Old World Gardening Ideas

Want to create a garden with plenty of old world cottage charm? Use these tips for flowers, arrangements and garden decorations as a guide for creating your garden.

Moss covered rocks are an essential part of any old world garden, but how do you get moss to cover your rock path or other rocks in your garden? It is actually very simple. Allow yogurt or buttermilk to sit out until warm, then us a paintbrush to spread it over rock fronts. Be sure to select places that get at least some shade, as most mosses prefer shade. Within a couple of weeks you should see moss beginning to grow.

Old world plants vary greatly and it may take some trial and error to find a plant that you like and that will grow well for your area. Following are some suggestions:

Flowering Plants

Roses - no cottage garden would be complete without some roses. There are hundreds of varieties, but wild roses are a good choice because they are often very hardy and will help create the old world charm feeling you are trying to achieve.

Morning Glories - for years this plant was considered simply a weed, but they are finding their way back into the garden. They are hardy and come in hundreds of colors.

Most any flower can be incorporated well into a cottage garden, but some other great suggestions are: Poppy, Snapdragons, Nasturtium, Larkspur, Impatiens, Sweet Pea, and sunflowers.

Trees

The most commonly used trees in old world gardens were flowering trees and fruit bearing trees. So some options would be peach, apple and mimosas. Other trees can be used, but they should not create a lot of shade because this can make it difficult to grow the other plants commonly found in a cottage garden.

Non-Flowering Plants

Vines-Ivy and other prolific vines have long been a part of the cottage garden. The plants can grow quickly and may choke out other plants, so be sure to give it plenty of room.

The items that really turn a garden into a cottage garden are things like arbors, walkways, and fences. Take care to choose items that do not look too contemporary for the best look. Stepping stone or moss walkways are traditionally used. Vines and other climbing plants should be employed to soften the lines of these items in the garden and help bring the plants up to give the garden height. Other garden decorations to consider are benches, bird baths, birdhouses, and small fountains.