Guide for a Cottage Garden on a Budget

Perennial Flowers

• Perennials are good for budget cottage gardening because they are a one-time expense and are easily divided to share year after year. Bulb, tuber and rhizome plants such as iris, gladiola and dahlia are dug up and divided every three to four years. Some cottage style gardeners establish a garden club with friends to share their perennial plants. Shasta daisies are a medium-height bright white flower that helps create a cheerful look. They spread by expanding clumps of roots which grow into new plants. The clumps are dug up in the fall to be shared or moved. Daylilies are also divided every few years to share with other budget-minded cottage gardeners.

Saved Seeds

• The flower beds in a cottage garden are traditionally wide enough to grow tall, medium and short plants. Tall yellow, pink or red hollyhocks are grown from seed saved year to year. Hollyhocks are often found growing wild in vacant lots or undisturbed areas. The flowers go to seed in summer and can be saved to plant in springtime. There is nothing more budget-minded than free seeds. Seeds from annual flowers such as zinnia and marigold are able to be saved year to year if they are not a genetically engineered or hybrid product. Heirloom flower seeds are best for cottage gardening on a budget.

Garden Structures

• Cottage gardens are associated with rustic fences and trellis for clematis, climbing roses and ivy to grow on. A budget-minded gardener watches local yard sales and thrift shops to find an inexpensive arbor or fan-shaped trellis. A rustic fence is best built with old materials salvaged from another building project. Cottage gardens usually contain quaint, whimsical accessories such as a tin watering can or faded wheelbarrow. "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is the hallmark of cottage gardening on a budget.

Paths and Walkways

• Cottage gardens create intimate space with curved walkways wide enough for two people to enjoy the flowers together. Sand or shredded wood mulch are budget materials that are placed over landscape cloth to create a pathway. Broken concrete salvaged from a nearby building project or house remodel makes a good walkway. A garden hose is sometimes used to lay out the gently curving design for a graceful pathway. Remove the grass or weeds along 1 foot of both sides of the hose before placing the sand or mulch on top. A layer of landscape cloth adds to the budget but prevents weeds from cropping up.