My Cottage Garden Love Affair

April 20, 2021. If you were to ask me at what point my interest in gardening developed, I really couldn’t say other than I was quite young when it did. Growing up watching lots of Little House on the Prairie and reading the right sort of books helped nurture this romance with gardens as dreams of growing peas and corn filled my head. When my husband and I bought our first little bungalow home with our own backyard the chance was finally there to revel in the glamour of our own garden! Somewhere during this period that I also became fascinated with herbs. It probably was from reading LM Montgomery’s descriptive village stories of sweet cottages with gardens and herbs that scented the garden air which all sounded divine. My cottage garden love affair was beginning and would only grow from there.

My Cottage Garden Love Affair

The garden began as a combination of vegetables and herbs. The romaine lettuce was a smashing success. I was very proud of the tall, green rows of leafy greens in our backyard. There was also a sweet pea trellis, lots of tomatoes, and 2 apple trees. A classic herb wheel and a bird bath surrounded by lavender were among the centerpieces. Oregano grew so rampant I had to weed it. Calendula was also highly prolific and threatened to takeover the yard with its sunny flowers. Bushes of English thyme, rosemary. and more grew very healthy in our postage stamp-sized yard. My pink fairy roses and the flowing Bride’s Bush were out front along with a wave of blue catmint which attracted flocks of bees. The garden was a huge source of personal pride. However, it was more than that; the garden nurtured our souls and taught us many lessons.

One of the lovely things about a cottage garden is that it is usually wildlife friendly. The visits from birds, butterflies, and bees to our garden enchanted us daily. Some mornings I would go out to a yard sparkling with dew and see yellow finches in the apple trees while other birds frolicked in the lavender. Tiny, wee hummingbirds were swimming in the bird bath. I purposely planted many things to attract the critters for my kids to see which they loved. We also had 2 bunnies named Bill and Rascal. I would often catch Rascal running off with a long sweet pea plant streaming out of his mouth. Watching all of these antics in the garden were heartwarming and spirit-soothing as well as provided many laughs. It taught our kids compassion for critters and concern for nature which helped make them the caring adults they are today.

During the winter I would spend hours pouring over heirloom seeds and choosing which ones to order. There were so many! I had no idea of all the heirloom vegetables and plants there were and wanted to learn. With storybook names such as Tom Thumb lettuce, Thumbelina carrots, Easter Radishes, and Carnival carrots who wouldn’t want to garden? And our kids enjoyed a backyard they could go pick fun and colorful things to eat. This helped build nutritious eating habits that grew with them. They now are confirmed vegetable eaters and enjoy a lot of vegan foods as well as understand how important vegetables are to their personal health.

And now midlife finds me cultivating a cottage garden in a different place- our mountain home. Growing a cottage garden is more challenging here. It has taken longer, but it is coming along and plants are establishing. The colder climate and higher elevation and forest environment do not allow me to grow pumpkins and apples. However, it is a pleasant surprise to see the lavender thriving as well as the rosemary and many other herbs. Tomatoes and lettuces grow. Blueberries do well as do raspberries. Sometimes I lose plants. And last year’s garden season in 2020? The less said the better. It was pretty discouraging. And this year as the garden season begins (a bit later for us up here) a fresh determination has taken hold to keep growing our mountain cottage garden strong and going.

Challenges have already begun with an April draught that is highly unusual to the PNW. But we need that cottage garden more than ever, so watering is an everyday event right now to help establish the new growth. Somethings have been moved and new things have been added such as pretty blue woodland phlox as well as some lilac bushes. This week I started some new herb and flower seeds which I will eventually transplant to help fill things in.

There will be plenty of days we go out and sit just to soak in the beauty of the flowers and wildlife, allowing it to nourish our souls. This never gets old. My cottage garden love affair has now grown from a teaching tool in motherhood into a balm for my spirit in an uncertain world and the midlife changes I am experiencing. The challenges and rewards often mirror life and remind me in a small way of the great reward from the all the work put in to it. When I look up from planting a new flower and see it all the beauty of the cottage garden it encourages me to keep going.

Have a beautiful day!