Do you know what a towel with a floral border is?
That's what I jokingly call gardens that have a rectangular lawn in the middle and a bed of "good and decent" flowers around it. Neat. You could also say boring.
I had a garden like that too.
It was quite nice to look at, but far from a cottage garden.
And I wanted a cottage garden.

But if you are happy with your towel, then it is best not to read any further.
But if you want to change that, I'll give you a few tips on how to conjure up a charming cottage garden atmosphere in your own four fences this summer.
Of course, patience is the most important virtue when designing a garden - and I promise you, your garden will only get more beautiful over the years. But - with these small changes, your garden will become a cottage garden this year.
And before you start reading, I have another gift for you:
1. Aim high
Go beyond the 30 cm height limit... the higher the better and prettier. Go to your local garden center or plant center and choose tall perennials. Asters, for example, are available in 20 cm and 150 cm heights. Leave the small ones alone and put the big ones in the shopping cart.

Sow sunflowers. Again, it's best to plant them in pots first and then in the garden. And ideally in the last row of the bed, otherwise the other flowers won't be able to see anything - or as an island in the middle of the lawn. Maybe don't choose the biggest ones, they'll just fall over.
2. … and even higher
Here, too, we're sticking with the height. But this time, properly.
My absolute cottage garden favorites are rambler roses. With heights of 3, 5 and well over 10 meters, they transform your garden into an enchanted fairytale garden in just a few years.
Let them climb trees, cover your house or garage roof with greenery, decorate your shed, or grow over an arch. Whether white, pink, purple, yellow or red - you'll be amazed at how your garden changes just with these climbing artists.

Photo: Rambler Rose "Paul's Himalayan Musk"
So before you buy another hybrid tea that will look a little stiff on your flower border, bring on the ramblers!
3. Shabby, vintage and no white plastic chairs
Oh, who invented these plastic monsters?! Practical, indestructible and easy to stack.
Good. But they have absolutely no place in a cottage garden.
Not even with the most beautiful, flowery and colorful upholstery.
Weathered wood, a colorful bistro table, a beautiful rattan chair - they suit the cottage garden much better...

Photo: Janina Laszlo

4. Divide your garden into rooms
Even in your apartment or house you don't have an area in the middle with a kitchen, bed, closet and sink on the four walls.
You have rooms and each one has its own function.
Keep that in mind and look at your garden. Where do you read, where do you eat, where are your herbs?
With just a few changes (read on 5, 6 and 7) - without having to completely redesign the garden - you can conjure up hidden corners and surprising perspectives.

5. Use a fence or pieces of fence as a partition
Integrate a chestnut picket fence.
Place it around an existing bed, create a new bed with it, fence in your favorite spot (just one side is enough!) or around the vegetable garden.
Use it as a backdrop to showcase tall perennials behind it.

It is sturdy, looks homemade and exudes incredible cottage garden flair.
6. Get an It-Girl in your garden
Plant a cascading rose.
You will be surprised how a single plant can give your garden a different character.

Photo: Kordes Roses - Super Exelsa
Plant it in such a way (not at the edge) that it hides some part of the garden and you can be surprised by what lies behind it.
Especially in smaller gardens - great room dividers.
7. Create a line of sight
A rose arch will instantly transform your garden. It gives you a line of sight, divides your garden (why not a picket fence on the left and right or, like me, a large rain barrel?). Cover it with greenery like climbing roses and/or a clematis.
Place something a few meters behind the arch - a bench, a raised birdbath or plant a rose tree.

8. Mix vegetables with flowers
This was originally the cottage garden. The garden around the cottage, intended to feed the cottage residents. Flowers were planted to attract bees and also to be something to look at.
A bed, perhaps a raised bed, in which a colorful potpourri of vegetables and flowering plants alternate. Red and green lettuce, cosmos and borage in between, herbs and perhaps a few peas in the background climbing up a willow trellis.
My cottage garden is a mishmash of edible and decorative plants.
Roses, clematis, autumn anemones, asters, phlox, hollyhocks and peonies share the beds with strawberries, lettuce, mint, chives, potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke (it planted itself and I want to get rid of it. It tastes delicious, but in two years it will take over the house and garden), fennel, beetroot and dill.
Just make sure the plants get along with each other - there are combinations that are better than others.
And if there were a few more, then of course hollyhocks, delphiniums, phlox, sweet peas, stocks, violets, catnip... yes, yes, I'll stop now...
9. Grass as far as the eye can see - wonderful, especially for footballers

Large lawns are just crying out to be interrupted from time to time. Even if it's just an old chair or a small table. Put pots on it or next to it on the ground, an old zinc watering can, a tub or an old enamel pot.
Really little effort for a big impact.
10. Yippeeee - you don't belong here!
You know what I think is great?
When a little plant suddenly appears where it actually has no business being.
A forget-me-not in a paving joint, a columbine in the gravel or wild strawberries in the middle of the flower bed.
These little miracles get a lot of attention from me because I find them so brave and courageous.
A cottage garden makes you happy. And puts you in a good mood.
It provides habitat and food sources for so many animals.
It is a rewarding garden style that requires comparatively little work.
If you are looking for help and support on your way to your personal cottage garden, then look HERE . I look forward to hearing from you!