A cottage garden is meant to look like organized chaos with a lush profusion of greenery. However, such a profusion doesn't give homeowners a lot of space to play with children, entertain, or otherwise enjoy activities that usually take place on a lawn.
So, if you like the fertile appeal of a cottage garden but still want the utility of a lawn, below are some ideas for blending the two together.
Start with Lush Sod
If the goal of your yard is to create that feeling of fecundity characteristic of the cottage garden, you want to start with a lush base. Look for sod that's dense and has the ability to grow a little taller. To that end, you'll need to evaluate if you need cool-season or warm-season grass.
As the names suggest, the grass types relate to the ideal temperatures for the grass to flourish. The peak temperatures
aren't that far out of range — 75 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit for warm-season and 65 to 80 degrees for cool-season. However, the key difference is that warm-season grasses will go dormant if the temperature drops below 55 degrees, while cool-season grasses are hardier.
Both types of grass feature varieties that can yield dense sod. For warm-season grass, the varieties include Bahia and Bermuda. For cool season grass, the varieties include Kentucky bluegrass and wheatgrass.
Keep the Lawn Edging Organic
Another hallmark of the cottage garden design is informality. They're meant to be naturally pretty instead of sculptured and manicured. Well, a lawn often features more of a manicured appearance. You can combat that, though, by making the shape of the lawn organic and leaving the edging natural.
If you lay sod and don’t have to wait for seeded grass to grow, you have an advantage in the first step. You can envision the shapes within the lawn and implement them right away with the sod. The goal is to achieve a freeform shape with natural curves. So, look for ways for the lawn to dip into the border gardens and vice versa. You want the line between the two to be blurred.
To that end, you also don't want to install much edging. Manicured edging, such as concrete curbing, will create that line you're trying to blur. If possible, just let the lawn and the border garden meet. However, if you do want edging, look for something short and homey, such as irregular rocks.
Plant a Border Garden
As the above passage mentions, you'll want to plant a border garden. Indeed, the border garden is the space where the profusion of plantings will give the true feel of a cottage garden. To achieve that lush profusion, you need plants that will thrive in your soil and climate. However, consider also incorporating some traditional cottage plants:
- Rose
- Geraniums
- Garden phlox
- Delphiniums
- Lavender
- Hollyhocks
- Peony
As you plan your border garden, plant both annuals and perennials. What's more, look for plants with colorful blooms. Finally, look into self-seeding plants, which will re-seed on their own. Such serendipitous self-seeding cuts down on the amount of work you need to put out.
Add a Decorative Object to the Lawn
Another way to ensure your lawn feels like a cohesive part of a cottage garden, rather than just a lawn with a lush border, is to enhance the cottage style in the lawn itself. To that end, look for a decorative ornament to place on the lawn.
A decorative object for your lawn should have a homey feel characteristic of cottage gardens. So, you may be looking for a decorative object that's more rustic than new. For instance, consider an aged fountain or birdbath.
You want to keep the placement of the object informal. Since formal gardens often place decorative objects in the center, you'll want to place yours off-center. What's more, such placement means the ornament won't impede usage of your lawn.
Keep the utility of a lawn with the pleasing chaos of a cottage garden by integrating the two styles. Visit Novasack Turf Farm
for the sod that's the centerpiece of your yard.
