Rose Cottage

About Rose Cottage

Rose Cottage (aka Scarecrow Cottage) garden is about 1/3 of an acre with some laid to lawn. A polytunnel helps us grow successionally all year but we also garden seasonally, having one winter vegetable plot & one summer vegetable plot. Shrubs edge part of the main path, leading to roses & then an old fashioned cottage-flower border with hops climbing up trellis. We have fruit trees aplenty: apples, plum, pears and a crab apple which has mistletoe growing on it.

There are also 2 Dalmation fig trees. We also have a thriving grape vine in our conservatory. Summer produce is preserved by making jams, chutneys & cordials as well as by freezing & canning (bottling). We choose plants which will attract and sustain bees and other pollinators so Borage, Euphorbia, Foxgloves & Perennial Cornflower abound. In late June/early July the roadside wall is full of wild roses, clematis and jasmine and we have established a natural hedgerow with Hawthorn, Hazel, Willow, Rowan, Sycamore and Silver Birch.

In the yards to the north of the house are a small herb garden and strawberries, raspberries & blackcurrants. Our personal philosophy is one of using slow & simple solutions to make our garden a happy place. As far as possible we recycle or make things ourselves, save seed & propagate perennials. We want everything in our garden to be either useful or beautiful.

Our pop-up tearoom sells tea, coffee and home-made cakes. Maria leads tours around the garden and Anne is a available to give advice on growing and pruning fig trees.