How to grow a dreamy cottage garden without a yard.

April 26, 2023 Sierra Waters

Ok, so you don’t have a backyard… but what do you have access to? A Patio maybe? Or a balcony, deck, or community garden space? It's totally possible to still create that lush, green happy space no matter what your space looks like. You don’t need that sprawling country farm to create beauty. (even though they are gorgeous and dreamy). What you do need is a little creativity, inspiration, and most of all a LOVE for gardening. Small-space gardening can be just as rewarding, so don't let your space stop you from creating something beautiful.

Here are my favorite cottage garden design elements that I’ve observed and implemented in my garden so far that I think are relatively easy to add to any space. Even adding one of these things can make a huge impact. For me, it all starts with inspiration. If I’m not inspired and excited it’s very hard for me to do something. So get some creativity flowing and check out some photos I’ve collected to inspire your signature cottage garden look.

Cottage Garden Inspiration

What’s a Cottage Garden?

There are all kinds of garden styles; potager, container gardens, Japanese gardens, rock gardens, tropical gardens, formal French gardens, and more. Every style speaks to different people and some even mix and match styles to their own liking. Before I had the space I have now I’d really had no clue that creating my own unique garden space was possible until I started learning, listening, and watching others. The key I think is to gain inspiration from all over. Read books, Pinterest, watch people garden all over the world and you’ll start to notice what you gravitate towards. I really fell in love with the classic English cottage garden look. They are typically whimsical, cozy, and have a good dose of character woven throughout. Everything about it the informal and wild nature of it really spoke to me. I promise you once you start to pin some of these gardens you won’t stop. A cottage garden for me is more about the feeling you get as you wander through, even though they are practical, colorful, and filled with food and herbs everything is done paying attention to the overall mood of the space. You can be cutting flowers for your table and at the same time harvesting the night’s dinner all in the same space.

Make the Cottage Garden “look” your own.

You can achieve the cottage garden “look” by following some basic design elements. This could be for any size space whether it be a patio, apartment balcony, deck, or community garden space. The great thing about design is that it’s not exclusive to a large space or a specific type of lifestyle, it’s accessible to everyone. You can add climbing plants on a balcony, find a charming old metal chair for your patio, or grow a container full of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Implement even a few of these ideas and you will start to feel your space come together. In the end, it’s about how the space makes you feel. Spend time collecting items for your individual garden that make you happy or spark joy, that's what it’s all about. It’s beautiful because it’s unique to you and no one else. Embrace that. Once I got over comparing everything I had and did to every other gardener out there I really was able to start enjoying and appreciating what I had created. So go for it! Make whatever space you have access to beautiful. Make it your own.

Let’s break down each garden design element