Avoid the shortcomings of this classic look without sacrificing any of its charm

Joy Davey dreamed of having a cottage garden . She could visualize the dense , flower - filled layer besiege her Craftsman - manner house . The breezy ease of the bungalow look resonate with her modus vivendi and body of work as an creative person , and she loved its pallette of pastels and cool hues .

Not every face of a cottage garden was invoke , however . Joy did not want a garden that would involve near - constant tending , nor was she content with a short peak season each year . She also disliked the approximation of excluding some of the fun new plants she see in friends ’ garden just to cling to an older style . And then there were the cervid . She knew that many of the bungalow - garden favorites , like rose and clematis , would n’t endure a hazard in her G .

As garden house decorator , my partner , Buell Steelman , and I often present the challenge of conciliate esthetic ambition with realism . The ideal of a cottage garden is lovely , but the feasibility of contrive one that offer year - roundimpact and requires less maintenance on such a large site meant that we would have to reinterpret this classic .

Buell and I give ourselves into updating the traditional bungalow garden with New flora varieties and more modern-day design concepts . The result is a garden that has the soft , loose feel of a bungalow garden but with less maintenance , a much farsighted prime time of year , and fewer temptations for cervid .

Dramatic foliage stretches the season

A limited color pallet is vital to this garden ’s appeal , but “ limited ” does n’t have to mean “ boring . ” Joy is not a fan of bright ruby-red and yellow flowers , but she does care an occasional blot of saturated pink or burgundy . rather of using hot color to zest up the pastel - heavy palette , we infused vigour into the garden by contrasting Light Within and wickedness . Deep , velvety purple and saturated pinkish blooming equilibrize the garden ’s traditional blank and pastel flowers . These bluff hues tote up complexness and profoundness to the garden while still maintaining a soft aesthetic .

In remediate the cottage - garden plant palette for class - turn pursuit , foliage color became just as of import as flower color . Leaves supply continuity of color throughout the year and much of the interest in the off - season . One of Joy ’s favorite tones in the garden is the cryptical , rich Burgundy wine see in the leaves of ‘ Royal Purple ’ smokebush ( Cotinus coggygria‘Royal Purple ’ , USDA Hardiness Zones 5–9 ) and ‘ Sparkling Burgundy ’ ananas lily ( Eucomis comosa‘Sparkling Burgundy ’ , Zones 8–11 ) , among other plants . Burgundy sets off soft pinks , whites , and blue devil and is a striking fellow traveler for more contemporary - sounding motley and silver foliage . It is at its best when combined with subtly slanted plants that would otherwise come along lackluster . Used sparingly , it can metamorphose a ho-hum , washed - out planting into a vivacious setting . But when overdrive , burgundy ’s high - demarcation oomph can overwhelm lighter shade of surrounding leaf . To achieve the ripe equaliser , lease subtle greens , silvers , and variegation overshadow your foliation pallette , and only idiom with burgundy when you want to break up a mishmash of midgreen or to make a plant life variety stand out .

Shapely woody plants replace the classic pruned hedge

While most of Joy ’s floral palette would be at family in a traditional cottage garden , the plants ’ texture and form update the planting style . Although the foliage texture we used are generally more soft than bold , we made the most of their differences . Once again , contrast is the key . With so many incredible options to choose from , there is no demand to direct two standardized texture beside each other . By highlighting differences in foliage texture , the plants in this cottage - inspire garden keep their wallop in and out of bloom .

Although often overlooked , plant shape ( or form ) is another useful attribute . Topiary was often used in early cottage gardens , adding direct contrast and social organization to free - sort plantings . We have echoed that tradition by using plants with naturally strong geometrical physique . In addition to requiring less maintenance than a officially trimmed topiary or hedgerow , these typical physical body add class - round interest and offer structure among the informal flowering perennials . The evergreen spheres of ‘ Papoose ’ spruce ( Picea sitchensis‘Papoose ’ , Zones 7–8 ) and the retinal cone of gnome Alberta spruce ( Picea glauca‘Conica ’ , Zones 2–6 ) dance through lower planting , while the less rigid shapes of ‘ Shiraz ’ New Zealand flax ( Phormium‘Shiraz ’ ) and weeping Serbian spruce ( Picea omorika‘Pendula ’ , zone 4–8 ) are still strong enough to anchor the boisterous mass planting at their feet . We on purpose give each of these plant rich space , varying the distance between them and void row of three or more . When carefully selected and placed , these plants offer a sculptural whimsy that underscores the romantic , classic flavour of the garden .

Mass plantings offer a full, long-lasting look

In the beginning , Joy worried that using large masses of plants might make her garden seem too contemporary or schematic , attributes that clash with the bungalow feel she desire . She warmed to the approximation , however , once we showed her that radical of plant can still accomplish a soft tone — not to mention , they ’re less effort to assert . Deadheading 12 irises or trim down back 16 grasses all at once is much simple-minded than wading through a sea of individual plant in search of each iris or grass .

Throughout the garden , irregular masses of three to 20 plants pop the question an informal cottage - garden spirit , while their broad strokes of colour and grain update the traditional style . These masses give each character of plant more shock than they ’d have standing alone , and they add softness and flow to the planting , even when the plant are out of bloom . A garden full of individual plant can seem busy and untidy , whereas one with masse of the same plant appear simultaneously uninfected , simple , and diverse .

Groupings are also a wondrous manner to stretch a limited plant selection . The cervid that chat this garden day by day would happily devour many of the definitive bungalow - garden plants . Using masses allowed us to make the most of our deer - resistant options without using the same plants in lots of dissimilar place . When we did duplicate a plant , we surrounded it with different companions to maintain the varied , divers look typical of bungalow gardens .

Using groupings of plants outside of the traditional cottage - garden pallette but still in keep with the way ’s colors and textures has kept the ocular complexness of planting high while restrict the repetition of works variety show . The foliage and floral color that broom through the garden create an abundant cottage aspect and , in essence , accomplish everything we set out to do — despite the cervid .

Get the Look

frame and foliage are at the nitty-gritty of this update bungalow garden . Its superstars take care fabulous for most of the twelvemonth while requiring less aid than some of their more flowery neighbors . And all are cervid resistant ( in our area , at least ) .

1. Traditional:Pastels —Update:Dark foliage

‘ Shiraz ’ New Zealand flax ( pictured ) and purple - leaved cultivar of smoke bush , like ‘ Velvet Cloak ’ , ‘ Royal Purple , ’ and ‘ state of grace ’ , are dramatic intimate accent in a bungalow - inspired planting . Their rich colors give beds a modern spin while bringing out the salutary in more subtly coloured fellow traveller .

2. Traditional:Topiaries—Update:No-prune conifers

Dwarf variety show , like ‘ Papoose ’ spruce ( visualise ) and ‘ Conica ’ Alberta smarten up , produce slowly while maintain a raw but well-nigh geometric course . break up casually throughout a abject mass of plants , they seem both integrated and impulsive . Meanwhile , good cry conifers , like weeping Serbian spruce , give the garden a Dr. Seuss playfulness .

3. Traditional:Lots of flowers—Update:Broad strokes of colors

A traditional cottage garden features a tapestry of different blossom , make a soft , inviting look . To keep that look without the potential friction of colors , shapes , and forms — and all the maintenance that give out along with it — we opted for atypical multitude of plant that are piano , colorful , and easy to worry for . This catmint ( Nepeta racemosa‘Walker ’s Low ’ , Zones 4–8 ) has a long salad days season and does n’t require more than an annual haircut .

1 : Pastels . Photo : Danielle Sherry

2 : Topiaries . Photo : Danielle Sherry

3 . lot of blossom . Photo : Virginia Small

Rebecca Sams and her partner , Buell Steelman , own Mosaic Gardens , a landscape painting intent / build firm in Eugene , Oregon .

Photos , except where note : Ann E. Stratton

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pink flowers with dark foliage

Balance out pastels.Bright pink flowers and burgundy foliage offer an energetic twist to the usual cottage-garden palette.

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pink flowers in front of a shrub with burgundy foliage

Colorful foliage has staying power.After the alliums and poppies fade, the burgundy foliage of this smokebush will continue to bring beauty to the garden.

two plants with very different foliage

Contrasting shapes avoid ho-hum combos.The round leaves and mounding habit of this ‘Jack Frost’ brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla‘Jack Frost’, Zones 3–7) are especially eye-catching beside a jagged-leaved upright fern.

garden bed with various foliage plants

Sweeps of soft foliage update plantings.These low-maintenance grasses take the place of cottage-style bloomers.

purple flowers with lots of ornamental grass

New neighbors create a fresh look.Alliums appear throughout this garden, but their varied settings continually give the viewer new combos to discover.

elements of a updated cottage garden