The Cottage Garden

I didn’t know that a cottage garden is a defined thing until I was at Brodie, where an old stone wall is the backdrop for one. Its wildness is just on the right edge of crazy. I was immediately hypnotized by it. As always when I learn something new, I dig a little deeper, and I collected a bunch of the dual descriptions I read about cottage gardens because they’re always described with two:

• Cozy and profuse
  
• Informal and romantic
  
• Relaxed and abundant
• Pretty and purposeful
• Graceful and charming
• Ornamental and edible
• Surprising and triumphant

     The contrasts among these visual and moody descriptions are right up my painting alley, but what really struck me was that nurturing a cottage garden is about editing. You can plan it by throwing down seeds you like, but you let them be as they grow and change. Then when they’re mature you start to take some out and prune keep that balance between carefree and thoughtful. That’s just like painting!