I am making a cottage garden

[petal]

can anyone advise where I can get the best deals for cottage garden plants online?

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'm afraid that I don't know about buying plants on line, but I am seriously overwhelmed with hollyhock seeds if you would like them for your cottage garden?

PM me if you are interested.

[petal]

Yes, me too! Thank you but I already have an envelope of them from my mum.

[scarey55]

Like Hazel, I can't give you any information but I can give you some Californian poppy and Calendula seeds if you would like. I can also let you have a few tobacco plant seeds too. If you're interested, PM me.

[Two_Sheds]

Are you after plants, not seeds? Most cottage garden flowers are annual and so can be sown & flower in one year.

What particular plants are you after?

[Snadger]

I'm going down the 'Ornamental Kitchen Garden' path this year which is a variation on the cottage garden.
As TS says, mine will mostly be annuals and half hardies with a smidgen of perennials and biennials (including one of TS's favourite green manures, Limanthes as one of the annuals!) Loads of different colours to give an air of random-ness and different heights to add interest.

To me it's a bit like an artist visualising a painting then putting it on canvas........only my 'painting' of flowers/veg/fruit and chooks has to go on two ajoined allotments!

[petal]

I am going for hollyhocks, lupins, geraniums, pinks, foxgloves, lavender, verbascum, ladys mantle, david austen roses, herbs.... amongst others. I feel the need for a luxurious trip to the garden centre with a large trolley! I will put in mostly ready perennials with some annuals like nasturtiums and calendulas in the gaps. I painted my 'vision' in watercolour today with a little white fence to keep the labrador off it! Feeling quite excited by my new project.

[MrsC]

I am going for hollyhocks, lupins, geraniums, pinks, foxgloves, lavender, verbascum, ladys mantle, david austen roses, herbs.... amongst others. I feel the need for a luxurious trip to the garden centre with a large trolley! I will put in mostly ready perennials with some annuals like nasturtiums and calendulas in the gaps. I painted my 'vision' in watercolour today with a little white fence to keep the labrador off it! Feeling quite excited by my new project.

My favourite sort of garden! Got everything you put above in mine plus more! The more herbs the better, lots of lovely flowers etc

[Nicos]

I'm reading this with interest - cos I'm planning to do something similar petal!
I'm better at altering things rather than starting from scratch- and I have a piece of field which is a bit daunting.

Can to have a nosy round friends and neighbours garden to see if they can split some of their plants- also seeds from them?
That would make it a bit cheaper!

[Finedon.Dandy]

Petal

Try and get excited by the prospect of starting everything from seed. The pass the parcel seed swap parcels all have a very good selection of the seeds you are after and will just cost postage (around £1.80) to send on the parcel to the next grape. Good luck and dont forget to let us see pictures (and you Nicos!) of the finished garden.

[petal]

I am going to take a before and after picture. I am actually getting rid of our lawn as I have had to returf it every year and I always looks dreadful- too small an area for a lawn, so I am going for a winding path to a bench surrounded by flowers and pretty picket fence, rose arch and gate separating the patio to the garden.

[Nicos]

Gosh- that sounds lovely!

I'm looking forward to see how it progresses!

[poozie]

My little garden patch at the allotment has been filled with annuals off ebay and postage only offers in Gardeners World. Oh and cuttings from my mums garden. Crocus.com are pricy but their plants are top quality and large I think.

[Two_Sheds]

I am actually getting rid of our lawn

Me too ... I hate mowing the dratted thing, and it always looks tatty.
I have a large space to make into a border ... no plans on paper, it's all in my head.

I am taking Alys Fowler's advice ... start at the door and plant from there!

I am just about to go out and put in some Poundshop rose bushes and Postage Only hellebores (20 of them)
The rest will come from seeds, many kindly swapped with Grapes. My colour theme is blue & white (Mr Shed loves Chelsea) with a smidge of dark purples & blacks.
To start with ... it will evolve.

[Hazel at the Hill]

To start with ... it will evolve.

...into a veg patch!