cottage garden design
Five facts about cottage garden design
Fact one. Cottage gardens came to us from England. And they were modelled after the gardens of the poor.
Fact two: These gardens of the poor were not designed. They grew like topsy. Unplanned except for the delight of some farm wife.
Fact three: Any plant the gardener could find, scrounge, exchange was used. There were no plant lists of exotic perennials. Heck, these poor (financially if nothing else) struggled to eat; they weren't plant collectors. A few lucky ones, those who knew the head gardener at the estate might get the odd slip or two of interesting plants but for the most part, anything interesting was kept for sharing with other estates and collectors.
Fact four: There wasn't enough space for ornamental gardens; most of the land was used for food production so the family could actually eat something. Plants were tucked in as closely together as the poor housewife could make do in her small plot of ground and they grew there into a mad profusion of blooming wonder.
Fact five: These small cottage gardens were "adopted" as a garden style by designers who then "gentrified" and "civilized" the garden into designs and color coordinated plans to sell to their richer clients. Middle class gardeners adopted this garden trend and the so-called "cottage garden" was born. cottage garden design
