10 Steps To Design A Cottage-style Garden At Your Home

We are fed up with the lawn at the front of our house - fed up, I tells ya! It is really awkward to cut the grass because the ground is so uneven and there's a small stone birdbath in the middle of the lawn on one side. We originally thought we might pave the entire thing and use it as a driveway but have just recently changed our minds. In fact, we're going to do the complete opposite of paving it - instead, we're going to plant a full-on country-style garden. (Via MichaelBatesGardens.com) I really like gardening and as we live in North County Dublin, we do have a bit of a 'country air' about the place. Of course, doing this is going to be MUCH higher maintenance than the ole pavement, but I think that we, and the kids, will have endless years of enjoyment from it. Here's How To Design A Cottage-style Garden: 1. Plan Your Pathways There are so many beautiful ways to create pathways in a cottage garden - you can use simple gravels, or place mis-matched slabs of sandstone or other paving materials to lay your path. Not only will you need the obligatory pathway from gate to door, but also consider walkways between planted areas so that you can access them. Mosaics can also feature greatly in a garden of this type which could be a great way to get the kids involved. Just think about literally any other type of material besides concrete to build your cottage-style path. (Via HouseToHome.Co.Uk) 2. Create Different Areas Of Interest This obviously depends on the size of your garden, but you may choose to zone off a seated area, a play area for the kids, or a particular place suitable for growing a veg or herb garden. If you have a very large garden, you could choose living dividers such as high hedges to divide areas of interest such as a secluded rose garden. 3. Go Fency Guess what - picket fences are making a comeback and you don't have to have a huge garden in order to incorporate one. You could have a small picket-fenced area to protect delicate flowers and it will really contribute to the overall look of the garden. 4. Add An Arbor Also known as a pergola, an arbor is a beautiful way to lead visitors into your cottage-style garden and onto the pathway. There are so many ways to adorn them - fruit trees, roses and climbers such as clematis all look so romantic up and over the top. (Via StyleEstate) 5. Choose A Gate You can't have just any old gate in a cottage-style garden, it has to be cute, kitsch and match the overall look and style that you are going for. And don't worry, it doesn't just have to be white, you can literally go for any colour you like - cottage gardens are all about colour and fun. 6. Place The Feature Stuff If you want to have a bird bath or house, a bench or outdoor dining area, choose them and decide on where they will go now. Swing chairs are also a really popular feature in these types of garden. 7. Choose Anchor Plants These create a backdrop to your garden and are usually chosen because of their height. Think of evergreens such as fir trees. 8. Choose Feature Plants These are the main flower that will draw attention to your garden, such as colourful wild roses, foxgloves and lupins. (Via TheGardenGlove) 9. Choose Filler Plants Plants such as hydrangeas, lavender and wild daisies are great filler plants - you get them in the soil when they are small and watch them almost triple in size over one summer. 10. Enjoy Your Beautiful Garden There is nothing nicer than to look out your front door or kitchen window and to see a garden flourish that you helped to plant. Before we had kids, my partner Alan used to say that I treated the flowers in my garden like babies - I was out tending to them most mornings and evenings. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but the pay-off is huge. If you design, build and grow something from scratch, what's not to love about that? Join the conversation on Twitter @HerFamilyDotie