Cottage gardens are about letting go of formal garden design and embracing the wild beauty of nature. If you want to transform your outdoor space with intense flower beds, rustic furniture and charming decor, these cottage garden ideas will be exactly what you’re looking for.
For a long time, popular garden design has been informed by traditional French gardens, which sought to demonstrate control over nature. Smooth, manicured lawns have been the norm, framed by neat flower beds and precise hedges. To an extent, garden design has been about symmetry, straight lines and (not to put too fine a point on it), attaining perfection.
Well, times are changing, and lots of people are finding there are more interesting ways to enjoy their garden. Movements like “Food not Lawns” encourage homeowners to grow their own crops in kitchen gardens, and to plant foliage that invites wildlife and promotes biodiversity, especially in urban environments. Grass-free garden ideas are on the rise, and trends are increasingly celebrating the beauty of chaotic cottage gardens.
That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with conventional designs – but, if you’re up to the challenge, growing a flourishing cottage garden is an exciting way to test your green thumb.
