Colorful Cottage Garden
St. Paul, Minnesota
In this colorful cottage garden, perennials and veggies intermix with native prairie and woodland plants creating abundant garden for edibles as well as for pollinators and birds.
The new front walk curves through the garden up to a lovely small patio near the front door—enjoyed by friends and welcoming to neighbors and passers-by. In the backyard, I took advantage of the steep hill to build raised beds with lattice fencing for growing additional veggies and small fruits. This fence, along with a backdrop of evergreens and shrubs, provides privacy screening on the north side. The upright evergreens and shrubs edge also provide nesting habitat and berries for birds.
Almost half the backyard lawn was converted from lawn to shady woods with native wildflowers such as trillium, blue cohosh, and lady and interrupted ferns while the sunnier edge has space for sprawling squash and melons. The no-mow fescue lawn is used as a path with a small space to enjoy sitting in a shady spot.
The new front walk curves through the garden up to a lovely small patio near the front door—enjoyed by friends and welcoming to neighbors and passers-by. In the backyard, I took advantage of the steep hill to build raised beds with lattice fencing for growing additional veggies and small fruits. This fence, along with a backdrop of evergreens and shrubs, provides privacy screening on the north side. The upright evergreens and shrubs edge also provide nesting habitat and berries for birds.
Almost half the backyard lawn was converted from lawn to shady woods with native wildflowers such as trillium, blue cohosh, and lady and interrupted ferns while the sunnier edge has space for sprawling squash and melons. The no-mow fescue lawn is used as a path with a small space to enjoy sitting in a shady spot.
