There's nothing quite so charming as an English cottage garden. Such gardens feature a profusion of pretty plants and flowers. An English cottage garden appears to have simply sprung up, adding layers over the generations. Of course, such beautiful chaos actually takes planning. Add the charm of an English cottage garden to your yard.

Start with Typical Plants

A cottage garden should have a romantic feel perfect for a stroll. Better Homes and Gardens suggests the following plants for your garden:

• Columbine: This early bloomer offers colorful blooms that hummingbirds love.
• Delphinium: Even the name beckons romance. These flowers product cones of blooms in a variety of shades.
• Daisy: A classic flower for heritage gardens, daisies make pretty cutting plants.
• Lavender: Another classic of the cottage garden, lavender is a beautifully scented plant.

Include Roses

Your English garden isn't going to feel complete without a rose bush or two. Rose bushes not only provide beautiful flowers, their fragrant blooms make excellent cuttings. Rose bushes make charming cornerstone pieces of mini gardens and also look lovely tucked into an actual corner. Likewise, you could train a climbing cultivar over a trellis or arbor. While certain varieties, such as English rose, are traditional in cottage gardens, talk to your landscaping experts about the variety that works best in your climate.

Add Herbs

Traditional cottage gardens have two uses – providing beauty as well as useful plants. While historical cottage gardens offered medicinal herbs, today's variety should provide at least a few culinary herbs. Consider your herb preference, and create a mini garden featuring these herbs. Start with a larger herb, such as a rosemary bush or bay laurel, and plant smaller varieties around it. You may need to re-plant every year, but that simply gives you the impetus to experiment with new flavorings.

Make Curves in a Path

Another aspect of the English garden is that it provides a leisure spot. Indeed, strolling through the garden was a common pastime. In short, your garden should feature a winding path. Utilize a fountain or even rose bush as the reason for adding a curve to your walkway. Alternatively, design the path so it overlooks a pretty part of your house or yard. Cobblestone is a characteristic material for the pathway, though spaced pavers will give your walkway a more rustic feel.

Plant in a Profusion

The cottage garden is opposite of formal English gardens in that it's casual and natural. To produce this effect, group plants and flowers in a careful profusion. Let the plantings blur the edges of your path. Stay away from geometric plantings. Instead, your cottage garden should give the impression that it just naturally grew that way.

Your cottage garden will provide a pretty getaway characteristic of the English countryside.