Even though I have the cottage garden written on my forehead, it is not that far away - the farmer's garden. They have a lot in common, and you can, and perhaps you don't even have to, draw a clear dividing line.
Photo: @evelin81243_bayern
Perhaps the cottage garden is a bit more focused on actual crops, usually fenced in and more likely to be found in rural areas. And if you want to know what a cottage garden is for me - just read here .
But now that the farmer’s garden is the more common term in our latitudes (than the cottage garden), I should definitely pay tribute to it with an article.
The Farmer's Garden
Home-grown vegetables, delicious berries, the scent of herbs. And of course the bouquet of flowers - everything goes straight from the garden to the kitchen and onto the table.
Pure enjoyment. Almost childlike joy in being able to harvest and enjoy the fruits of your garden.
Photo: Stefan Körber, Fotolia.
Originally, the farmer's garden - like the cottage garden - was a vegetable garden that was planted by the rural population to fill bellies and pantries. It was fenced in to prevent animals from nibbling on the vegetables.
Other useful and medicinal plants as well as herbs and dye plants were also cultivated.
Today, the cottage garden no longer has the same significance as it did back then, but it is a garden style that pleases the eye and, above all, corresponds to the "new" awareness of nature, the desire for originality, and combines the useful with the beautiful.
Lushly blooming and natural
Just like with the cottage garden, the same applies to the farm garden: it can (should) be romantic and natural, perhaps not necessarily neat and tidy. Better lush and generous.
Nevertheless, you should not be completely arbitrary, but think about paths, borders, fences and plantings beforehand - a well-thought-out plan with a coherent concept can be very helpful.
Planning: Location, floor plan and boundaries
It is best to choose a sunny spot for the cottage garden, as most of the plants that will grow here need a lot of sun.
Once the space has been found, the floor plan with clear boundaries follows. A rectangular floor plan with a fence made of natural materials is ideal - such as a rustic picket fence or a white-painted picket fence. Wrought iron fences also work well here.
When planning, remember to reserve a place in the beds for any climbing plants or flower tendrils. Sweet peas and/or perennial sweet peas, clematis or lower ramblers (I have the Super Excelsa and the Perennial Blush on my fence) are ideal.
Structure : Creating paths and flowerbeds
Rectangular cottage gardens are usually divided into four quarters by a crossroads. Romantics can also let off steam here. A fountain, a table or a few nicely arranged pots can fit in the middle. Stones, woven hazel fences or wicker are nice for edging the beds. But also plants such as chives, lavender, honeysuckle, May greens, lady's mantle, hyssop, curry plant and woolly yarrow.
Photo: @fraeuleinemmama
Gravel, irregular paving, wood chips or even just grass are suitable for the paths.
Beautifully designed raised beds always fit in well. You can find tips on how to best fill raised beds in this video.
A cottage garden also needs appropriate decoration. In the past, rose balls, also known as “lucky balls,” were set up in traditional cottage gardens. They were said to have secret powers and their reflective surface kept birds of prey away.
planting
It's all about the mix. A mix of flowers, vegetables, medicinal herbs and culinary herbs grows in wild farm gardens.
In my garden, hand in hand and head to head, next to vegetables and herbs, I grow roses, columbines, asters, peonies, phlox, catnip, autumn anemones, a low butterfly bush, an ornamental apple tree (also small, about 1.60 m high), the blue rattle flower, cosmos, borage, lady's mantle, tulips, delphiniums, yarrow, ornamental sage, night violets and horned violets.
Otherwise, the typical cottage garden plants include, of course, hollyhocks, lupins, bellflowers, mallows, marigolds, nasturtiums, dahlias, daisies, snapdragons, purple coneflowers, poppies, soapwort, irises, gladiolus, zinnias, stocks, maidenhair trees, clary sage, moon violets, feverfew…
Bulbous plants or herbs such as mint and thyme, planted in old clay pots, can be used to set accents; a rose arch at the entrance, ideally covered with hops or ivy, creates a special atmosphere.
All types of berries are easy to care for and absolute family favorites. Strawberries, currants, raspberries or gooseberries are ideal.
The crops themselves also like to be mixed together. This prevents the spread of pests. For example, dill promotes the germination of carrots, marigolds keep nematodes away, marigolds protect against diseases in cabbage, beans and tomatoes, sage deters the cabbage white butterfly and basil deters mildew. Garlic should also be planted between the strawberries.
Tips for small gardens or balcony planting
If you don't have much space, you can also create a mini farm garden - like my friend Susie. It is only a few square meters in size and consists of a raised bed, planted zinc tubs and a few pots.
Vegetables also grow well in pots (it doesn't have to be pumpkin), but cocktail tomatoes, snack cucumbers and radishes really fit anywhere.
Pots of different sizes, sometimes planted with vegetables, sometimes with flowers, flower boxes that match the cottage garden style and perhaps a privacy screen made of hazelnut branches. A piece of picket fence leaning against the wall or railing also gives the balcony the right flair.
Photo: Dora Zett, Fotolia
Would you like to have a cottage garden? Or maybe you already have one?
I look forward to receiving your photos at sarah@mycottagegarden.de