How to achieve an 'imperfectly perfect' cottage garden

A flower-filled, natural garden is in high demand, and it’s called a cottage garden. Independent garden centers can appeal to customers by hopping on the cottage gardening trend.

“Cottage gardens are really all about the flowers,” says Laura Janney, a botanical stylist, gardening expert and co-founder of The Inspired Garden. “I find it’s a very natural look, very flowing and almost dreamlike.”

Janney has 20 years of experience in garden design and says she gravitates to cottage gardens. She also gets a lot of customer requests for them. Part of that is because they’re suitable for newcomers, and they’re very forgiving.

“When you have manicured gardens, one plant is dead and it really sticks out,” she says. “Whereas the cottage garden, if a plant dies here or something’s not in bloom there, it seems to be this kind of a kaleidoscope where mistakes are more forgiving.”

Janney likes to call cottage gardens “imperfectly perfect.”

Cottage garden tips for garden centers

While cottage gardens are great for beginners and fairly easy to produce, Janney found herself wondering why cottage design wasn’t more popular at garden centers.

She recommends garden centers support their cottage-loving customers by offering education on annuals.

“I get a lot of resistance with annuals from people,” she explains. “I don’t understand it because it’s the easiest plant to plant, there’s shallow roots, instant gratification. It takes a few hours, and you’ve got color for the whole season.”

 Janney also thinks early spring and fall should be bigger at garden centers.

“There’s the most beautiful flowers in both of those seasons, and they are not pushed as much as I would like to see,” she says.

As a botanical stylist, Janney would like to see more cottage flowers available in more varieties. Janney, who is based in the central New Jersey area, says they can be difficult to find. But she warns that offerings should be able to grow well where they are offered. “For example, delphinium does horrible here, poppies do bad. Hollyhocks, they’re all over the garden center, so if you get that, you’re going to be frustrated,” she explains.

Tips for a show-stopping cottage garden

Janney’s first tip is to find plants you love; if you have a plant you don’t love, give it away or compost it, and it will go back to the earth.

“I find that a cottage garden or any garden should be a reflection of you and what you love,” she says.

Her next tip is to start small to avoid getting overwhelmed. Her favorite catchphrase is “small space, big impact.”

By getting to know your area, you can learn how much you can take on.

“Make one place right, so then they have one thing they love versus having a little bit everywhere and nothing’s right,” Janney offers. “And then you’ll get your confidence.”

Her third tip is using the space you have available to the best of your ability. Janney likes to take a space and put in as many perennials as she can and focus on different heights and bloom times. Then, she likes to squeeze in annuals.

“I feel like annuals are underrated,” she says. “They are the magic of the garden. Some of the most beautiful flowers are annuals, and that is really the way to have your garden go from April to October in color.”

By having perennials as a base and switching out the annuals each season, you will always have a magical, gorgeous garden, she says.

The Inspired Garden design course

Janney’s business, The Inspired Garden, offers a design course for luxurious gardens. She made the course for professional gardeners who want new ideas, as well as for those who have never gardened before.

“I think one of the biggest things I bring to the table is this master plant list,” she says. “I curated it so you don’t have to be overwhelmed at the nursery.”

Importantly, she wants to help gardeners every step of the way and to assure them they’re not alone.

“You can send in pictures, and we can help guide you,” Janney says. “We really want you to be very successful with your garden."

Janney believes in learning by trial and error. She says she makes mistakes every day, but she also learns something every day, which makes gardening fun.

“I just really want people to get out there and just start digging and planting," she says.