Cottagecore in urban areas is inspired by an ideal version of country living – home-grown food, colourful overflowing flowerbeds, and a slower pace of life. The best part is that you don’t need a thatched cottage in the Cotswolds to borrow the look. All it takes is a few small changes to give anything from a suburban garden to a small patio a bit of cottage charm. Here are a few easy places to start your cottagecore journey.
Let your planting get a little wild
Cottagecore-inspired gardens look their best when planting feels abundant rather than meticulously arranged with every slightly unruly corner trimmed away. A little imperfection suits the style. Mix tall foxgloves and hollyhocks with lavender, cosmos and lower-growing flowers, so that different colours and textures can mingle. Or add bee-friendly plants such as crocus for another dimension to your space, with bumblebees moving between flowers and butterflies adding flashes of colour.
Mix vegetables with the flowers
There’s no reason why a cottagecore garden can’t earn its keep. Try planting strawberries along an edging, growing rosemary and thyme near the kitchen door, or letting runner beans climb a rustic wooden support. Tomatoes can easily share space with marigolds, while herbs look attractive tucked among flowers. There’s something so satisfying about stepping outside with a pair of scissors to collect basil for pasta sauce or mint for a summer drink.
Create a cosy and productive growing corner
At some point, you will need to add a practical or modern-looking growing area to your garden, but it doesn’t have to spoil the atmosphere. For example, a polytunnel greenhouse gives you a sheltered spot for growing vegetables, herbs and flowers. But rather than leaving it at the bottom of the garden, you can make it feel more inviting by incorporating it into the wider design by planting lavender or daisies nearby, adding timber-edged beds or positioning a weathered wooden bench outside.
Add character through little details
You don’t have to spend a fortune or redo your entire garden to achieve a cottagecore look. Go to the charity shop or look around your house for used terracotta pots, an old-fashioned metal watering can or a simple wooden chair – the more wear and scratches the better. Add plants such as clematis or honeysuckle to climb a trellis, hang herbs to dry or add a small gate between different areas for a quick touch of personality.
Let your cottagecore garden evolve naturally
A cottagecore garden should look as though it took years to grow. Let flowers spread wherever they want, add interesting finds gradually and plant vegetables you’ll actually eat. The result will be colourful and productive. It will also be slightly untidy – which is precisely part of its charm.
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