30 English Garden Design Ideas We Love (2024)

Gardening

Gardening Basics

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  Drifts of Color

  

  Large patches (what Gertrude Jekyll called "drifts") of color in the garden create a dynamic design and are especially effective when covering a long narrow planting area. The vivid deep pink of these dahlias in the gardens at the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire are an eye-catching foil to the deep green espalieried cherry trees behind them.
  

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• 02 of 30

  Structured Hedges and Freeform Flowers

  

  Using hedges to create high or low walls in the English garden creates a strong structural element that contrasts with the looser, more organic shapes of cottage-style plantings. The large topiary hedge in this garden in Oxfordshire is a dramatic, formal backdrop to the airy, delicate border flowers. Shades of pink, rose, and purple also create a complementary color palette with the deep green hedges and trees.

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• 03 of 30

  English Roses

  

  Gertrude Jekyll found roses to be essential in an English garden. This garden in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has the mild spring and summer temperatures perfect for this climbing rose to flourish. We usually think of English roses as having luscious scents, and fortunately there are a number of scented pink climbers, including:

  • 'Zephirine Drouhin' (medium warm pink)
  • 'Pearly Gates' (light pink)
  • 'New Dawn' (very pale pink)
  • 'Pretty in Pink Eden' (medium to dark pink)

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• 04 of 30

  Evergreen Boxwoods

  

  Boxwood shrubs can be a very versatile landscape element, and in English gardens they are often used in very formal, elegant designs. But this front of house display is very simple and casual, with large ferns in the background and some simple annual geraniums in the foreground.

  Keeping the shrubs trimmed to rounded shapes is easy with an electric or battery-powered hedge trimmer. In autumn, the rich shades of green remain attractive, and the boxwoods remain evergreen through the winter.

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• 05 of 30

  Color Contrast Flowers

  

  This tranquil garden space is carefully planted to have jolts of color throughout the season. In this photo, the bright blue of flowering catmint (the cultivar is 'Six Hills Giant') and the pale blue iris create bold swatches of color that contrast beautifully with the more delicate pale pink and white blossoms and the neutral colors of the gravel walkway and earthy clay pots.

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  See Also

  Does Your House Have An Average Garden?Englischer Garten | simply MunichElements of the English Garden Style - WildFlower

• 06 of 30

  Geometric Vegetables

  

  Formal design in English gardens isn't just limited to rose gardens and herbaceous borders; one often sees geometric shapes and tight plantings in vegetable gardens, too. This early autumn garden at The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in southwest London features an array of delectable greens and herbs. This space-saving technique can be implemented in large or small spaces.

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• 07 of 30

  Narrow Paths and Lush Plants

  

  A narrow walkway need not mean skimping on plants. In true English fashion, this walkway has full, lush plantings on both sides with trellised vines, shrubs, trees, and tall perennials filling up the space and creating an inviting path through the garden.

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• 08 of 30

  Unmowed Areas

  

  It's not uncommon to see a large English garden that keeps some lawn areas unmowed. Many wild grass varieties are known in England as "rough grass." These grasses grow thick and suppress weeds, while still allowing some wildflowers to seed and spread, attracting pollinators and wildlife. This tranquil seating area is right on the garden's edge, where manicured lawn meets wild meadow.

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• 09 of 30

  Vertical Cottage Blooms

  

  It's hard to pick a must-have flower for an English cottage garden design, but certainly tall vertical blooms are necessary for that striking, dramatic look and to add depth and height. Foxgloves, salvias, lupines, delphiniums, monkshood, asters, and daisies are a few taller perennials that lend a classic cottage garden look.

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• 10 of 30

  Formal Hedges and Wildflowers

  

  The grand manor house (on the site of a former abbey in Oxfordshire) and stately hedges stand sentinel beside this lovely field of wild flowers with cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus) in many colors glimmering in the spring sunshine. The contrast is breathtaking, making for a sublime vista.

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• 11 of 30

  Espaliered Fruit Trees

  

  Many English gardens feature espaliered fruit trees, a French technique that trains the tree to grow flat against a wall or fence to save space and create a decorative backdrop. These espaliered apple trees on the brick garden wall at the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire showcase the property's diverse mix of flowers and fruit trees.

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• 12 of 30

  Embracing the Unkempt Look

  

  ThisGrantchester garden near Cambridge has a somewhat wild look, with soft late season color and many seed heads that haven't been deadheaded yet. This is a practice one sees with many English gardens: not trimming things too often and letting plants go to seed through autumn. This provides food for wildlife and creates a natural, slightly unkempt look with overflowing textures and colors.

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• 13 of 30

  Mixed Hedges and Perennials

  

  The large boxwood topiary shapes in the background of this garden in Kent are a solid presence behind the gentle, organic shapes of perennials. Large plantings provide dramatic (yet low-maintenance) swaths of color and texture; the yellow tansy, red and yellow coreopsis and silvery artemisia add a warm-cool balance to the garden's palette of greens.

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• 14 of 30

  Layers of Color and Texture

  

  The English cottage garden is often overflowing with flowers in different shapes, textures and heights, beckoning the eye across an expanse of color. The echinacea blooms in the foreground have their bold, hot purple balanced with the cool tones of sky blue veronica, silver artemisia, and lavender alliums. The round shapes also contrast with the vertical shapes and lacy textures behind them.

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• 15 of 30

  Perennials Mixed With Tropicals

  

  England's temperate climate allows for a mix of hardy and tender perennials and even some tropicals for most of the year. To get a lush urban look, this London gardener uses a diverse mix of tropical and hardy plants, with plenty of huge-leafed glossy greenery, intriguing textures and bright blooms. Planting tropical plants in containers allows them to be overwintered more easily if necessary.

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• 16 of 30

  Overflowing Edges

  

  Some herbaceous borders are neatly edged and manicured, but often, English garden edging has plants spilling over onto the walkway. This garden in Belgium embraces low-maintenance borders, allowing late-spring perennials to escape their beds. Many perennials lend themselves to this approach, especially clumping flowers like salvias, phlox, perennial geranium, peonies, and coreopsis.

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• 17 of 30

  A Riot of Purple and Pink

  

  English gardens often feature color palettes that are closely related. Late season color needn't be limited to a warm autumn palette. This garden at King's College, Cambridge has a delicious array of pinks and purples including asters, anemones, cosmos, nicotiana, and foxgloves, all spilling together and creating an explosion of color.

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• 18 of 30

  Almost Symmetrical

  

  Formal symmetry is a common feature of English gardens, but notice how having the symmetry slightly off-kilter still lends an air of harmony and intentionality to this National Trust garden. Both sides of the path have herbaceous borders with purple alliums, but the full cottage style is delightfully informal.

  The mature wisteria trees also lend an element of symmetry, but are definitely not symmetrical. The similar (but not exact) elements lead the eye on a journey connecting shapes and colors.

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• 19 of 30

  Green Steps

  

  English gardens are often places of uninhibited growth where nature is allowed to run a bit wild. Creating stone steps with plantings (here with creeping sedum) is one way to achieve this slightly overgrown look. This garden also has more ground covers (more sedum and euphorbia) planted in the walkway, and plantings of daylilies, ivy and grasses to fill in various surface areas.

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  Bold Cottage Containers

  

  Using containers is an easy and versatile way to achieve a cottage garden look. The bold colors of the 'Thomas Edison' dahlias and red and pink variegated annual geraniums really brighten up the neutral house tones. This entryway also has a clean yet rustic look with the flagstone pavers and natural gravel, which is now a very popular feature in many urban landscapes.

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  Green Textures

  

  While color is an important element in the English garden style, one also sees special attention paid to shapes and textures. The mix of textures on display here accentuates the many subtle shades of green in this lush garden.

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• 22 of 30

  Hanging Garden Elements

  

  Hanging baskets of annuals are a surefire way to add some drama to a three-season garden. Many English pubs adorn their outdoor beer gardens and exteriors with bright baskets and window boxes. Here, the overflowing pots of begonias, impatiens, petunias, and trailing ivy give a fairytale look to this old thatched roof pub in Cambridgeshire.

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• 23 of 30

  Overgrown Elements

  

  Many English gardens contain tightly clipped topiaries and hedges, but just as many have an overgrown, wild look to them. This English-style garden in Connecticut is delightfully unbound.

  The boxwoods here are neatly trimmed, but the arbor has a sprawling vine full of blooms, the shrubs and trees left unpruned (for now), and the stone stairs are covered in colorful creeping groundcovers. The contrast in texture and shape is dynamic and unexpected.

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  Rustic Containers

  

  A common sight in the English cottage garden is old stone planters. These may be harder to come by in the US, but luckily there are many resin and plaster containers available that provide a vintage, rustic look. This garden uses the containers year 'round (for the evergreen boxwoods), and even in spring for colorful tulips and other early season blooms like woodland phlox.

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• 25 of 30

  Pollinator-Friendly Plants

  

  Even if you don't have space for herbaceous borders, you can turn your patio into an English cottage-style haven for pollinators. The arbor has a lush trumpet vine that attracts hummingbirds, and the container plantings include colorful dahlias and delicate white gaura (also known as wandflower).

  So many pollinator friendly plants invoke the cottage garden look, and you can create endless combinations. Annual varieties to try in containers include flax, cosmos, zinnias and calendula, and perennials like flowering catmint, anise hyssop, salvia 'May Night, and flowering herbs like lavender, borage and oregano.

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• 26 of 30

  Open Terrace Area

  

  English gardeners love to spend time in their gardens at all times of the day, all season long. What better place to enjoy coffee or tea in the morning or a light supper than this open terrace area? The tall hedge provides privacy and a wind barrier on chilly days. Container plantings can be moved around to create a fresh perspective and a flexible floor plan.

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• 27 of 30

  Wall of Color

  

  Making the most of a small space is a task well known to the English gardener. Planting perennials in layers so that taller plants are in back and shrubs and flowers overlap one another creates a full border of color and texture. Using one or two dominant colors gives an especially pleasing impact, as seen here with the pink roses and spirea both blooming simultaneously.

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  Late-Season Color

  

  The true English garden is a year-long work of art. Even in October, these herbaceous borders at the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire are awash in color. As many of the perennials are going to seed or fading, bright spots of color are still on flowering mums and some still have buds just getting ready to open. The low boxwood hedge in front stays evergreen year 'round.

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• 29 of 30

  Graceful Gazebo

  

  This metal gazebo makes a beautiful, yet understated place to relax and enjoy the garden. Its delicate shape and structure are perfectly complemented by lacy blue-flowered sweet potato vine (Solanum crispum 'Glasnevin') and pastel plants like flowering catmint and pale pink alliums. The potato vine is a tender annual, but other flowering vines could be planted for similar effect, such as clematis.

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  Winter Texture

  

  Because winters tend to be mild in England, many gardeners leave plants untrimmed and leave clean-up until spring letting the foliage and stems remain for wildlife shelter or winter interest. Cold morning temperatures turn the remaining plants into a crystalline fairyland, and the garden feels both dormant and magically alive beneath the frost.