Before and After: 3 Exuberant Cottage Garden Makeovers
Billowing flowers, meandering walkways and secluded seating come together in these delightful outdoor retreats
When it comes to cottage gardens, more is more. These charming outdoor spaces don’t have a strict set of rules beyond satisfying your every horticultural whim. Herbs and vegetables can grow side by side with colorful shrubs, and wild grasses and perennials can mingle under ornamental trees. Here are three examples of beautiful cottage gardens Houzz has explored in the past. Take a look to see if they inspire your next seed order or trip to the nursery.
After: Once they wrapped their brains around Bernstein’s idea that they could get rid of the lawn and the building, the homeowners were on board. The plan opened up space for a winding path through drifts of plants.
The designer placed a seating area in the sunny spot where the building had been. She replaced that building with a small garden shed, barely visible behind a new multistemmed Japanese angelica tree (Aralia elata, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone) in the back-left corner. Removing the building also opened up views of beautiful trees behind the house. The homeowners suggested a back fence with spaced pickets to let light through. Bernstein planted evergreen star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, Zone 8), which will grow up the new fence and provide a lush backdrop.
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The designer placed a seating area in the sunny spot where the building had been. She replaced that building with a small garden shed, barely visible behind a new multistemmed Japanese angelica tree (Aralia elata, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone) in the back-left corner. Removing the building also opened up views of beautiful trees behind the house. The homeowners suggested a back fence with spaced pickets to let light through. Bernstein planted evergreen star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, Zone 8), which will grow up the new fence and provide a lush backdrop.
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Before: This was the view toward the home from the existing building at the back of the yard.
After: Now the seating area at the back of the yard provides views of mounds of colorful plants with a wide variety of textures. Bernstein took inspiration from the bold reds and eggplant colors she spied inside the couple’s home to kick off the garden’s color palette. “Those two colors were the starting point, and they’re fantastic with yellow and mustard,” she says.
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The new plants spill onto the existing patio off the house.
One of the few rules of cottage garden design is to know that it’s all an experiment, and a part of that is replacing plants that don’t work out. “No planting plan will give you 100% certainty. If a few plants haven’t done well, that’s fine and to be expected,” Bernstein says. “It’s not an exact science. Plants are living things with their own idiosyncrasies, and every site has its own microclimate.”
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One of the few rules of cottage garden design is to know that it’s all an experiment, and a part of that is replacing plants that don’t work out. “No planting plan will give you 100% certainty. If a few plants haven’t done well, that’s fine and to be expected,” Bernstein says. “It’s not an exact science. Plants are living things with their own idiosyncrasies, and every site has its own microclimate.”
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2. Bocce Court Amid Cottage Garden Beds
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their two dogs and about 20 chickens
Location: Old Mill Creek, Illinois (about 48 miles north of Chicago)
Size: About one-tenth of an acre (405 square meters)
Designers: David and Jennifer Hoxsie of Greenhaven Landscapes
Before: A couple from Chicago bought this 1856 farmhouse in Old Mill Creek, Illinois. The property included several outbuildings as well as the ruins of an old dairy barn that had burned down, seen here. They wanted to maintain the integrity of the historic property, and hired Craig Bergmann Landscape Design to draw up a master plan. From there, David and Jennifer Hoxsie of Greenhaven Landscapes helped them bring it to life. The team designed and built a walled garden and bocce ball court.
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their two dogs and about 20 chickens
Location: Old Mill Creek, Illinois (about 48 miles north of Chicago)
Size: About one-tenth of an acre (405 square meters)
Designers: David and Jennifer Hoxsie of Greenhaven Landscapes
Before: A couple from Chicago bought this 1856 farmhouse in Old Mill Creek, Illinois. The property included several outbuildings as well as the ruins of an old dairy barn that had burned down, seen here. They wanted to maintain the integrity of the historic property, and hired Craig Bergmann Landscape Design to draw up a master plan. From there, David and Jennifer Hoxsie of Greenhaven Landscapes helped them bring it to life. The team designed and built a walled garden and bocce ball court.
After: One of the couple’s relatives looked down at the space from the house and suggested it would be just the right spot for a bocce court. The homeowners agreed, and their new bocce court is the focal point of the walled garden. It measures 40 feet long by 9 feet wide and is finished with crushed oyster shells. The landscape team surrounded it with pea gravel and a long cedar bench for spectators.
The team was careful to showcase the remaining concrete walls of the burned-down barn. They built trellises for vines along the wall and created a pergola-covered seating area for lounging and spectating. The original silo keeps the history of the farm front and center.
Jennifer’s approach to the planting plan is based loosely on a cottage garden. While the garden was meticulously planned, it looks almost as though the plants could have popped up naturally around the court. She selected an array of plants that will provide blooms from May through September. These include ‘Magnus’ purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’, zones 3 to 9), climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris, zones 4 to 8), ‘Little Spire’ Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Little Spire’, zones 5 to 9), ‘Millenium’ ornamental onion (Allium ‘Millenium’, zones 5 to 8) and ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint (Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’, zones 3 to 8).
The team was careful to showcase the remaining concrete walls of the burned-down barn. They built trellises for vines along the wall and created a pergola-covered seating area for lounging and spectating. The original silo keeps the history of the farm front and center.
Jennifer’s approach to the planting plan is based loosely on a cottage garden. While the garden was meticulously planned, it looks almost as though the plants could have popped up naturally around the court. She selected an array of plants that will provide blooms from May through September. These include ‘Magnus’ purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’, zones 3 to 9), climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris, zones 4 to 8), ‘Little Spire’ Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Little Spire’, zones 5 to 9), ‘Millenium’ ornamental onion (Allium ‘Millenium’, zones 5 to 8) and ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint (Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’, zones 3 to 8).
Vines of ‘Amethyst Falls’ American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’, zones 5 to 9) climb up around the posts of the pergola. Meanwhile, edible ‘Concord’ grapes (Vitis labrusca ‘Concord’, zones 5 to 8) cover the cedar trellises on either side of the pergola.
Before: This dilapidated wooden shed was located at the far edge of the walled garden.
After: The Greenhaven Landscapes team rebuilt the shed, leaving the new cedar trellises unstained so that they would patinate in a way that would fit in with the historic ruins. The homeowners use the shed for storage now but foresee using it as a studio or guest cottage in the future.
Learn more about this garden
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3. Whimsical Walled Garden
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their school-age son and daughter
Location: Duxbury, Massachusetts
Size: 4,000 square feet (372 square meters); 50 feet wide and 80 feet long; the garden sits on a 3-acre property
Designer: Amy Martin Landscape Design
Contractor: Toomey Landscape
Before: This lovely 3-acre yard had some beautiful ruins from the days when it was a working farm. The couple who live here saw potential to create a magical garden for their children, and their 8-year-old daughter in particular, that would incorporate the ruins of an old barn. They found landscape designer Amy Martin on Houzz, and she used the barn’s remaining stone foundation to create a magical walled garden. She collaborated with one of the homeowners and the young girl to design a space that would encourage creative play.
The team repaired and stabilized the old stone walls, flattened the area and brought in good soil for new plantings. Their canvas for a cottage-style secret garden was prepped and ready.
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their school-age son and daughter
Location: Duxbury, Massachusetts
Size: 4,000 square feet (372 square meters); 50 feet wide and 80 feet long; the garden sits on a 3-acre property
Designer: Amy Martin Landscape Design
Contractor: Toomey Landscape
Before: This lovely 3-acre yard had some beautiful ruins from the days when it was a working farm. The couple who live here saw potential to create a magical garden for their children, and their 8-year-old daughter in particular, that would incorporate the ruins of an old barn. They found landscape designer Amy Martin on Houzz, and she used the barn’s remaining stone foundation to create a magical walled garden. She collaborated with one of the homeowners and the young girl to design a space that would encourage creative play.
The team repaired and stabilized the old stone walls, flattened the area and brought in good soil for new plantings. Their canvas for a cottage-style secret garden was prepped and ready.
After: The garden is located close to the back door of the house. The new fencing, gate and arbor signal that fun secrets are hidden behind them, enticing visitors to come in and explore. “The word ‘whimsical’ was the main idea, and ‘cottage garden,’ ‘fairy garden,’ that kind of thing,” Martin says.
The garden is full of hidden nooks, colorful elements and seating areas that encourage exploration. Martin also chose plantings that attract butterflies and bees. “It’s a place for them to be up close and immersed in nature,” she says of the children. “Such a big goal for all of this was to help them get outside and connect with nature and find some peace.”
The garden is full of hidden nooks, colorful elements and seating areas that encourage exploration. Martin also chose plantings that attract butterflies and bees. “It’s a place for them to be up close and immersed in nature,” she says of the children. “Such a big goal for all of this was to help them get outside and connect with nature and find some peace.”
Martin chose dry-laid New England flagstone for the path to complement the existing stone walls. Trickling water from a fountain at the end of the path draws visitors of all ages toward it. Along the way, they discover plants that spill over onto the path, and small garden rooms off either side to engage with and explore.
The garden is full of pollinator-attracting plants. One of the stars is meadow-rue (Thalictrum rochebrunianum, zones 4 to 9), with its tall purple plumed flowers providing height and color. “It’s a very whimsical plant. It gives a sense of a veil that you look through. It does a lot to contribute to the right feeling,” Martin says.
The garden is full of pollinator-attracting plants. One of the stars is meadow-rue (Thalictrum rochebrunianum, zones 4 to 9), with its tall purple plumed flowers providing height and color. “It’s a very whimsical plant. It gives a sense of a veil that you look through. It does a lot to contribute to the right feeling,” Martin says.
This overhead shot reveals some of the garden’s secrets — a rustic bench, a circular patio set up for tea parties, flower beds and two small lawns where kids can get up close to the flowers or lie flat to find familiar shapes in the clouds overhead. Plants like allium (Allium ‘Millenium’ and A. giganteum), ‘Butterfly Kisses’ coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Butterfly Kisses’, zones 3 to 9) and other showy, pollinator-attracting flowers separate the garden rooms.
Evergreen shrubs provide year-round structure, while trees like pink-flowering kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’, zones 5 to 8) and perennials like Azurri Blue Satin rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus, zones 5 to 8) add more colorful flowers at different heights.
Evergreen shrubs provide year-round structure, while trees like pink-flowering kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’, zones 5 to 8) and perennials like Azurri Blue Satin rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus, zones 5 to 8) add more colorful flowers at different heights.
This photo of the photographer’s daughter shows how the garden immerses her in flowers. The loose cottage style and variety of colors and textures inspire creativity and connecting with nature.
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Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with grown children
Location: Southwest London
Size: 1,119 square feet (104 square meters)
Designer: Joanne Bernstein Garden Design
Before: There’s really no better place to kick off a cottage garden roundup than England, where gardeners have been mastering the style for centuries. These London homeowners were inspired by how Dutch plantsman and designer Piet Oudolf mixes plantings in his dreamy naturalistic landscapes, so they hired landscape designer Joanne Bernstein, whose Oudolf-inspired work they’d admired. They wanted to fill the landscape with colorful and textural plants as well as have a few spots for sitting and relaxing among them.
The homeowners had tried to emulate Oudolf’s drifts of plants along the edges of the yard, but they couldn’t shake the idea that a back garden needs a lawn. In addition, it hadn’t occurred to them that they could get rid of the unused building at the back of the property, which occupied the sunniest spot in the yard. “If you divide a small garden like this, you emphasize the smallness,” Bernstein says. “If you make it a uniform whole, it feels so much bigger.”
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