Fashion for Ladies
13 beautiful ways to create a cottage garden patio
Looking to add a touch of romance to your plot? These cottage garden patio ideas are for you. With a few styling tips and a ton of flowers, it’s easy to create a whimsical spot full of old English charm.
The beauty of cottage garden ideas is that they’re relaxed, almost higgledy-piggledy. You will seldom find the pared-back, hard surfaces which you might see in a more contemporary space, and you probably won’t find palms or other exotic plants either. Instead, think billowing borders of soft planting, and more traditional materials.
From surrounding your outdoor seating area in clambering roses and giant urns, to adding a beautiful bird bath or two – read on for all the inspiration you need to create the cottage garden patio of your dreams.
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1. Create an enchanting canopy over your patio
Many people love to use their patio to sit, relax, and enjoy a meal outdoors. Opting for a pergola or gazebo can be an easy way to create one, and whether you’re entertaining or enjoying a cuppa for one, this gorgeous pergola provides a perfect retreat.
The vibrant foliage overhead not only creates a sheltered, intimate vibe, but will also provide cool shade in the summer. Why not recreate the look by growing some of the best climbing pergola plants up and over the sides and top?
Soft roses in pastel hues border the space, elevating the view even further and, as we can imagine, filling the air with delicious scent. Decorate your table with jam jars of freshly cut flowers and tea lights, and add an array of pretty placemats to finish the scene.
2. Add antique finds for traditional cottage charm
Keep a lookout for second hand terracotta containers for your garden planters in cottage gardens. This antique urn is a great example of how to add old-time charm to a garden, providing a lovely focal point when popped at the corner of your cottage garden patio.
Garden designer Tracy Foster, founder of Tracy Foster Garden Design says, “one of the most wonderful things about the cottage garden style of gardening is that it was born out of the need to do things cheaply and simply.
“Materials for paths and walls look better if they are reclaimed and reused which can be a great money saver as well as being much less wasteful and better for the environment.”
And, don’t worry about keeping your reclaimed finds pristine – moss and weathering will only add to its character. Then, surround with purple globes of alliums for a beautiful display.
Tracy has over 20 years’ experience in the field of garden design. Her training has included a degree in Plant Biology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne as well as a Diploma in Garden Design from the Institute of Garden Design.
3. Go for a more natural, overgrown vibe
We love how this sweet country cottage is almost hidden by greenery. Tucked beneath rambling roses and ivy, it’s the perfect fairytale setting. Softly shaped garden hedges surround huge swathes of planting, whilst an old red-brick patio takes centre stage.
Don’t be afraid to welcome a touch of the wild by allowing nature to do its thing in cottage, or cottage-inspired garden designs. Here, a mound of moss and lichen provides a living carpet for the outdoor seating set-up. And, the rusted patination to the quaint chairs and table transport us straight to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Secret Garden.
4. Include a beautiful bistro set on your patio
A bistro set is always a lovely addition to your garden furniture. Simple, timeless, affordable, and available in a whole host of colours – they work just beautifully on a cottage garden patio.
The delicate, pale hue of this set lifts the space and complements the surrounding Hostas, Erigeron, and Scabiosa perfectly. The best bistro sets are often foldable too, making them a great choice for all kinds of small garden ideas.
Shop for bistro sets for your cottage garden patio
Charles Bentley
Mosaic Bistro Set
Metal and mosaics combine to create this charming two-seater bistro set
Habitat
Habitat Eve Metal Bistro Set
Perfect for small cottage gardens this pale green bistro set has a foldable table and chairs
John Lewis
John Lewis Acacia Wood Bistro Set
Enjoy morning coffees on your cottage garden patio using this classic wooden bistro set
5. Allow it to grow wild
Cottage garden style is all about the plants you include, and as this idea demonstrates, sometimes, more simply is more.
Try planting the perennial Alchemilla mollis into any nooks and crannies of your patio, as seen here. With gently scalloped leaves and vibrant lime-green flowers in the summer, it’s a lovely, low-maintenance plant. Plus, it looks stunning after rainfall, as droplets of water cling to its foliage, like jewels. You could even try Monty Don’s ‘crack gardening’ trick and grow lettuce like our news editor did – to surprising success.
The wild look is balanced by the soft topiary behind. Again, nothing too formal, but it gives the garden a considered, rather than abandoned, feel.
6. Fill patio containers with cottage garden annuals
These two large pots frame the entrance to the patio and make a striking feature in themselves. They are full of pale-mauve pincushion flowers – an annual meadow-flower that’s a favourite of butterflies – amongst other purple-hued beauties.
Keeping a selected colour palette is a great way to bring a sense of cohesion to a cottage garden style space, while still embracing a more abundant style of gardening. Although, of course, a more eclectic approach is totally fine, too – whatever suits your style.
7. Add a stone bird bath for a rustic look
To elevate your patio, why not add a bird bath? A classic stone version such as this will weather beautifully over time and provides a charming focal point.
What’s more, it will offer a retreat for any visiting featured friends. And is there anything more delightful then watching garden birds chirp and flit merrily nearby? You might like to take a look at our other advice on how to attract birds to your garden, too.
Bird baths to suit your cottage garden patio
Dunelm
Cast Iron Bird Bath
This cast-iron bird bath is perfect for popping into the corner of a smaller cottage garden patio
Peckish
Peckish Secret Garden Bird Bath
Elevate your cottage garden patio with this decorative tall bird bath
SA Products
Solar Bird Bath
This bird bath includes a solar-powered fountain for an extra bird bath splash
8. Line your patio steps with flowers
You may have already picked your favourites, but these ones are Saliva ‘Hot Lips’. A favourite amongst many gardeners, their eye-catching white and red blooms sit along elegant stems. They look lovely planted en masse.
Head over to our cottage garden path ideas for more ways to make your hard landscaping feel in-keeping with the cottage theme.
9. Lay patterned patio tiles to add character
Choosing materials for your cottage garden patio will require you to seek out the best patio tiles for the job. The benefit of cottage gardens is that their eclectic feel means you have a wealth of options available to you.
Lesley Taylor, interior designer and founder of Baked Tiles shares her advice on what to consider when selecting tiles for a cottage garden patio.
“Cottage gardens tend to favour a softer, more relaxed approach, where planting is generous and slightly informal, and hard landscaping needs to sit comfortably within that setting, rather than feeling as an afterthought that jars with the space.
“Tiles that carry a sense of variation, warmth and subtle irregularity tend to work best, as they echo the natural character of the garden rather than interrupting it,” she says.
“Stone-effect porcelain is particularly well suited to this style because it captures the tonal shifts and surface texture of materials such as limestone or weathered stone, while offering the resilience needed for outdoor use.
“These tiles bring depth without sharp contrast, allowing them to act as a gentle backdrop that supports the planting rather than drawing attention away from it,” continues Lesley. “The slight movement within the surface helps avoid a flat or overly uniform finish, which can feel out of place in a more organic garden setting.
And, if patterned tiles, like the Alfresco Jannah 20mm Paver from Baked Tiles, in the image above have caught your attention, Lesley explains what to consider when selecting patterns.
“Pattern can sit beautifully within a cottage garden, though it works best when it feels woven into the space rather than laid on top of it. In gardens where there is already a great deal happening visually, the role of a patterned tile is not to compete with that, but to bring a sense of structure that gently holds everything together,” she says.
“Designs with a more relaxed repeat like a muted checkerboard or a slightly weathered quality tend to settle more naturally into the garden, as though they have softened over time. There is a subtlety to them that allows interest to build gradually, rather than demanding attention all at once, which suits the layered nature of a cottage garden far more comfortably.”
Lesley Taylor is an award-winning interior designer and founder of Baked Tiles, a design-led tile brand she built into a recognised name in the interiors industry, known for curated, tile collections chosen for their interior design driven focus.
10. Carve out a corner for an outdoor shower
Having a more traditional style of garden doesn’t mean you can’t embrace current garden trends. With wellbeing and outdoor living becoming a must-have in homes, consider allocating a corner of your cottage garden patio to an outdoor shower.
Here, a gravel patio is edged with raised garden beds and an integrated showering space. A backsplash tiled with appropriate tiles, such as these Foundry Novo Linen and Beige tiles from Ca’Pietra helps define the space, while plants, shrubs and trellises located around it help make it feel more secluded. Choose a more traditional metal finish for your shower too, such as matt brass or gold so it’s in keeping with the overall cottage vibe.
Try Etsy for a range of handmade outdoor showers that exude a cottage garden feel.
11. Adorn patio walls with roses
Sweetly scented roses are a must-have for any cottage-style garden, so make sure you bring them to the patio, too. You can display miniature kinds in pots, larger types in nearby borders, or even introduce a climber or two.
As the RHS advise, both climbing and shrub varieties can do well when trained up walls, pillars or archways. We love David Austen’s ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ for bright pink blooms with incredible scent, which can be used as a short climber.
Or, if you want to match what the celebrities do in their outdoor spaces, find out David Beckham’s favourite rose so you can plant them too.
12. Add rustic shelves to a cottage garden patio
These A-line shelves have a rustic charm that works well on a cottage garden patio. Covered in pots, lanterns and outdoor ornaments, it’s a great way to add an extra dose of style to your space.
With its natural wooden finish, it blends in with the rest of the theme perfectly. You could also use it to string up bunting for a vintage feel, or even use festoon lights on it as part of your garden lighting scheme, to up the ambience further.
For other cottage garden materials, embrace reclaimed, traditional materials, says Tracy Foster. “Examples that spring to mind are brick edges, simple gravel paths, crazy paving with self seeded herbs and flowers growing in the cracks, herringbone brick paths, and simple stepping stones running through the planting.
“The look also lends itself well to narrow cottage garden paths and flowing curves, which is great if you would like a change from the prevailing hard lines of recent design trends,” she adds.
“Anything that looks handcrafted or homemade will fit in well, especially if it’s made of local material in a regional style. Woven willow obelisks, cleft chestnut fencing, woven willow or hazel hurdles, and dry stone or mellow brick walls are all suitable choices.”
13. Shade a cottage garden patio with a sail
While sunny days aren’t guaranteed, when they do come along, you’ll still want ways to garden sunshade ideas, much like you will for any other style of garden.
If a patio umbrella will take up too much floor space in a small courtyard, why not try a shade sail instead? Soft, flowing, and less structured than an umbrella, it also adds a modern twist to a traditional setting, without changing the overall cottage feel.
Looking for inspiration for your home, as well as your cottage garden? Browse these beautiful cottage kitchen ideas, and discover how to give your bathroom that cottage look.
The original version of this article previously appeared on Gardeningetc, a sister website to Homebuilding & Renovating.