I have mentioned before that I have a small garden, but I am prepared to squeeze out every inch of usable space from it. I certainly don't have a green thumb, but it isn't black, either. I love combing the garden centers for pretty flowers to plant in my garden, and I love the planning process each spring.
While I admire those who have a meticulously planned garden, I prefer cottage style planting for my own home. 
I love meandering paths through a garden that seems more lovingly planted than methodically planted. I guess there are two types of gardeners: those who turn around, throw tulip bulbs over their shoulder and plant them where they land, and those who lay them out, colour-coded of course, and plant them in planned clusters. Neither is right nor wrong - but they are inherently different. 
I enjoy looking out my window and seeing lush plantings of "old-school" plants: peonies, stock, astilbe, black-eyed susans, sweet william, and, of course, daisies. 
I love tall plants intermingled with lower ones, and I don't want my garden to look like it was planted according to a map. I think I have achieved a more relaxed garden, and I look forward to adding to it, and cultivating its "free spirit". 
I love tall plants intermingled with lower ones, and I don't want my garden to look like it was planted according to a map. I think I have achieved a more relaxed garden, and I look forward to adding to it, and cultivating its "free spirit". What kind of gardener are you?
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This is the old buggy I "stole" from the dump on my "dump date" with my hubby a while back. It was rusty and dirty, so I painted it this lovely aqua shade using spray paint, of course. I planted it with flowers, and it sits outside Sophie's playhouse. Can you see where I am going with this?
Check out this sneak peek:
What do you see in the background? You guessed it: the playhouse!! I will finally post a picture tour of it on Monday. I hope you'll come back and see it!!
What a beautiful cottage garden. That big long window box is just amazing! You certainly have a green thumb, and the playhouse looks like it will be charming!
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of gardener am I? Jungle gardener. Pass the machete.
I have so enjoyed your garden photos. I long to start gardening again, but I must wait until next year as we have much to accomplish before planting can begin.
ReplyDeleteAs I used to be a very meticulous gardener, I feel my heart leading me into more of an adventurous plan for the future. I love the idea of wandering down a winding pathway and discovering the various gardens and things that will come into view.
WOW! Fantastic use of space! I cram plants into every nook and cranny I can. Today I was amazed to see cucumbers growing on my smashed-in plant that I squeezed in between two rocks.
ReplyDeleteI love the creative planters! (Especially the white chair.) Everything looks so clean and cottagey. What kind of gardener am I? Novice!! We have a teeny tiny postage stamp sized piece of property, but I'm determined to have a garden. This is our first year in the house so I plucked everything out and started from scratch. A friend of mine split a lot of her bulbs so I could experiment and see what would take. So far, so good...Black Eyed Susans seem particularly happy at the seashore. :-)
ReplyDeleteA wonderful garden! I am a cottage garden girl too:>) I would have rescued that adorable buggy out of the dump too, I love it by the playhouse planted with flowers. A one of a kind touch that is perfect!
ReplyDeleteWhat beauty, love everything!!!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Carol
Your gardens are beautiful! My thumb is black or at least brown. I am so envious of your yard and love the playhouse and the adorable little buggy you filled with flowers! So sweet!
ReplyDeleteI love your garden. You don't need to be a master gardener to create a lovely yard. I especially love that screen that you've added to the porch. That would be perfect for a trailing vine.
ReplyDelete- Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife
Oh I am so excited to see that playhouse....
ReplyDeleteI love all your plantings, I have some very organized plantings and other free form areas, the front has more symetry but it is a work in progress, I love boxwoods , but I like a cottage look with my gravel pathway and beachstones everywhere, I like easy things, like hostas and daylilies , pale peachy pinks and hydrangeas, lilacs,I want to buy it once and be done with it . My garden is always a work in progress, I have one section perfect the rest is in need of planting, I love a full garden with lots of texture.
I think I should go garden right now.
Thanks for the inspiration.
I garden by going to the store, any store from the grocery store or farmers market to a nursery, picking plants I like based on the flowers and then finding a place to put them. Not too organized, my dh who is kind of anal about these things, hired someone to draw plans for our garden (it was a new construction) which I am not following too closely. So far the trees are where she suggested but not always the type of tree suggested.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's kind of a hippyish garden. The flowers are blue, pink, white and purple, there are herbs and strawberries mixed in. I hope once the plants mature, it'll look cottage style.
I love your garden, its my kind of garden..........great pics!
ReplyDeleteI call my garden prim.....
I am a wannabe gardner. I love the look of your garden. It is the garden of my dreams.I would love to have one like it but I don't have a green thumb and we are away from home so much that a garden would be badly neglected.
ReplyDeleteIt looks wonderful! I can't wait until Monday. What does Sophie think? She must be over the moon excited about it.
ReplyDeleteYour gardens look wonderful. The window box is fantastic. Did your dh build it?
Oh yippee! Finally gonna see the playhouse! Very excited, as I am SURE it is just as beautiful as your home and it is a project I would also like to do someday.
ReplyDelete~Stacy
I love the relaxed garden look, too. But mine is getting so overgrown - we didn't plan very well and have too many large things. So we've made another bed in the front yard. We have many of the same plants that you do.
ReplyDeleteLorrie
What's not to love about a dump date?!?
ReplyDeleteI think the best part is the extra-long window box with sparkling wood trim. Great touch!
Lovely cottage gardens...and I look forward to having the playhouse tour!
ReplyDeleteHope your rain has stopped by now.
What a cute garden you have. Love all the decorations and the pretty colors!
ReplyDeleteHow lovely! I personally love all the old-school flowers, like daisies, black-eyed susans, and peonies. I used to have a large cottage garden at our old house. Unfortunately, we now have a wooded lot so there's not a lot of sun for all my favorites, but I have squeezed as many in as possible.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see the playhouse!!! -Julia :-)
oh, i miss gardening soooo much. At my last house I had a HUGE yard and I planted well over 200 different things. I loved playing in the dirt so much. I don't get to do that here. I have a postage stamp for a yard that doesn't belong to me and I can't "detract from the landscaping". UgH!
ReplyDeleteI do have lots of pots around, though, and I'm getting more!
eek, i can't WAIT to see the playhouse!
You are such a tease! Great sneak peak picture and lead into your next post! I have tried planting with a cottage style and ended up with a very imperfect hodge podge instead...zinnias, marigolds and salvia are my summer staples.
ReplyDeletei love playing with the earth, I just buy whatever I fancy and chuck it in and hope for the best, but it always seems to go ok so i must have a green thumb. In Aus though it's a bit trickier to garden like that, you have to know what will survive...
ReplyDeletesooo love that pram, can't believe you found that at the dump!!! your garden looks very cottagey and a bit English, which I love
how exciting that we're gonna see pics of the playhouse, more inspiration
Love the baby buggy filled with beautiful flowers!
ReplyDelete