One of our favorite parts about our trip to England was experiencing all the beautiful cottage gardens at the height of summer.
It was very inspiring to go for walks throughout the countryside while looking at everyone’s stunning garden spaces.
Now that we are home, we are looking over all the pictures (hehe, so many!) to see how we can utilize all the inspiration from the trip.
Want to learn what we’ve been realizing? Here we go – let’s do this!
1. Make Your Flowerbeds Full
We noticed that all the flower boarders were deep and packed full of plants. No matter the size of the space, the homeowners would create layered, detailed, and complex gardens. They were so different from the lawn covered American gardens. We have plans to create a full flowerbed just like in this picture in the front of our garden.
2. Consider Pollinators
No matter what size garden we saw there was always one way or another to make sure that the pollinators were taken care of. Sometimes it was wildflowers, habitats, water, or their favorite plants. We love taking care of pollinator and will continue to make sure that we are doing everything we can for them.
3. Add Color
One thing that everyone made sure to include in their gardens was color. Sometimes the plants aren’t blooming which means that spaces could feel very green unless other color options are added. Sometimes people would add colored doors, painted pots, garden ornaments or mixing textures to create color. We are brainstorming as many options as possible to add to our own garden!
4. Add Sculptural Elements
It had been a while since I had been in an European garden and I was struck by the stunning sculptures. This one is harder for me because when I think about garden sculptures, I think garden gnomes not luxurious birds. This is what I love about European and British gardens there is an added elegance no matter the size or place the garden is in.
5. Always Have Water
There are so many added benefits to this one and to give credit where it is due, Matthew has been trying to get me to add more water in our gardens for years. It does not need to be a huge pond or fountain — but it can be something small like a stone trough, a birdbath or a water feature. We now have plans to put in a small pond in our back garden but that is down the road.
There you have it! The five gardening tips we picked up on our trip to England. What do you think? Will you implement any?
Let us know in the comments – we’d love to hear from you!
XX
Waite and Matthew
