{"id":5251,"date":"2022-11-20T03:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/?p=5251"},"modified":"2022-11-18T03:30:49","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T08:30:49","slug":"6-tips-for-creating-a-low-maintenance-cottage-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/20\/6-tips-for-creating-a-low-maintenance-cottage-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Tips for Creating a Low-Maintenance Cottage Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Go big on color, but light on labor with this classic, informal garden style.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

While formal gardens are all about order and well-defined spaces,\u00a0cottage gardens bubble in cheerful tangles of flowers\u00a0that form a kaleidoscope of hue and texture. According to Darrell Trout, an avid gardener, writer, and lecturer with a passion for the\u00a0easy-growing beauty of cottage gardens, their style is “relaxed, colorful, and fun.” Because nature is allowed to take its course more in these spaces, as opposed to the\u00a0careful manicuring other styles may require, they tend to need less work. “A\u00a0cottage garden\u00a0has perhaps less regard for rules than for doing what you really love,” Trout says. You can make cultivating your own\u00a0corner of delightful floral abundance even easier with the following advice and ideas.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"6\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

How to Create an Easy Cottage Garden<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Cottage gardens are intentionally casual. These tips will help\u00a0ensure your space is easy to maintain\u00a0and looks gorgeous every season.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

1. Starting a Cottage Garden From Scratch<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

“Don’t create a monster that you don’t have time to feed regularly,” Trout says. “Keep your cottage garden small and, most of all, fun.” Then, over time, as your confidence grows, increase the size.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

2. Invest in Good Soil<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

“Starting with good, rich, organic soil where plants will thrive with a minimum of watering and fertilizing cuts the work from the start,” Trout says. He also recommends\u00a0doing a soil test\u00a0to learn the type of soil you have.\u00a0Add organic matter\u00a0yearly, either by\u00a0purchasing compost\u00a0or making your own.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

3. Position Plants Carefully<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Much work in a cottage garden design comes from not having the\u00a0right plant in the right place, either because of the variety’s full size or its preferred growing conditions. As you gain gardening experience, Trout says you can push the envelope. “But the healthiest plants\u2014ones that need less care\u2014are those that are in ideal conditions,” he adds.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

4. Select Tough Garden Plants<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Some of Trout’s favorites on his\u00a0cottage garden plants\u00a0list include spring-flowering bulbs,\u00a0purple coneflower,\u00a0wild indigo, ‘Stella d’Oro’ or ‘Happy Returns’\u00a0daylily, New England\u00a0aster, and\u00a0Russian sage. And roses always lend a romantic touch but avoid high-maintenance varieties. Instead, Trout suggests growing tough, disease-resistant Knock-Out\u00a0shrub roses\u00a0or the old-fashioned\u00a0climber\u00a0‘Blaze.’ For foliage interest, try English cottage garden plants like\u00a0lady’s mantle,\u00a0lambs’ ears, or\u00a0blue fescue.<\/p>

“Choose high-performance, almost bulletproof plants,” Trout says. “There is no absolutely right way or wrong way to create a cottage garden, so choose what you love.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

5. Cover Soil<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

“Mulching helps maintain soil moisture\u00a0levels and prevents weeds from growing,” Trout says. “As organic mulch (bark, compost, or leaf mold) breaks down, it improves soil. Mulch also gives the garden a neater, more unified look.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

6. Use Automatic Watering<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Trade dragging a hose around for hands-free watering. Trout recommends using drip lines because “it’s easy to put the water exactly where you want it, and not on the foliage or flowers.” Plus, he points out that it’s efficient because “less water evaporates into the air.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"6\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Low-Maintenance Cottage Garden Ideas<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

These pointers will help you make an easy-to-care-for cottage garden design that looks especially stunning.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Set Off Plants with Hardscaping<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Boulders, laid out in natural-looking formations and dug one-third of the way into the soil, are good year-round anchors that complement their flowering companions. In addition,\u00a0a picket or rustic fence\u00a0makes a fitting backdrop to a cottage garden, adding order to the visual chaos of mixed plantings.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Plant Long-Lasting Annuals<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Many annuals make excellent cottage\u00a0garden plants\u00a0for shade or full sun. They’ll usually bloom all summer without any coddling. A few, such as\u00a0love-in-a-mist\u00a0and cockscomb, will even reseed themselves. This will add to your cottage garden’s naturalistic, casual look without much work on your part.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"6\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Make a Path Through the Garden<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Garden paths\u00a0offer visual relief from crowded plantings. More importantly, they make your landscape more welcoming and easier to maintain. Consider who will be walking through the garden and what kind of shoes they’ll be wearing. This will help you decide whether to go with a\u00a0soft surface such as gravel\u00a0or\u00a0wood chips\u00a0or a firm surface such as concrete. A grass path is an easy alternative for low foot traffic, but it will require regular mowing.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Go big on color, but light on labor with this classic, informal garden style. While formal gardens are all about order and well-defined spaces, cottage gardens bubble in cheerful tangles of flowers that form a kaleidoscope of hue and texture. According to Darrell Trout, an avid gardener, writer, and lecturer with a passion for the easy-growing beauty of cottage gardens, their style is “relaxed, colorful, and fun.” Because nature is allowed to take its course more in these spaces, as opposed to the careful manicuring other styles may require, they tend to need less work. “A cottage garden has perhaps less regard for rules than for doing what you really love,” Trout says. You can make cultivating your own corner of delightful floral abundance even easier with the following advice and ideas. How to Create an Easy Cottage Garden Cottage gardens are intentionally casual. These tips will help ensure your space is easy to maintain and looks gorgeous every…<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5251","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-garden-care"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5251\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifoxany.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}