English cottage gardens are romantic and lush. Give your garden a fresh look and extra colour that lasts all summer by adding summer-flowering bulbs to more traditional plants. Whether you go for the striking blossoms of dahlias, the graceful height of gladioli or the subtle colour palette of begonias, your garden will be a feast for the senses.
Modern cottage garden characteristics
Cottage gardens are all about abundance and diversity. Rather than clean lines and symmetry, cottage gardens usually have a relaxed mix of plants that seem to grow almost casually. Classic flowers like roses, geraniums, hydrangeas, and climbing plants like clematis and honeysuckle play the starring role. But you can still make your garden even more lively by adding summer-flowering bulbs. These bulbs will ensure beautiful, long-lasting flowering and add surprising colour accents, giving your garden a playful feel.
Summer bulbs: the perfect addition
Summer-flowering bulbs, such as dahlias, lilies, anemones, gladioli and begonias are the perfect addition for cottage gardens. Their colourful and often generous flowers add variety and height differences, contributing to the layering of the garden.
Maintenance and Planning
In cottage gardens, natural beauty and practicality go hand in hand. Most summer-flowering bulbs need lots of sunlight, but luckily, many cottage-style plants also do very well in sunny conditions. Make sure you plant the bulbs in well-drained soil and give them plenty of room to grow. Time to get started: grab that shovel and start planting; your very own English garden is closer than you think!
Tips for prolonged flowering:
- Create a dynamic garden that will flower from late spring until late summer by combining flower bulbs with different heights and flowering times.
- Deadhead flowers regularly. This will ensure that the energy goes to new flowers. Many bulbs are drought-resistant, which is very useful during the summer months.
