Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the topic. Where do you start with installing a cottage garden?

If you have an existing bed, plant something. The common wisdom is to make a detailed plan, remove everything, amend the soil....... that is wonderful if you have the money, time and expertise. For the rest of us, start by picking out something you love, learning about it to make sure it will work in that spot and putting several of that plant in the ground. Ideally add some compost. Then keep repeating with more plants. It is the beginning of August, there is no way you can create the cottage garden look yet this year. That does not mean you cannot start by adding some plants you love to your space.

+1 Just start planting. I'm an old hand at this and I still move stuff around and still have things that don't work in a spot even if they're supposed to. The nice thing about gardening is that you learn how to fail. You can do everything right but still not succeed so you just need to do something different until it does work - or you figure out that the plant just isn't a good fit. A great life lesson.

Anonymous wrote:We have a cottage-y garden and have a mix of natives and non-natives. It looks pretty awesome, if I say so myself, but we do have to do weaning every year. And it does take some planning so that there’s something blooming at any given time.

Spring: muscari, daffodils, tulips, peonies, creeping phlox, clematis, roses, catmint, amsomnia (blue star), primrose

Summer: daisies, coreopsis, echinacea, hydrangea, rudbeckia, hardy geranium

Fall: Japanese anemone, aster, and most of the summer flowers are still going

We do want to add some evergreen, but we leave the plants until mid-March for structure and to help birds/bugs have a place to shelter over winter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the topic. Where do you start with installing a cottage garden?

If you have an existing bed, plant something. The common wisdom is to make a detailed plan, remove everything, amend the soil....... that is wonderful if you have the money, time and expertise. For the rest of us, start by picking out something you love, learning about it to make sure it will work in that spot and putting several of that plant in the ground. Ideally add some compost. Then keep repeating with more plants. It is the beginning of August, there is no way you can create the cottage garden look yet this year. That does not mean you cannot start by adding some plants you love to your space.

+1 Just start planting. I'm an old hand at this and I still move stuff around and still have things that don't work in a spot even if they're supposed to. The nice thing about gardening is that you learn how to fail. You can do everything right but still not succeed so you just need to do something different until it does work - or you figure out that the plant just isn't a good fit. A great life lesson.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the topic. Where do you start with installing a cottage garden?

If you have an existing bed, plant something. The common wisdom is to make a detailed plan, remove everything, amend the soil....... that is wonderful if you have the money, time and expertise. For the rest of us, start by picking out something you love, learning about it to make sure it will work in that spot and putting several of that plant in the ground. Ideally add some compost. Then keep repeating with more plants. It is the beginning of August, there is no way you can create the cottage garden look yet this year. That does not mean you cannot start by adding some plants you love to your space.

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the topic. Where do you start with installing a cottage garden?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I can see our HOA going berserk.

HOAs need to get over it. Pesticide filled spans of non-native green lawns are awful for the environment.

+1

And it's best to have a cottage garden with natives. You can use pollinator-friendly annuals, like zinnias and marigolds, to fill in gaps.

It isn't "best" for any reason, you are being sneaky, you are just stating a preference of yours.

WTH?

Not pp but it is preferable to use natives. They support native bees and more.

Nope I will not limit myself to native plants. Why not tear down all building and rip up all highways and let all land go fallow and back to nature. My planting non-native plants is less harmful than buildings or highways.

And it’s the loss of habitat - acres and acres of non native plants - that have helped kill off all our insects and birds. If the aesthetic changed, if people put some meaningful percentage of natives in their yards, we could change that die off.

You and other insipid environmentalist put all the burden and blame on individuals and force greenwashing efforts down our throats, while addressing the actions of multinational corporations. No, all of us planting native plants in our lawns is not going to do a thing for insects and birds.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I can see our HOA going berserk.

HOAs need to get over it. Pesticide filled spans of non-native green lawns are awful for the environment.

+1

And it's best to have a cottage garden with natives. You can use pollinator-friendly annuals, like zinnias and marigolds, to fill in gaps.

It isn't "best" for any reason, you are being sneaky, you are just stating a preference of yours.

WTH?

Not pp but it is preferable to use natives. They support native bees and more.

Nope I will not limit myself to native plants. Why not tear down all building and rip up all highways and let all land go fallow and back to nature. My planting non-native plants is less harmful than buildings or highways.

And it’s the loss of habitat - acres and acres of non native plants - that have helped kill off all our insects and birds. If the aesthetic changed, if people put some meaningful percentage of natives in their yards, we could change that die off.

You and other insipid environmentalist put all the burden and blame on individuals and force greenwashing efforts down our throats, while addressing the actions of multinational corporations. No, all of us planting native plants in our lawns is not going to do a thing for insects and birds.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I can see our HOA going berserk.

HOAs need to get over it. Pesticide filled spans of non-native green lawns are awful for the environment.

+1

And it's best to have a cottage garden with natives. You can use pollinator-friendly annuals, like zinnias and marigolds, to fill in gaps.

It isn't "best" for any reason, you are being sneaky, you are just stating a preference of yours.

WTH?

Not pp but it is preferable to use natives. They support native bees and more.

Nope I will not limit myself to native plants. Why not tear down all building and rip up all highways and let all land go fallow and back to nature. My planting non-native plants is less harmful than buildings or highways.

And it’s the loss of habitat - acres and acres of non native plants - that have helped kill off all our insects and birds. If the aesthetic changed, if people put some meaningful percentage of natives in their yards, we could change that die off.

You and other insipid environmentalist put all the burden and blame on individuals and force greenwashing efforts down our throats, while addressing the actions of multinational corporations. No, all of us planting native plants in our lawns is not going to do a thing for insects and birds.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I can see our HOA going berserk.

HOAs need to get over it. Pesticide filled spans of non-native green lawns are awful for the environment.

+1

And it's best to have a cottage garden with natives. You can use pollinator-friendly annuals, like zinnias and marigolds, to fill in gaps.

It isn't "best" for any reason, you are being sneaky, you are just stating a preference of yours.

WTH?

Not pp but it is preferable to use natives. They support native bees and more.

Nope I will not limit myself to native plants. Why not tear down all building and rip up all highways and let all land go fallow and back to nature. My planting non-native plants is less harmful than buildings or highways.

And it’s the loss of habitat - acres and acres of non native plants - that have helped kill off all our insects and birds. If the aesthetic changed, if people put some meaningful percentage of natives in their yards, we could change that die off.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I can see our HOA going berserk.

HOAs need to get over it. Pesticide filled spans of non-native green lawns are awful for the environment.

+1

And it's best to have a cottage garden with natives. You can use pollinator-friendly annuals, like zinnias and marigolds, to fill in gaps.

It isn't "best" for any reason, you are being sneaky, you are just stating a preference of yours.

WTH?

Not pp but it is preferable to use natives. They support native bees and more.

Nope I will not limit myself to native plants. Why not tear down all building and rip up all highways and let all land go fallow and back to nature. My planting non-native plants is less harmful than buildings or highways.