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Cottage Gardening, Florida Style

© Julie Finn

Gardeners new to Florida are often bewildered and distraught to discover that the types of plants they grew in cottage-style gardens "up north" won't thrive here. Oftentimes, the staples of the English garden-- daffodils, lilacs, peonies and wisteria --are physiologically unable to set blooms without a prerequisite amount of winter cold. Other delicate beauties-- delphinium, larkspur, lobelia and geranium, to name a few --faint, collapse, and die in our unrelenting heat and humidity.

So what's a gardener to do? I think Jimmy Buffet had the right idea when he crooned: "Changes in latitude, changes in attitude, nothing remains quite the same."

So dry your eyes, put away your hankie, and change your plant palette. With a little imagination, wise choice of plant material, and a formal plan to guide you, you are well on your way toward creating a cottage garden, Florida style.

Whether you are re-designing your garden or starting from scratch, a written plan is essential. Although measuring the parameters of your home and property is tedious, effort expended now can reap great rewards later in terms of money and time saved. Plotting your measurements on graph paper ensures all elements of your design are proportional and to scale.

Planning is paramount when designing cottage gardens because mistakes made in small spaces tend to be amplified. Because of the sheer number and variety of plant material contained in such a garden, one can comprehend how a poorly planned cottage garden can quickly degenerate into a chaotic, unkempt mess.

On paper, one can easily discern why a towering 90-foot oak makes a small home appear even smaller. By "erasing" the tree and "installing" dwarf plants, the house itself becomes the focal point and seems to be larger and, well, more important.

Likewise, you can see how ridiculous one marigold plant would look as the sole accent for a large house. You can also save yourself embarrassment and money by not purchasing a copy of Michelangelo's "David" for your 6-by-8 foot balcony. Get the idea?

When planning your landscape, remember to record ultimate height and width, not present size, when penciling in permanent items such as trees and shrubs. Keep in mind the adage "From little acorns, mighty oaks grow."

Real life requires us to leave a service area for trash cans, a place for the kids to play, or the dog to roam. If you entertain often, consider installing a patio or lanai. When the kids are gone, you can use their former play area for a sitting nook or perhaps a small pond.

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