Grow A Cottage Garden In Containers

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Have you ever considered growing a cottage garden in containers? Maybe you don’t have enough space, or you’re not able to get down on the ground to work in the dirt due to health reasons.

Or maybe you want the convenience and benefits of growing a container garden.

A cottage container garden is a delightful blend of charm and creativity. An ever-changing tapestry of color, texture, and life nestled in pots, baskets, and repurposed vessels. It brings the whimsy of an old English garden to even the smallest space, spilling over with blooms and herbs.

If you’ve ever dreamed of stepping into a whimsical English countryside garden but only have a patio, balcony, or small yard, don’t worry. You can absolutely bring that cottage garden charm into even the tiniest of spaces using containers. Think overflowing blooms, lush greenery, and a jumble of textures and colors—all in pots!

Each container tells a story: Chipped enamel tubs bursting with foxgloves and daisies. Terracotta pots hosting fragrant lavender and thyme, and hanging baskets of trailing sweet alyssum and ivy.

The effect is lush and layered, a soft tangle of flowers and foliage that feels both spontaneous and lovingly tended.

There’s beauty in the contrasts—delicate petals against weathered clay, silvery green leaves beside bright summer blooms. Bees hum, butterflies drift and flutter, and the scent of mint or roses floats in the breeze.

Add The Sound Of Water To Your Garden Space

Bring in a water fountain to add to your container garden. The sound of trickling water will soothe the senses and lure the birds to visit.

If the water falls from a height, there’s a delicate splash as it hits the surface below, creating a soft hush that fills the air.

The overall effect of a water fountain is peaceful and meditative. Like a quiet stream in a forest, it masks background noise and invites stillness.

You can buy a fountain or create your own. It isn’t hard to DIY one yourself. To make a homemade water fountain for your garden, you can repurpose materials like plant pots, stones, and a pump to create a tiered or stacked fountain. 

Start by choosing your materials and creating a base. Then, install a pump and assemble your fountain. For an eco-friendly option, consider using solar-powered pumps. 

Butterfly Puddler:

Make sure butterflies, bees, and other insects have access to water by making a butterfly puddler. A butterfly puddler should include a shallow, moist dish of sand or soil. Ideally, some compost or manure should be added to provide essential nutrients and minerals. 

Butterflies are attracted to damp areas where they can extract these nutrients with their proboscis, which they use to drink. This way, you can help nature while creating your cottage container garden.

How to Create a Cottage Garden in Containers:

Growing a cottage garden in containers invites you to pause, touch the leaves and petals, and breathe deeply. Whether perched on a porch, tucked into a sunny corner, or arranged along a fence, a cottage container garden is a romantic, living vignette. Rustic, cozy, and overflowing with heart.

Transforming your outdoor space with containers filled with charming cottage garden plants is a delightful way to create a vibrant atmosphere. Let’s dive into some inspiring tips to help you embark on this colorful cottage-style journey.

You could hang plants from above, with ivy or other trailing plants hanging down. These plants can warm up more quickly than those in containers on the ground, so using natural coco liners would be wise. I did that this year myself with Boston ferns and petunias.

1. Embrace the Cottage Garden Style

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s abundance. Let your plants mingle and spill over the edges. Think cheerful chaos, not tight control.

Cottage gardens are known for their:

• Informality
• Dense planting
• Romantic color palettes
• Mix of flowers, herbs, and edibles

Choose Your Containers Wisely:

Don’t feel limited to matching pots when planting a cottage garden in containers. Start by choosing containers that resonate with your personal style. Vary the sizes and shapes to add visual interest and lead the eye across your container garden.

• Terra cotta for a rustic feel; wood or vintage metal
• Galvanized tubs
• Vintage buckets, crates, or even an old wheelbarrow
• Hanging baskets or window boxes

Plants & Flowers I Like To Plant In Container Gardens

In my container gardens, I like to plant both perennials and annuals. I also sprinkle in herbs and trailing plants that cascade down.

Here’s a list of some plants I like to use in my container gardens.

Herbs like rosemary or sage look gorgeous and add a touch of deliciousness to your cooking. Swap plants among containers as the seasons shift or when flowers begin to fade.

Planting Your Containers

Mix tall, medium, and trailing plants in your arrangements.

The arrangement might have a commanding pot at the back or center, filled with spiky ornamental grass, tall snapdragons, or cascading salvia. Around it, medium-height pots can be grouped in tiers, holding bushy blooms like geraniums, petunias, or zinnias.

At the front or edges, smaller pots could be brimming with trailing plants like sweet alyssum or creeping jenny. This draws the eye downward.

The display will feel abundant, inviting viewers to pause and admire each detail from different angles.

Layer Heights for Depth & Interest:

Mixing pot heights in a flower garden creates a layered look that adds visual interest and charm, especially in cottage-style or container gardens.

The contrast between heights showcases each flower’s shape and color and mimics nature’s rhythm. It is wild, whimsical, and never quite the same twice. Group varying sizes in odd numbers to create a pleasing asymmetry, as if the garden grew that way all on its own.

Playing with levels invites the eye to dance across the space, discovering new textures and fragrances at every tier. It’s a painter’s palette in three dimensions.

Depending on how your containers are arranged, position taller plants, such as foxgloves or delphiniums, in the back or the center.

Medium-sized blooms like daisies can flank them, while trailing plants like lobelia can spill over the edges.

Create a Color Palette:

I chose yellows, pinks, and purples for my container garden palette this year.

Think about a harmonious color scheme to tie everything together. Grow a cottage garden in containers filled with soft pastels, brilliant jewel tones, or a monochrome palette.

Don’t hesitate to pair contrasting colors like vibrant purples with sunny yellows to create a lively, eye-catching effect!

Incorporate Leafy Foliage:

Include plants with interesting foliage. Choose leaf textures and colors to add depth to your container garden arrangements.

Consider adding herbs like rosemary, sage, and mint, which not only look beautiful but can be used in the kitchen. Don’t forget to grow a clump of chives for baked potatoes and soups.

For shade, choose a variety of hostas and coral bell plants. When planted together in a pot, both plants look beautiful.

Lemon verbena and pineapple sage could fill the air with a sugary sweetness, while the scent of chives is like onion and garlic.

Let Your Creativity Flow

There’s a kind of magic in a cottage garden; whispers among the petals and leaves. Bees hum among the colorful flowers, and butterflies flutter around the nectar-rich plants and blooms.

You can attract nature to your cottage garden in containers just as you can to one sown in the earth. That magic isn’t lost in a container garden. It simply takes root in old tubs and vintage crockery with stories to tell.

There’s no need for rules here. Mix the texture of soft Lamb’s ear with salvia, geraniums, and daisies. Let ivy spill over and allow morning glories to climb. Allow violas to grow wild, uninvited but welcome.

A container cottage garden is a love letter to simpler times. It evokes feelings of nostalgia, coziness, and a connection to nature. It reminds people of simpler times, perhaps a grandmother’s garden years ago.

Even in a small corner, growing a cottage garden in containers brings nature up close, where you can sip tea or coffee among the blooms. And every blossom feels like a memory waiting to be sealed in a scrapbook.