A Cottage Garden Plan

The English cottage garden was originally a utilitarian exercise in providing useful bounty from the garden. As much space as was available was used to grow vegetables, herbs, fruits and useful flowers. In addition, the roots of this garden style would have included the husbandry of animals such as pigs and poultry.

Over the years, the meaning of the term cottage garden has evolved to evoke images of a quaint and crowded planting, with an almost haphazard appearance as many plants are left to self-sow. The compact style of this garden lends itself to low maintenance, as weeds have little chance to compete with the dense planting.

This cottage garden plan, submitted by John Cowen Landscape Associates Ltd. provides a much more purposeful and thoughtful layout to the classic cottage garden design. This professionally designed garden plan offers a wonderful collection of plantings, in a setting made complete by the work of this firm.

This plan is just one aspect of the work done by John Cowen at a residence in Sag Harbor, New York. The complete site design involved a location with considerable change in elevation from the front of the property to the rear, and mostly poor, sandy soil. The design encompassed not only the cottage garden and the entry, but also a Pool Oasis garden set into the side of an existing hill in the rear of the property, six feet above the finished floor elevation of the house.

Garden Summary

This garden is a fenced in cottage garden that was designed for the front of the house, with most of the traditional plantings associated with a cottage garden. The garden gives the front of the house a warm and welcoming feeling as well as a place of beauty to view from inside and outside the house.

The cottage garden is but one aspect of the several gardens that Cowen developed for this property. Other garden designs included the pool oasis garden and additonal plantings that provide the property with screening and noise reduction.

The overall feeling of this property’s design was to offer spaces of differing character, to be appropriate to the architecture and the site conditions. It is a wonderful place to experience.

Entry Into the Garden

The entry into any space often sets the mood of the space in general. With this in mind, Cowen has managed to create a walk from the driveway to the cottage garden that lends a peaceful tone to the space. Because the garden itself is at the front of the house it adds to a welcoming feeling for the residence.

Entry into the cottage garden begins with the serpentine brick path that leads from the driveway to the cottage garden gateway. The path has weathered beautifully with the mosses and algae giving it a feeling of age. The Boxwoods that flank the path have been pruned in an individual manner, so that the overall feeling fits with the aesthetic of the cottage garden and is not overly manicured.

The fenced-in cottage garden is located near to the front door and offers the viewer a wonderful experience as they approach the house. There is a feeling of organized chaos, (in the English cottage garden spirit) in the abundant cottage garden plantings. There is a strong structure in the design of brick paths, that are flanked by Boxwood and Lavender hedges. Behind which are dense plantings of Russian Sage, Roses, Lupins, Foxgloves, Hosta, P.G. Hydrangeas, Peonies and Rose Mallow all holding to the spirit of the traditional English cottage garden.

At the entry to the inner garden you arrive at the moon gate. This gate is an excellent way of creating a uniquely nostalgic portal for the cottage garden, allowing for views both in and out of the space. Climbing Roses have been planted along the picket fence and are being trained over the gate. Plantings of Nellie Stevens and Blue Holly, Magnolia, Hosta, Peonies, Lupins, Foxglove, Boxwood, Climbing Roses and Catmint provide a good mixture of evergreens and deciduous plants to provide year round interest, as well as complimentary foliage textures and an harmonious color range from the flowers.

Looking through the moon gate, a view of the entry into the home is framed by the circular hole. The feeling of well-being is framed within this view and a continuity bringing a sense of peace is established. The continuation of the serpentine brick walk enhances the perception that the outside is being drawn toward the home.

The Inner Garden

The inner garden acts to both invite and provide seclusion for the inhabitants of the home. The walkway is now graced by the dense plantings associated with an English cottage garden. Cowen, originally from the County of Surrey, forty miles southwest of London, brings the contemporary English cottage garden to its' perfection.

The beautiful antique bird house is the focal point within the cottage garden. The picket fence, the brick path and the plantings in combination, provide a welcoming feeling to guests walking up the garden path that leads to the front door.

The plantings Cowen uses to create his cottage garden masterpiece include:

About the Designer

John Cowen Landscape Associates Ltd. is a Landscape 'Design and Build' firm who caters to all ranges of client's budgets. JCLA is in it's 12th year of practice and has a large number of clients who return for additional work. It is our professional philosophy to involve the client in the design and build process as much as they wish to be involved. We ensure that we are on top of every detail, from the project's inception, to it's completion. We pride ourselves on the high quality of both our design and implementation work. Our website shows a comprehensive range of examples of our work and gives more information about the firm. We have had a number of our projects included in publications.