Create a Cottage Garden in the Lowcountry

Meeting Green
3 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Summer is right around the corner and gardens across the Charleston peninsula are exploding with life and color. If you find yourself with a free moment this week, we think taking a stroll through Hampton Park is the perfect way to unwind and get your creative juices flowing! Toady, let's dig into some more inspiration at a private Wagener Terrace garden and talk about three ways you can create a cottage garden in the Lowcountry.

Meeting Green garden in downtown Charlesto - cottage garden with bluestone and brick path, annuals, and perennials — Lush, overflowing layers of plants are carved out by brick and bluestone pathways through this downtown Charleston garden!

Think in Layers

If you're hoping to design a garden with dreamy cottage vibes, you need lush layers! The beds throughout this space are structured by a dense layer of evergreen podocarpus with iris and foxtail ferns mixed in throughout. The podocarps are the foundational plants in the space and act as a blank canvas for the design. Adding perennials, like zinnia and salvia, provides a second layer of height with bold blooms! 🌿 We also love the use of annuals to fill in any lower level gaps and provide seasonal interest!

Create Destinations

One important factor in a cottage garden is the idea of a serene space with an inviting sitting area or interesting feature. This Charleston garden contains a table, set for two, to enjoy a morning coffee, relax after the work week, or take a break from a busy day of gardening! ☕️ These spaces should be both aesthetically pleasing (bonus points for cute, vintage furniture) and functional for your lifestyle!

We're firm believers that if your garden looks good, your porch should too! Extend the design to include all spaces of the garden and create a tropical oasis on your porch. Summer is the perfect time to move your houseplants outside for the season! Not only do they thrive in the humidity and indirect light, they look good too! 😍

It's all about Maximalism and Abundance

Maximalism doesn't stop at interior decor because to create a cottage garden you need to more of well... everything! Planting an abundance of color and texture with funky foliage and bold blooms is the key to achieving a full garden.

Let's zoom in on the details to see more. 🔎 Highlighting various texture and color across a garden requires contrast! The fluffy foxtail ferns are paired with soft, dancing flowers like lobularia and contrasting brick borders. The corner shade garden is anchored by a Japanese maple and full of textured ferns, large tropical elephant ears, and patterned caladiums! The dapple sun highlights the maple's delicate foliage and adds additional height and texture to the space!

The various perennial and annual flowers around the garden provide pops of color, but incorporating funky foliage like coleus, euphorbia 'ascot rainbow', and heuchera for interest is more reliable than delicate blooms in our summer heat and thunderstorms.⁠ Incorporating both texture and color with flowers and foliage ensures there is interest all year, no matter the season.

Plus, when we envision a cottage garden, we immediately think container gardening! Incorporating container gardens to your space allows for added seasonal interest and increased color and texture. Whether you place pots throughout the beds or dedicate a raised planter for annuals, container gardening gets you planting in the garden throughout the year!