From the garden experience of Felder Rushing

Cottage gardening, a style with the freedom of growing what you like, where you like, and how you like, has great rewards for folks who want to get the most out of their landscape - and don’t mind being called “gardeners” by envious neighbors.

Anyone can have a cottage garden - or a piece of one. In spite of it being much easier - not to mention more socially acceptable - to mindlessly mow grass and trim shrubs into simple meatball shapes, any landscape can include an area where you can plant stuff “every which way” and enjoy using all your senses. It doesn’t have to be an all-consuming obsession.

No two cottage gardeners - or their gardens - are alike, though most share certain characteristics, including a love of being outdoors, keen observation, attention to detail, appreciation of variety, and a sharing spirit. Their gardens, filled with plants having proven hardiness and often shared between a diverse lot of gardeners, typically provide a strong sense of place.

COMMON ELEMENTS FOUND IN MOST COTTAGE GARDENS:

- No apparent design to outsiders, but definite personal layout - usually best viewed inside-out (from the house, not the street); meandering paths.

- A sense of enclosure (fence, gates, hedge, divided garden “rooms”).

- Minimal lawn area, usually “throw-rug” effect well-defined by edged beds.

- Lots of seating, and evidence of outdoor living and gardening (tools, gloves, pots, water cans, etc. in full view, where they can be reached easily).

- Strong vertical effects using trees, arbors, and posts supporting vines.

- Great diversity of interplanted flowers: Shrubs (evergreens often pruned creatively), roses, vines, bulbs, perennials, annuals, vegetables, and herbs, providing a year-round display of texture, color, and fragrance. Many heirlooms and passalongs, easy to propagate by seed or division.

- Potted plants, typically in a wide variety of containers and hanging baskets.

- Few pesticides (plants are “selected out” for pest- and disease-resistance).

- Abundance of wildlife, often deliberately attracted, fed, and housed.

- Many “hard features” such as birdbaths, urns, small statuary, signage, whimsical “yard art” and found objects (rocks, driftwood, etc.).

Not all these elements are requirements; main thing is to have fun growing plants for the love of it and indulge your creative fantasies.