Cottage Gardens

Given the seasonal nature of cottage living, cottage gardening often boils down to what will survive, and more importantly flourish, with minimal maintenance and preparation.

When it comes to cottage gardening, the first rule is to start small – aka try to avoid biting off more than you can chew. There’s no point spending an entire summer cultivating an elaborate garden if you don’t have the time or means to maintain it all year, and into the next season.

Because there’s a chance you won’t be around in the springtime to get started on planting and coddling those pretty annuals, you might find it justifiable to skip the annuals altogether and plant long-lasting, low-maintenance perennials instead.

HomeSense, www.homesense.ca

A great way to organize your gardening tools is with the addition of a bar cart in your backyard. It creates a movable work surface where you can work onyour potted plants without having to bend over.

Rachio, www.rachio.com

Even though you may not be at your cottage year-round, your garden can still benefit from some good ole techie-ness, in the form of garden automation. For instance, set up your sprinklers on an app-controlled system,so you can water your cottage lawn and garden even from home!

Employing clever landscaping techniques, such as pavers stone pathways, decorative boulders, brick barricades and other such non-botanical elements will not only look great,but will also cut down on the amount of plant-related maintenance you have to do, come cottage season.

Choose solar powered lights to add lighting for safety, style and function without the need to add electrical outlets or deal with wiring!