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Celebrate British Gardening Heritage with a Cottage Garden

Celebrate British Gardening Heritage with a Cottage Garden

By Andrew Tweddle on 16th November, 2011

When redesigning your garden, it’s often best to have a specific type of garden in mind. There are many types of garden to choose from, including garden ideas from across the globe. Having a specific design method in mind helps you to focus on what plants, flowers and other design features to put in your garden. One of the most popular garden designs, which originated in Britain, is a cottage garden. A cottage garden is a relatively easy design to create, and uses the best of British plants and flowers.

Cottage gardens have been around for hundreds of years, and references to them date back to the 14th century. The plants in the garden would have been native to the local area, and this is still one of the biggest appeals of a cottage garden today. Traditionally, a cottage garden would have included pig pens, bee hives and extensive fruit and vegetables, because people would produce the majority of their own food. As times have hanged, and the aesthetic nature of cottage gardens became apparent, the necessity of growing produce in the garden has lessened.

Creating your own cottage garden is a relatively simple process. There is no specific layout to the garden, and the design process is very informal. Because of the often small plots that cottages have, the plants are placed close together. It is a good idea to select larger plants to be placed near walls, with smaller plants nearer paths or grass. This creates a good flow to the garden. The best place to find plants is your local garden store, with carnations, marigolds and tulips being popular choices. Herbs such as mint, rosemary and thyme also sit well in a cottage garden.

 A cottage garden is a great way to design your garden, because it is mostly down to your own personal preferences. Decorated Shed garden offices sit perfectly in any style of garden, but would be particularly at home in a cottage garden. The simple, yet modern design of every Decorated Shed garden office will be juxtaposed well against a colourful cottage garden. Plus, the large windows in a Decorated Shed garden office help create the perfect place to sit and enjoy your cottage garden.


Category:  Garden Designs

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