Cottage Gardens
Book Review by Sandy Metzger, Sonoma County Master Gardener
Here are two books I can recommend that you peruse for help with cottage garden style and design: the magazine Country Living’s Country Gardens, 1993, and Cottage Gardens, 1999, by Teri Dunn. I say peruse because in this county and in this era of water conservation, many of the plants suggested in these books are not necessarily appropriate for our location and clime. The Country Gardens book also deals with garden ornamentation, which will give you other ideas about decorative items to place among your flowers and shrubs.
Remember, cottage gardens began in England, the land of rain and fog, neither of which are abundant here except during our winter. Many of the plants in these books, for example, roses and hydrangeas, take enormous amounts of water. They are not what Master Gardeners recommend for gardens here. (Most books on cottage gardens do indeed call for plants that require more water than we have or ought to be willing to use!)
However, these two books and many others available on this topic provide excellent photos of luscious gardens in the cottage style, endless design ideas, and lists and photos of suggested plants. You will gain an understanding of the “look” and feel of a cottage garden. And because every single cottage garden ever created is unique, you will design your own beautiful, unique and personalized cottage garden.
Some of the drought tolerant plants suggested in these volumes include rose campion, borage, cranesbill, sweet William, blueweed (Echium vulgare), lupin, four-o’clocks, lambs’ ears, lavender, dusty miller, coriopsis, Jupiter’s beard, and many flowering bulbs. These all do well in Sonoma County and will add considerable color and variety to your cottage garden.
I suggest going to the gardening section of your nearest library (on-line through the county library system is actually a better way to reserve books) or to used book stores to find books on this topic. Read this month’s companion article on English Cottage Gardens on this Master Gardener website, and check out the Top Plants list with descriptions and color photos of most of the plants. You will find more than enough plants to satisfy your desire for a cottage garden, and the books will steer you in the right direction.