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Progress in our coastal woodland cottage backyard
We’re entering our fifth summer here. How can that even be? I had to count it four times on my hand, and it still doesn’t feel right! Somehow time has flown by.
I still feel like there’s so much to be done, so I’m glad we are planning to stay in this house a long time. We definitely need more time here for the plants!
Today I’ll share some of our late spring backyard progress (and our plant struggles!).
I decided I’m going to call this our Coastal Woodland Cottage Garden, I’ll explain more about this below. :)
These photos were taken just a few weeks ago, but I noticed today that some plants are starting to fill in more now so I’ll have to do a follow up.
Tiny Cottage, Troubles and Mishaps
It all began with the addition of The Tiny Cottage for my parents.
The yard was all torn up after the construction, so it would’ve been really nice to hire landscapers to do the whole backyard! But other than the decks (which the contractors built), we decided to just work on the rest of it ourselves.
We’ve always enjoyed creating little flagstone paths, picking out plants and creating cottage gardens, so it didn’t seem like that would be too difficult here.
But getting plants to thrive here has been more challenging than we expected. Yet, we are determined!
We planted plants we thought would work but they didn’t, and then replaced them with different ones that also struggled. And we had a few other challenges and mishaps like trees falling down (that we didn’t even plant!) along the way.
But even though it will take more time, I think we’re finally figuring some things out.
We thought working on a yard this small would be easy! But that was definitely not the case. :)
At times it felt like we went backwards more than we went forward.
And while we still haven’t really figured out all of the plants, I thought you might enjoy a little progress report.
This may be a long one, so you might want to grab your tea or coffee :)
Embracing a Coastal Woodland Garden
One of the reasons I’ve decided this will be a Coastal Woodland Cottage Garden is because that’s what this space wanted to be all along.
Coastal Woodland makes sense, as we actually are surrounded by the forest and sea.
The scent of pine and sea in the air. Mossy stones. Ferns. Hydrangeas. Herbs. Hosta. Astilbe. Climbing vines.
Rather than a perfectly manicured garden, I love that it feels more relaxed and natural, with the winding paths, pine needles scattered around, layers of green, blooms, and little tucked-away places to sit.
Flagstone paths and bridges
My husband put in a flagstone patio area and path all around the yard, with little bridges to go over some French drains to make it a fun adventure back here for the grandkids (we didn’t even have grandkids at the time!) plus it’s functional for anyone gardening, too. The bridges come in a kit that you build.
I guess you can’t really see the bridges much in these photos, so I’ll have to take more photos once summer gets going so you can see.
One woodland cottage thing I want to do soon is to make fairy gardens for the little ones to find!
I’ve made them in the past and always dreamed of the day I would BE a grandma who did things like making fairy gardens, so it’s time.
Layering in Cottage Garden Touches
My parents have added so much character around The Tiny Cottage.
Their awning, the cottage sign on the door, the flowers in the post box! The bird houses, a fountain, window boxes …
All of the little details that come together together over time. I’ll share more of those little details another time.
Trees, roots, needles + rocks
We had to have the fire pit moved away from the house to make room for the addition.
So my dad has worked on the fire pit side of the yard to get it set up. He put some stacked pavers around the fire pit and some of the planting areas to keep dirt from washing down onto the patio.
There are a lot of rock and tree roots — which has made things more difficult.
We even lost some trees that were here before we moved in!
One really tall tree actually fell over in the middle of the night last fall!
It fell across the whole yard onto the Tiny Cottage deck and was maybe an inch from hitting the window, but thankfully no one was in its path and it didn’t damage anything.
Critters, plant eaters + trellises
I’d say this backyard has reminded us that we are definitely not master gardeners. LOL!
In our defense, we also never before had caterpillars (which thankfully didn’t return this year) or deer visiting to make a feast out of our plants.
I’d like to have a fence installed down the road, but my parents came up with a clever but temporary lattice situation to help (well, mostly) keep the deer out.
There was a mama and two darling little fawns in here the other day, though, so they still find their way in!
We’re just trying whatever we can to outsmart them at this point to give our plants a chance.
We’ve also been learning what plants deer like and what they don’t, so we can make better choices going forward. After learning that they tend to not bother peonies, I’m more excited now to work on our front yard!
Shade plants & moss for a woodland garden
We’re technically in gardening zone 8b, the same as our last home, but we’ve decided our backyard must have a little microclimate of its own.
A neighbor who lives on the same side of the street said she had struggled for years with her backyard, too, and she decided to go for shade plants, thinking they will be more likely to thrive.
Even though we do get nice sun across the middle of the yard from morning to late afternoon this time of year, we decided that was good advice.
A shady woodland garden! Last year and this year we’ve planted hostas, hydrangea, Astilbe, sweet woodruff, camellia, ferns and a few others that seem to be filling in more this year. My husband keeps saying we don’t have room for more plants, but I think there is always room for a few more. I love going to the local garden nursery, so I’m sure there’s more room :).
One thing that has happened is our trees drop lots of pine needles. At first I didn’t like that they landed all over the place, but I”m embracing it now. I think it definitely gives it a more woodland look.
I think it’s often better to go with what works, rather than fighting it.
Moss between flagstones
Speaking of embracing the woodland look, we got moss for our flagstone path last spring after my Corsican mint didn’t make it through winter. Surely moss will be happy since it grows naturally here, right? Well, it’s still alive so we’re hoping with more time it’ll grow all over like we imagined it!
Funny thing is my Corsican mint has now started to return in small patches, so I guess it’s a race to see which does better. We’ve planted a few things as “experiments” so it’s kind of fun to see what will take off.
Cottage Garden Flowers
For a touch of old fashioned cottage garden charm, we planted Eden climbing roses; I originally wanted to put them on the side of the house but decided I’d plant them around our French doors — I thought they’d be safer from the deer up on my deck.
These roses were one of the first plants we added as I was in a hurry to get them established within a few years (we have a hole for them in the deck so they are actually planted in the ground).
They were starting to bloom when I took these photos and so pretty! I think they’ve filled out a lot more since I took this photo, too, so we’ll see how it goes this year. I still think I probably should’ve planted them on the side of the house instead where they’d have more room to spread out (and just risked the deer). We have roses in our front yard and the deer only chomp the leaves at the bottom, the top is full of roses!
Anyway, we’ll see how it goes but I might move them and if I do, I’d try a softer vine on the deck.
This is the side of the house where I’ve thought about putting the climbing roses, these plants are happy as can be here!
So there you have it, our coastal woodland cottage backyard in spring.
There’s more I can show you, so I’ll return to share more this summer.
Do you like to garden? And are we the only ones who have struggled with plants? :)
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Your yard looks lovely. We moved from East Texas to coastal South Carolina and it has been a challenge. Our neighborhood has a significant deer population so ‘deer resistent’ means nothing to them. I have learned for shady areas Lenten roses and Leopard plants are safe plantings. Also for sunnier areas bottle brush trees, rosemary, oleander and daffodils. The window boxes you recommended are doing great and allow me some flowers and herbs on our raised decks.
Thank you so much! It takes time to figure it all out. Thank you for the plant recommendations, I appreciate that. We’ll keep trying until we get the right mix! :)
I really enjoy your posts, but I’m always disappointed thst I can’t enlarge your photos :(. Please change your settings so your pictures can be enlarged!!! Thx!!
Lovely garden progress. A bleeding heart is a sun/shade plant thought to be deer resistant. Also Gladiator Alliums are stunning and deer/rabbit resistant as they don’t like the onion smell, but those would need to be in a sunnier spot.
Thank you! And I appreciate your suggestions, I really wan Alliums! I’m thinking that’ll be a front yard addition, someday!
The deer here love hostas. They ate them down to the ground. They also love rose of sharon. They’ve avoided society garlic, rosemary, salvia, verbena and lantana.
I forgot they like hostas, we did put some in so that’ll be a nice feast but I’m still hoping we can somehow keep the deer away :).
Everything looks beautiful! I love what your parents did to the cottage!
Thank you so much! The Tiny Cottage really is such a sweet place. I love it too!
Beautiful…enjoyed the tour. Hoping everything continues to grow well!
THank you, Pat! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Your home definitely has its own microclimate and as you have experienced it will take trial and error to find what really works for you.
It’s looking lovely 💜
I think another help would be to get online and find your local group of Master Gardners. Usually through your local university or county extension. They will surely have lots of information to help you.
Best of luck and can’t wait to see how it looks a month or so down the road!!
Excellent idea, thank you!
Just thought I would drop you a line to tell you how much I enjoy your articles!
We live in sunny Southern California. My sister lives in a house about a mile away from the beach. We had some plants that really prospered. Some of the most beautiful flowers came from Artichoke trees. We were amazed at the sheer beauty of their multi colored flowers. I researched it and found that different varieties of artichoke trees produce different colors. If you like artichoke hearts, they have always been plentiful. Also, some of the growing vines can be planted in an area that faces the sun in the morning. We grew Morning Glories and Sweet Peas. The important thing about them is NOT to plant them too close to the house or a wall. If you do, those gorgeous flowers will explode into beautiful waterfalls of flowers. The problem had been that the vines don’t stop growing. They can embed themselves into concrete, in between bricks and wood fences. They may provide bountiful growth, but when it is time to cut down the vines, you may find that the vines themselves leave discolored markings on whatever surface they embedded themselves in. I couldn’t get the colors off the wall. I would suggest that if you buy those metal trellises, move them at least 2 feet away from the house or walls. Also, it is better if the metal trellises are black. Hope that helps.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoy following along, and I really appreciate all of your ideas! And how, the flowers from artichoke trees sound amazing!
Have you considered native plants for your specific area? Natives tend to do well because they’re already acclimated to the soil, weather etc. I’ve been gardening in the Midwest for 40 years and I’m still learning and experimenting.
Here is a helpful resource.
WNPS https://share.google/CnJCv4P1PtCUCWTpp
That’s a great suggestion, we do have some native plants but I haven’t really kept that in mind so I will do that going forward!
I recommend a product called Bobbex as a deer deterrent. You can get it on Amazon. I buy it concentrated and mix it with water. It’s the only thing I have found that really works. You have to be religious about spraying every 7-10 days and not before a rain but it doesn’t wash off. Really stinks but it works. Your yard is beautiful and I love your parent’s addition.
Love your beautiful garden! My previous house was in deep woods so the deer were a constant pest and they love almost all the shade plants that do well there…hostas, especially. They do avoid peonies, praise God!
I found that a product called DEER OUT worked very well. Lasts longer than Bobbex and has no unpleasant smell. I bought the 32 oz. concentrate from Amazon (used with a garden sprayer) and used it every month or two. Worked wonders!
Good luck and keep us posted!
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful charming space. Love every inch of it. Well done!!
I adore the wicker chairs. Do you have a source for them?
Thanks!
Be still my heart…Incredibly charming and inviting!
Hi, I’ve followed you since the days of the hickory floors being installed in your Washington (builder grade) home. Your style and decor has always been appealing to me even though I live in the desert southwest (Phoenix/Scottsdale area). I absolutely love your coastal cottage backyard and your mother and dad’s tiny cottage and deck. Hydrangeas are my favorite and there is absolutely no way I can grow them here! Warm wishes to you as you discover the best plants for your magical backyard.
Aw thank you so much for following so long and for your kind words. I appreciate it so much! And I loved those hickory floors!
We inherited many small gardens when we bought our home 20 years ago. We have beautiful peonies, hydrangeas and many hostas. We have lots of shade , so that is always a consideration when planting something new . Poison ivy is the bane of the garden…..
Your shady garden looks so nice and green. I’m sure you all will continue to add to its charm!
When we first moved here, I made the mistake of planting some snap dragons in a pot. The deer ate them in about 20 minutes! Lavender is a favorite plant of everyone around here because the deer leave it alone- that and prickly evergreen bushes. I have nets over my geraniums near the front door, but the deer still mange to get some nibbles. My son chases them out of the yard when we see them, and they usually look a little guilty!
Thank you so much for showing us your garden, it looks lovely – it sounds as if it has been a labour of love! I really like the flagstones with moss in between, and I hope to try a flagstone path in my own garden. I look forward to seeing more pictures as your garden matures – as we all know a garden is never finished and there is always room for one more plant!
Thank you Brenda! I am hopeful the moss will take off more, the photo of the moss we got was so lush I can’t wait to see what it looks like!
I will definitely share more!
What a gorgeous coastal garden! We live in a totally different climate, so it is lovely to see how your gardening ideas are progressing. I have saved your photos for inspiration! We live in Montana, where it has been very dry the last past few years. I am forever trying to get plants that will do well here, and we have lived here since 1980, having moved from Iowa, where everything seems to grow! We moved to our cottage nearly 15 years ago in a fairly new neighborhood and had lots of sun in our only yard, which is on 1 side, (plus we have a front yard) until we planted a maple tree in the alley that now shades our yard a lot! So I had to find a new place for my lavender to grow, and it isn’t the best, but it works. We do have a place where our over 100 years old peony bush thrives! Hydrangeas in our front yard became my best friends, along with a few other perennials to fill in. Gardening is a never-ending challenge, and I love it when it finally fills out in June and then we have to keep everything watered if we have a hot summer. Thank you for sharing your absolutely lovely woodland cottage garden!
Thank you Laurie! That’s amazing that you have a 100 year old peony bush, that’s amazing! It was fun to hear about your yard and gardening adventures.