Cottage Gardens - Favorites of Lazy Gardeners Everywhere

Cottage gardens are designed to be casual and carefree. They are supposed to look natural, as if the plants just grew where they wanted to. What lazy gardener doesn't like that? 

Most cottage gardens are in an enclosed area like a backyard or even a front yard. They are usually bordered by a picket fence, although a stone wall is often used and looks good too.

There are only a few rules when making a cottage garden. A cottage garden is surrounded by a picket fence or stone wall, they are casually planted, the flowers grown are predominantly old-fashioned self-seeding varieties, accessories and pathways are made of natural materials, and vintage items are used in unexpected ways.

If you must "plan" your cottage garden, place plants in groups of three or five of a kind. They'll make more of a statement that way and will eventually grow to resemble one large specimen.

Let them cascade onto the paths. Plant everything closer together than in a traditional garden. The look you're going for is a varied mass of vegetation.

Choose old fashioned types of flowers and old fashioned varieties. Hollyhocks, foxgloves, roses, peonies, daisies, poppies, garden mums, and delphiniums. Plant annuals that self-seed readily, such as marigolds, cosmos, zinnias, annual black-eyed susans, calendulas, sweet alyssum, and moss roses.

It is traditional in cottage gardens to grow some type of fruit-bearing tree. Choose a dwarf variety for your urban garden. Add flowering vines for vertical interest and to frame the upper levels of the garden.

Use brick or natural stone to make pathways that curve gently throughout the garden. Keep their breadth in scale with both the garden's size and the scale of the plantings.

Make some of the paths curve out of sight and end near a specimen plant or focal point.

Add accents and accessories of natural materials. Natural unpainted wood, wicker and bamboo are perfect for the cottage garden. Search yard sales for cast-offs that can be re-purposed into unusual, one-of-a-kind garden accents. Position an old coat rack as a trellis for a vine to twine upon. An old dresser can be used as a make-shift planter with flowers spilling out of the half-opened drawers.

This last point is the essence of a cottage garden: they are planned and planted casually using materials that are readily available. Every cottage garden is different...but they're all beautiful.

Copyright Sharon Sweeny, 2009. All rights reserved. 

Garden Benches Complete Your Garden

Looking for the ideal piece of furniture for your garden? A garden bench maybe the perfect choice. Benches provide the perfect place to relax and enjoy your garden or simply take time out from your daily routine. A Garden bench can also create an attractive focal point in any garden. Strategically placing your bench near trees or near areas of interest provides easy access for viewing your favorite part of the garden.

With the wide range of benches available on the market today, your choices are numerous. Benches are made from an amazing array of materials including different types of wood, cast iron and aluminum. Solid wood benches manufactured from Pine, Cypress and most commonly Teak can last for many years when properly maintained. Cast iron and aluminum offer strength and unsurpassed durability.

No matter whether you have a traditional style or contemporary style garden, a Teak garden bench will look great and will give you many years of enjoyment. Teak is preferred among most bench manufactures because of its high strength, natural beauty when weathered and resistance to bugs.

Most garden benches generally require little attention during its normal lifespan. Metal benches may require repainting from time to time, Pine wood may also require additional coats of paint or clearcoat, but Teak and Cypress are such great materials, that no refinishing is ever required. You can also buy bench covers which offer protection for your bench during the colder and wetter months of the year.

Garden benches are available in many different designs and sizes to suit your exact requirements. Love seats allow two people to sit and enjoy that special area of the garden, while larger models are available that seat 3 to 4 adults. Child size benches are great for the young ones to sit and enjoy the garden with the adults.

Finding a garden bench is as simple as going online and browsing through the vast array of models available. Look for quality materials, styles that match your garden and a size to fit. Seat cushions can also be obtained to make your bench more comfortable and decorative. After setting up your garden bench, you will be glad that you added one of these stunning items of furniture to your garden.

Garden Lights

One of the great things about summer is being able to sit outside, have a Barbeque accompanied by a couple of glasses of vino, and then just relax on into the evening. Many people have different ways about enjoying such a lifestyle, some like to invite their friends over and get a bit of a party going, whilst others like to sit down and enjoy the company of their family, but I bet one thing everyone has in common is that they do not want the evening to stop when it gets dark, and that is why it is great to have garden lights fitted around the outside of your home.

The benefits of having Garden lights installed is firstly, it allows you to carry out the lifestyle we have mentioned above, but as well as this, it is a cheap and effective way of creating a beautiful home and generating a comforting ambience. Simple things such as lighting can really improve the aesthetics of a house, and it doesnt have to stop in the back garden. These lights can also be installed in the front garden and provide a welcoming vibe for your guests, or for when you have arrived home from work. Another major benefit is that it is a great safety measure, especially for households with lots of little ones running about who are looking to get up to all kinds of mischief. Another advantage is that you can make the most of your garden in the autumn and winter months when most people tend to neglect their garden and let the grass grow too long. But simply get a patio heater and couple cups of tea on the go and you can still sit outside and enjoy your garden in its full glory, which would be great with Guy Fawkes Night just around the corner.

For you environmentally friendly consumers out there, you will be pleased to know that you can buy a variety energy saving garden lights, such as the ones on offer from Sparks Direct. They offer a variety of energy saving and low voltage bulbs, and you also have the option mains voltage, high voltage and 3 phase. If you do opt for the higher powered bulbs, then simply remember to turn your lights off when they are not being used, and save our environment. If your lights are being powered by a mains socket, then simply purchase a digital timer and AC plug socket, where you will be able to set the time you wish your garden lights to be on and off.

Another great thing to remember is that you, the consumer, have such a great variety to choose from, that you are bound to find the right lights for your home. Some of the fitted lights that are available to you from Sparks Direct their choice of wall lights and walkover/step lights. Also, you can have spike lights scattered around the garden, which is often situated in the flowerbeds, to give your whole garden a beautiful glow. There are also rope lights, flood lights and ceiling lightings, so basically there is a light for every area of your garden. As well as a great range of lights comes a great range of styles. Some of the styles on offer to you are antique, contemporary and traditional and you also have the option of halogen, LED and high IP lights.

Whatever the reasons, make sure you make the most of your garden and give it the lighting it deserves.