Dale Cottages

could you please decribe an English cottage and the general landscape that would surround it. ?

thank you! i need these details for my novel. accurate descriptions would be much appreciated, and any other information about England that you think could be helpful. thank you very much.

Public Comments

1. If writing a novel and for it to be accurate you need to study the landscape of the English cottage garden. It's not what they plant but Where they plant. If I give the description then you will have to give me credit in the book. So put English cottage Garden into the search bar select some websites with photos and then describe what you see. Where the English garden paths are straight, in cottage garden design they can either be straight or curved and meandering. Where much thought goes into the typical English gardens, the cottage garden is extremely carefree. Good luck, Once you know you'll never forget what you've seen in the garden
2. English cottages vary quite alot, often with variations by region, as well as by the period that they were built in. Tudor cottages are wonderful, and will typically have wooden structural beams exposed, typically painted black, against the white painted walls. Many cottages have thatched rooves too, and these would be ideal for your novel, in my opinion, as it really adds a touch of history. As they were built in times of natural heating they also have chimneys, where log fires etc would have been used for heating inside. English cottage gardening has a mix of ornamental plants, as well as some vegetables and fruit. Thus you might have apple trees, some currant plants, as well as a huge range of flowering plants. The plants that you'd typically find would be planted without strict lines etc, and would form a lovely flowering 'organic' mass of planting. You'd grow English Lavender, Hollyhocks - tall summer flowers that are 6 or 7' tall - against walls or at the back of borders. roses, again some of which would be climbers against walls, foxgloves (which grow naturally in England), primroses (also native to England), cowslips (native), lillies, violets and pansies. I live in England and have membership of the cottage garden society here, so am happy to get you some photos and more information to help etc. Overall, rambling pathways, tons of flowers and plants for food production, the fruit and vegetables. Hope this helps. Good luck! Rob