Thank you, Kelli, great tips and plenty of inspiration! Gorgeous pictures!! I'm still at the beginning of my garden adventure and have a tendency to get overwhelmed like you said. I'm very happy if I keep the flowers alive. 😄 But I strive for more, a cottage garden is exactly what I'd like to create, so your post came perfectly timed. 🌿🌸☀️🦋😊
What? This, after my proclamation yesterday of needing to plant a garden? Kelli, you are the best!! Now I don’t have to guess!
And a little side note that will excite you…a neighbor boy, 8 years old and calls me NeNe, will get to help with this garden and experience the fruits of his labor. It’s so exciting to plant seeds in the next generation! Hopefully he’ll grow to love flowers and gardening as much as his NeNe does! 😍
It’s like you manifested this post, Naylene! How fun that you are close to your 8 year old neighbor and can garden with him. That warms my heart so much!!!
If you haven’t already, check out the artist/gardener Gertrude Jeckle’s work. An artist, who when her vision began to fail, chose to continue her work through gardening.
I tend to plant closer together than recommended, too. You can always divide a plant that's gotten too big, and then you have a new plant at zero cost.
Dill also works well for attracting swallowtails—I always end up with eggs and caterpillars on the stems when I plant it. They are voracious eaters and basically consume all the stalks. I grow it just for them, so it works out!
Glad we’re not alone with planting closer together! I’ve heard dill is great for the caterpillars too! Great idea to plant it just for them. I’m sure they are very happy 🌱
These are INCREDIBLE insights. You & Billy are absolute goals and your combined love of flowers / garden design comes across so intentionally in your garden! Can't wait to use all of these tips as I start on my box gardens this Summer.
I found this really helpful even though I'm somewhat of an experienced gardener. Absolutely luv cottage gardens!
Regarding mulch....
We just sold our house and I over the buyers realtor say that the buyers will need to bring in tons of dirt to cover up the mulch in our garden so they can plant grass. I'm guessing this also means they'll be pulling up our perennials.... a bittersweet ending to our garden of 30 years. Oh well. It's their garden now. Time to move on to my new garden!!
Thank you, Kelli, great tips and plenty of inspiration! Gorgeous pictures!! I'm still at the beginning of my garden adventure and have a tendency to get overwhelmed like you said. I'm very happy if I keep the flowers alive. 😄 But I strive for more, a cottage garden is exactly what I'd like to create, so your post came perfectly timed. 🌿🌸☀️🦋😊
I’m thrilled that you found these tips helpful, Claudia! I’m sure your cottage garden will be stunning!!
I love all of these tips! Thank you for sharing your lessons and experiences along your journey.
Thank you so much for reading, Francie!
What? This, after my proclamation yesterday of needing to plant a garden? Kelli, you are the best!! Now I don’t have to guess!
And a little side note that will excite you…a neighbor boy, 8 years old and calls me NeNe, will get to help with this garden and experience the fruits of his labor. It’s so exciting to plant seeds in the next generation! Hopefully he’ll grow to love flowers and gardening as much as his NeNe does! 😍
It’s like you manifested this post, Naylene! How fun that you are close to your 8 year old neighbor and can garden with him. That warms my heart so much!!!
If you haven’t already, check out the artist/gardener Gertrude Jeckle’s work. An artist, who when her vision began to fail, chose to continue her work through gardening.
Sounds incredible! Thank you, Patricia!
I tend to plant closer together than recommended, too. You can always divide a plant that's gotten too big, and then you have a new plant at zero cost.
Dill also works well for attracting swallowtails—I always end up with eggs and caterpillars on the stems when I plant it. They are voracious eaters and basically consume all the stalks. I grow it just for them, so it works out!
Glad we’re not alone with planting closer together! I’ve heard dill is great for the caterpillars too! Great idea to plant it just for them. I’m sure they are very happy 🌱
These are INCREDIBLE insights. You & Billy are absolute goals and your combined love of flowers / garden design comes across so intentionally in your garden! Can't wait to use all of these tips as I start on my box gardens this Summer.
You are the sweetest!! I hope we can plan a little visit so I can come see your beautiful garden this summer! 💗🌱🌸
Love this post! How nice to reflect on all the things your garden has taught you. Looking forward to using some of these in my own :)
So glad you found it helpful, Casey! Send pics of your garden pretty please :)
I reckon if more folk dug in their gardens, we would not have wars all over the world 💙
I completely agree, Carol. 🌱
I found this really helpful even though I'm somewhat of an experienced gardener. Absolutely luv cottage gardens!
Regarding mulch....
We just sold our house and I over the buyers realtor say that the buyers will need to bring in tons of dirt to cover up the mulch in our garden so they can plant grass. I'm guessing this also means they'll be pulling up our perennials.... a bittersweet ending to our garden of 30 years. Oh well. It's their garden now. Time to move on to my new garden!!
Oh no Karla! I can imagine how sad that is with the new buyers taking out your garden 😞 I’m so sorry! Very happy to hear you are creating a new one!!
Loved this!
Thanks for reading, Olivia!