Bonkersbon's Blog

Very interesting blog Bonkers. I remember writing about this in ( Mike C's Blog #6 ) I remember writing in the blog that I always admired and was going for the look of an Eglish Cottage Garden but that I was going to have to call mine an American Cottage Garden. You are so right in saying that many plants wouldn't make it here leading to a big disappointment. And yes, these so called English Roses, Rhododendrons ARE being sold at a high premium. I see them in nurseries and catalogs all the time. I'm happy to say that I personally have never been fooled so I have saved myself time, money and disappointment.

I think that for any of us here in the USA who want an English Cottage Garden, we need to think about what makes a cottage garden. When working in my garden I have always kept in mind, narrow garden beds and pathways, architechtural elements such as the side of a building, a fence, a stone wall, picket fences, trellises and arbors. Climbing roses or vines and densely packed flower beds packed with plants with a good mix of color.
We have so many plants here that can be substituted for plants found in the UK to get the English Cottage Garden look. A good example is using Larkspur instead of Delphinium.

Thanks for starting this blog Bonkers and bringing this subject to our attention here in the USA and Canada.

Question Mike - isn't Larkspur and Delphinium the same thing? Or is it the difference between cultivated and wild?

Maple. I beleive that they are one in the same. First came the Larkspur, from Larkspur came Delphiniums. Delphiniums are short lived perennials to begin with but they seldom survive the first winter here in the USA zone 5. Larkspur is an annual for us here and does very well for giving us the look of Delphiniums that grace most cottage gardens.

Thanks for details Mike you will probably have noticed the comments from your compatariots asking for details re - these English plants.Theres even a lady in Texas determined to get her English roses to succeed admire her dedication but surely there are more suitable indeginous types available.Really concerned that they were being sold at a premium to you with a smaller chance of accepting the very different climatic conditions.
Your American cottage garden sounds great and will reflect your own personality sure there must be a history of such things - you could be starting a trend Mike esp. if these English plants continue to be difficult to establish.