I buy plants in 9cm pots and rely a lot on lifting and dividing to increase my stock.  I have a large number of hardy geraniums which I love.  They are the perfect cottage garden plant and I fell in love with them when I visited East Lambrook Manor in Somerset.

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    I let leaves lie where they fall but sweep and collect them on paths where I can’t afford to let them get slippery.  I compost everything I can all year round and put leaves into the general compost bins.  These are two wooden beehive bins which I just keep filling from the top and in time lovely black gold comes out at the bottom.

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    My slug control is to not grow anything that slugs like to eat, so no lupins, delphiniums or hostas, no lilies (beetles), no asters (rust), and I totally failed with sweet peas and dahlias.  I’ve never managed to grow anything edible but I still feel it’s a cottage garden because of the way it feels and looks.

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    2 comments on "My view of cottage garden style"

    1. Linda Young says:
      14th May 2022 at 6:19 pm

      Thank You!! I finally found someone besides me that doesn’t plant white! It Steals the Show!!!

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        14th May 2022 at 7:43 pm

        White is such a pain isn’t it. Sticks out like a sore thumb! Thanks so much for making a comment, best wishes, Julie

        Reply

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