There’s nothing quite so quaint as an English cottage garden, with its chaotic, whimsical charm, low-maintenance upkeep and wildlife-friendly plantings. But it’s not simply a case of throwing down seeds and waiting for them to grow. Over the following pages, we’ll share the best flowers for your beds, including the traditional rose, as well as foxgloves, delphiniums, geraniums and more. Our experts will talk you through the design rules that every English garden abides to, and how you can make it work in your outdoor space, whatever the size.
Welcome
Cottage garden designs • Flowers and scents combine in abundance in this quintessential English garden style, with a wide palette planted casually, a little haphazard, and bursting with buzzing wildlife
Cottage garden essentials • From overflowing borders filled with colourful blooms to pretty accessories and seating that add instant charm, there are many ways to create this garden style
50 EASY PLANTS FOR Cottage garden style • With the right plants, this popular garden look can be achieved in just about any garden situation
Romance of the rose • The queen of flowers is a beautiful, fragrant and colourful addition to gardens of all sizes and styles. Learn how to grow them with our guide
All entwined • Plants that grow on vertical structures are useful for bringing beauty to a different dimension – adding height, acting as camouflage, creating shade, providing privacy or adding scent on another level – and queen of the climbers is clematis
YOUR GUIDE TO Perfect pergolas • An easy choice for bringing privacy and romance to your garden, here’s how to train a climber over a pergola
Forever green • Forming the structural backbone of the cottage garden, evergreens, with their foliage in shades of greys, golds, reds, silver and variegated forms, should not be overlooked for the potential they offer
YOUR GUIDE TO Making the cut • Learn how to take plant cuttings, and fill your pots and borders with an unlimited supply of your favourite varieties
Purple reign • With its aromatic properties and pollinator-friendly flowers, lavender makes a wonderful addition to any area of the garden
The perfect fit • Foxgloves are cottage garden favourites and make an eye-catching addition to any border with their tall, tubular blooms – find out how to get the best out of them
Design YOUR Perfect BORDER • Garden designer Tabi Jackson Gee lays out six border styles that you can plant now to reap the benefits next summer
YOUR GUIDE TO save & sow • Learn how to harvest seeds from flowers and crops to increase your garden stock for free
Patio delight • Extend your living space by creating the perfect patio for relaxing and entertaining, taking inspiration from cottage gardens for maximum period charm
Royal beauty • Long-lived and admired for their glamorous flowers, peonies offer timeless elegance to the garden
Softening the edges • Valued for their versatility and for providing groundcover with dainty flowers for months on end, find out how to grow hardy geraniums
Potted perfection • Use a variety of containers to add beautiful highlights to all areas of your cottage garden, bringing rich textures, bright colours and fresh display ideas to your plot
YOUR GUIDE TO Divide & conque • Discover how to divide your perennial plants to keep them healthy, and fill the garden with more of your best-loved varieties
Container cottage garden • With a little planning, you can create a wonderful floral container display with old-fashioned favourites that evokes the feel of a country cottage garden
Perfumed performers • Delicate delights...