A barrow filled with entangled flowers is an excellent accessory for the cottage garden. - rita elliott photos

Formal gardens thrive on order and well-defined spaces. A cottage garden offers a homey feeling, while being full of charm and exuberance.

Better yet, because it's informal, it's also easy. Just pop in the right plants for a specific spot, re soil, drainage, sun. Then add a couple of accessories (like a barrow filled with entangled flowers), and you have a garden that probably reflects best your personality.

Landscapers seem to agree that creating a cottage garden entail, broadly, five steps:

Five Steps

1. Start small. You can always increase the size of your cottage garden as your confidence grows.

2. Invest in good soil. Good, rich, organic soil will allow plants to thrive while reducing the amount of watering and fertilising. Less work from the start.

3. Buy the healthiest plants. They need less care. Think before you plant. Position plants carefully. Much work in a garden comes from the wrong plant in the wrong place. Also, avoid high-maintenance roses. Invest instead in shrub roses or in old-fashioned climbers; they require less care.

Some plants perfect for the cottage garden include: spring-flowering bulbs, coneflowers, day lilies, aster, Russian sage. For foliage interest, think lamb's ears, fern, canna lilies.

4. Cover soil. Mulching helps maintain soil moisture levels and prevents weeds from growing. As organic mulch (bark, compost, or leaf mould) breaks down, it improves soil. Mulch also gives the garden a neater, unified look.

5. Make it automatic. Ditch dragging a hose around and go for hands-free watering. Drip hoses put the water exactly where you want it - and not on the foliage or flowers.

It's also more environmentally correct: less water evaporates into the air.

Finally, remember: there is no right way or wrong way to create a cottage garden. Just choose what you love. Isn't that great?

Rita Elliott