Friday, May 3, 2013

Tips for Setting up a Cottage Garden Design

Cottage gardens are superb for the gardening lovers who only have smaller spaces. A cottage garden design is full of color and the flowering plants grow in various levels and heights. Normally in such gardens there would be snapdragons, sweet peas, roses, lavenders together with flowers that are old fashioned. As you design your ideal cottage garden, it is essential to initially make a plan regarding what you will require as well as the structures that will be used for the growing plants and a good example is pergola. When climbing roses are allowed to grow up the sides of verandas, the looks of a garden are significantly improved. Below are a few tips that guide you on how to set up a superb cottage garden.

1. Make a plan

The first step involves drawing a plan for the available space in your garden. Add structures and pathways that you want then you can build your cottage garden around them. Get to know exactly where the fences will be including the established trees. One thing you must also remember to do is identify the exact regions which provide shade during sunny days and this you can do by looking at the regions at different times throughout the day. This is a crucial step as it determines the choice of plants that are to be grown in the different areas considering some do well in sunny areas while others grow better in shade areas. With this information, you can also make out which ones can be grown.

2. Selection of Plants

If you have a large cottage garden design, you can opt for old fashioned flowers and include different varieties too. It may be a brilliant idea to have a theme based on colors throughout your garden even though real cottage gardens are generally colorful. You will undoubtedly find different varieties of old fashioned roses and climbing roses which grow perfectly over pergolas and verandas. Settle on plants that are bright and are simple to grow. In addition, add varieties that will provide color to the garden all through the year.

3. Herbs are a good addition

If you lack sufficient room for a vegetable garden, it is still possible to grow herbs. Some have good foliage that can be an excellent addition to the garden. In spite of this, care must be taken so that they are in the right areas because some of them spread quickly. Consequently such plants that spread fast are likely to take over the garden. A separate herb garden can be set up in a corner that borders a small pathway or box hedge.

4. Document the Procedures

After you have bought and grown your plants in the garden, ensure the tags they are sold with are safely kept since they carry details of the plant. The tags guide you on how much sunlight or shade a plant requires, amount of water it requires and distance they should be grown from other plants. The tags also specify when they will bloom. Maintain a gardening book or folder which indicates all the plants you have grown in the garden. The book should also provide information regarding when tasks like trimming roses or digging up bulbs should be done.

5. Add Fertilizer

Plants will often crowd together in a cottage garden design. Therefore, applying fertilizer on a regular basis is advised. The dates when this is done can be marked on a calendar.

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