Cottage Garden Ideas
A cottage garden is generous and informal: deep borders overflowing with flowers, gravel paths, roses on arbors and a bench to enjoy it all. It's one of the most loved garden styles and can transform even a bare, tired lawn.
Try this style on your yardCottage Garden: before & after
Same house, same angle. Only the landscaping changes.
Before
After
Before
AfterWhat makes a cottage garden garden
Plants
- Roses, including climbing roses on fences and arbors
- Lavender, catmint and salvia along paths
- Foxglove, hollyhocks and delphinium for height
- Hydrangeas and peonies for big blooms
Materials
- Gravel or brick paths
- Picket or low wooden fences
- Natural stone or brick edging
- Weathered wood and wrought iron accents
Features
- Deep, curved flower borders
- Arbors and trellises over paths
- A bench tucked among the flowers
- Plants packed closely with little bare soil
Design tips
Start with the paths
Lay out curving gravel or brick paths first, then fill the spaces between them with borders. Paths give an informal garden its structure.
Plan for a long season
Mix spring bulbs, early-summer roses and peonies, and late-summer salvias and asters so something is always in flower.
Keep some evergreens
A few boxwood balls or evergreen shrubs keep the garden from looking empty in winter.
See a cottage garden design on your own yard
Upload a photo and we’ll preselect the garden and cottage garden style for you. New accounts get 3 free designs.
1. Upload a photo of your yard
2. What are we designing?
3. Pick a style
Your redesigned yard will appear here.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a cottage garden from a plain lawn?
Yes. Cutting curved borders into the lawn and adding a gravel path is the classic way to start. Upload a photo of your lawn to see how it could look.
What are the easiest cottage garden plants?
Catmint, lavender, salvia, hardy geraniums and shrub roses are tough, long-flowering choices that suit most temperate gardens.