CA has the wrong kind of climate for a UK garden. You can lavish expensive drinking water on it, or adjust to the climate.

Far better to be climate-appropriate for where you are. Learn the climate, learn the area, and learn how to garden where you are. As above, plenty of low-water plants to choose from once you understand your area. More than enough.

Dan

I disagree, it might not be the right climate for UK plants but that doens't mean you can't have an English style cottage garden.

You can get the same look with less water, I've seen plenty of gorgeous cottage gardens planted with the flowers listed by wcgypsy. From a distance the main difference is that a California Cottage Garden has a more greyish tone to the foliage, you can't get the real lush green look with our climate but you can get all the color and wildness. Don't forget that hardscape adds to the effect as well, a low wall, meandering path, arbor, and birdbath will help give you that cottage look quickly, while the perennials and other plants fill in.

I found this page, it should be a good reference for you.

http://www.sunset.com/garden/landscaping-design/cottage-garden-guide-00418000068955/

Sorry, I don't know how to post a clickable link.

I have a cottage style garden with little water by reversing my expectations of when I expect to have flowers. I have a very lush and colorful garden with bulbs, annuals and wildflowers during the rainy season; late fall, winter and early spring. In summer there is a fair amount of bare space but I still have Mediterranean climate perennials which get little, if any, summer water: lavender, rosemary, salvias, lantana, oregano, gaura, etc. I do not get any frost in my climate zone, and we get 10-12 inches of rain per year.

I like socalgal's plant mix; will those work in zone 8? If it will work there, CA fuschia is also good for later season color and draws hummingbirds. What about daylilies?

CA has the wrong kind of climate for a UK garden. You can lavish expensive drinking water on it, or adjust to the climate.

CA is a big state with many different climates. I live just an hour from the mountain snow resorts in one direction, and the beaches in the other --- both of which have much cooler summer temperatures than we do. I wouldn't say that all of CA has the wrong climate for a UK garden.

I studied plant systematics and hort in CA and had a landscape business there. IIRC there are 54 distinct ecosystems.

Nonetheless, one can have a xeric garden that blooms continuously for 9-10 months, those were my designs. And many people do. They are not green and lush like a UK cottage garden, but still nice. Replicating a garden from a place that gets 4-5x the rainfall is not adjusting to the climate, and if you are metered your water bill will be sky high. And very soon water will be priced properly in CA and water will be even more expensive.

The latest High Country Gardens catalogue cover has a very nice front yard that uses very little water. Colorful.

Dan

USDA zones are pretty useless here. Sunset zones are better, from Sunset magazine, although I'm always peeved that they don't break up zone 17 where I am, because my Oakland hills climate is a lot different than Vallejo!

I hate looking at bare soil. I'm pre-programmed - see soil, plop a plant in it. Now. Immediately, if not sooner. I want it green 365/yr and flowers every month, so that's what I have. Mind you, these are not always "cutting" flowers, but that's okay, as long as I have color somewhere.

I don't grow many edibles, although we do have 3 Meyer lemons, 1 Bearss lime, rosemary, flat-leaf parsley and summer savory.

This link below is to our very old garden website. I'm planning to replace this with a blogsite sometime this year, but haven't started yet (too busy weeding, among other things, lol).

Normally I post in the Cottage Gardening forum. You can see March 2011 pix in the Gallery section where I have 2 threads of spring flowers from our garden. It'll give you a good idea of what blooms during our first big spring show.

A couple of pieces of advice:
- Soil prep is EVERYTHING. CA soil is generally really poor. Bermuda grass and oxalis pes-caprae are evil. Never believe anyone who says, "Oh, this will choke out the weeds." Not in this climate, ever. Till, amend, destroy the weeds. And mulch, mulch, mulch.

- Soaker hoses with quick couples are great, but close off the ends when not in use or bugs build homes in them. Get the better quality ones; I just buy 'em off amazon.com. They last longer and work better. We have a 5600 sq. ft. property with over 2000 sq. ft. of fifteen separate garden beds built halfway up a double-slope hill. In summer it costs less than $25/mo to water it all and that includes the uphill pumping charge.

- All nurseries and garden centers get their plants from pretty much the same wholesalers. Good nurseries get the more unusual plants and a better quality of standard offerings, but this also means you are tied to the wholesalers' calendars. Not all plants come in at the same time, so even if you make a thorough, detailed garden plan, you will have to space out your purchases during the year. Special order only when you must, it's expensive. It's one thing when an $6 container plant has to be shovel-pruned, and another pain entirely when a $250 specialty tree gives up its two-year ghost.

Certain plants don't play well with others. Think not just about foliage texture/color/shape, but also thorns, falling-over habits (Hellebore argutifolius loves doing this), pest munchies (I've tossed out a couple of plants because they're just aphid magnets in disguise), pruning requirements (passifloras and other evergreen vines are serious fence-crushers), and what the plant looks like the 11 months out of the year when it's not in bloom (which is why I don't plant ceanothus).

Here's more recent photos, including 'out of season' ones, to give you some ideas:

Front yard, June, back in 2008:
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Front yard, same angle but closer, Nov 2009:
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Front walkway, right side, March 2010:
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Part of the back yard, looking from my neighbor's side, Nov 2009:
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Here is a link that might be useful: Our Cottage Garden

Lovely garden Jkom. Thanks for sharing

Your water bill is amazing. I have my own wells and the electricity for pumping the water runs $200. The base charge for electricity just about covers the water needed for my showers. Most of my electric bill I pay at 300% of the base charge. Your garden is lovely and I love the fact you have no exposed ground at all. Al

Gorgeous, Jkom!

Many thanks! Actually, being on a hill with our clay soil works to our advantage. Most of the beds had the first 6-8 inches dug out (we tossed it in the furthest part of the backyard; the slope gets steeper down there) and replaced with good compost.

That compost is pretty much eaten away by now, but with the clay base and slope, it really encourages the larger shrubs to make deeper roots. Not all plants do this, but roses, citrus, cestrum, bougainvillea, and most trees will deep-root when conditions are right.

The slope means it's almost impossible to overwater. Five of our beds are xeric; they are never watered at all and just live off runoff.

Oh, one other important lesson: Don't fight your site. If you've got lots of sun and alkaline soil, creating a woodland garden is going to be a killer, in resources and time. If your site has too much shade and deer abound, trying to grow roses will only be an expensive frustration. A good gardener is always trying to 'push the envelope' a little, but one can only go so far.

I am a big, big believer in foliage. Because we can live in our gardens almost year-round, CA gardening has to be geared towards looking good all the time. The only way you can do that is with foliage. Very few plants flower all the time - OK, my pink cestrum and purple lantana come reeeeaaally close, but even they take a few weeks rest every once in a while.

With foliage you can achieve the balanced, visually pleasing look of the three "layers" aka height: High, Middle, and Low. More than anything else, this is the hallmark of a successful design. Everything can be different, and yet relate to everything else around it.

This is a north-facing, shaded bed. I am more pleased with this bed than any other, although I have reworked parts of it a few times. Just in the front half of this bed, there are thirteen plants easily identifiable in this photograph (there's more you can't see) - but only two plants are in bloom. Yet it is a rich, visually satisfying design of texture, shape and color. The photo was taken in 2008, I'd guess around very late Feb.
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Beautiful, Jkom. Your garden never looks the same- it is always a lovely surprise.

Heddarosa, you have a great plant list. I love Santa Barbara daisies! I have a garden in SoCal that is lush and green and has tons of roses, lilies, irises, and grass. I am slowly adding more large shrubs and climbing roses to make it more cottagey. I think it's a really exciting and fun gardening style, and I spend just about all of my spare time enjoying the garden.

St. Augustine and Zoysia grasses are good choices, they can go unwatered all winter. Tall bearded irises thrive on small amounts of water, and even roses are less thirsty than most people think. Santa Barbara daisies, Bridal wreath spirea, Breath of Heaven, arborvitae, and hippeastrum do well.
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I also use lamb's ear, crown pink, milkweed, and pelargoniums. The pelargoniums are thirsty because I have them in barrels (a much ridiculed use, but they look great!). I think the secret to a great cottage garden is height. Structures help too- you can grow potato vine with very little water, and it is in bloom all of the time. You can also choose a few plants that require a lot of water and put them in strategic spots- I adore foxgloves and calla lilies, but I only have a few that I baby. Good luck with your cottage garden- you can visit over on the Cottage Garden forum for more ideas.

Renee

I think my front has a bit of a cottage feel, more Mexican than English maybe, but overflowing & unruly as I was trying to get anything to out-compete the Bermuda grass. It's all natives and xerics with some crops scattered in too. The Mexi-primrose is out of control, but at least it's a pretty weed.

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Thank you all for posting your ideas and suggestions, and especially the photos! I'm so inspired now. The plant lists are especially helpful. Through some googleing, I also found a book I'm going to check out of the library. The Gardens of California: Four Centuries of Design from Mission to Modern

I bought some plants and put them in yesterday. I think after looking at your photos that it is too orderly and organized but at least it is a start, and I figure I can always look at it for a while and move them later once I feel more certain. For now they march along, grass, daisy, lavender, grass, daisy, lavender. The poppy has already been there for a month or so though. And the little blue stuff - lantana maybe? - too for a month or so. My goal is to not have to water this area much if at all in the summer, once established, so I hope I've chosen well. I feel like such a newbie, but the only way to learn is by trying - and coming here for the great advice!

And please ignore all the shabby and unkempt parts, like the long grass, old bricks and crappy deck! It is one of those "can't fix it right now so I just choose not to see it" things. :-)

Thanks!

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The blue looks more lithodora, maybe? Lantana doesn't come in blue, as far as I know.

Renee, love your screenname 'hosenemesis', and your garden is gorgeous. It's interesting how you use many of the same plants I do, but the effect is very different. Pelargoniums in the ground, BTW, take a lot less water than people believe, just (as you mentioned) roses do. Deep soaking, mulching, and letting the soil dry out in between waterings works best for most plants.

That north-facing bed photo I put up is the thirstiest of my beds. It holds the rhodies, azaleas, and hydrangeas that need more water than some of the other beds. Our temps in NorCA stay cooler overall as I'm on the edge of the fog belt. So unless we get a real heatspell (usually two or three times a summer), I water every 2-3 weeks.

Your gardens are all beautiful!! Are those tall purple plants pride of madera?? They are beautiful what ever they are.TFS
Kathi

A California Cottage garden is what I am trying to achieve in my Sunset zone 24 (Oxnard) garden, so I'll put in my 2 bits. You need to have roses as the stars of the show, and I prefer David Austin roses and/or easy-care roses such as Knock Out or Carefree Wonder. There are numerous companion plants to choose from that provide a very long season of color. Some of my favorites for this zone include "Sunpatiens" impatiens, angel geraniums (actually, pelargoniums), penstemon gloxinoides, marguerites, foxglove, daylilies and re-seeding annuals such as impatiens balfourii, snapdragons, lobelia erinus and feverfew. My own garden even includes a long-blooming succulent, calandrinia grandiflora. The effect for which I'm striving is an exuberance of bloom, but I don't necessarily use the same plants that are used in UK cottage gardens. So far, it has worked well for me, but every year is different. Since my garden tends to get very overgrown by the end of the season, I refer to my style as "cottage jungle".

Annies of Richmond Ca. has beautiful cottage gardens to go. Ships wonderful plants all over the country. Find her web page, or visit her nursery and display garden as i do. Al

100% agree with Al. Annie's is the place to go for a California cottage garden. They have loads of drought tolerant options including lots of rare plants and many California natives. These days I purchase almost exclusively from them.

This is such an old discussion, but if anyone is reading this, I just wanted to say yes it's possible! You'll find, when you search for California natives, that the English incorporate them into their gardens. They use California ceanothus (all gorgeous examples seem to be English), heucheras, tassel bush, and I've seen them experiment with south american baccharis as substitute for boxwood. I am experimenting with making clipped hedges with baccharis pillars (coyote brush), rhamnus (coffee berry) and rhus integrifolia (lemonade berry) because a green foundation is key. I can't say enough about the coyotes - they really can become the California boxwood- so green with little water! For color, I am planting sage, penstemon, desert mallow, monkey flowers. There are some pretty colorful monkeys now, and my white one from Annie's look like azaleas. Plus all these require minimal water - in my third year, occasional hand watering is fine. These plants thrive in poor soil so no amending necessary. I use thick gorilla hair mulch to suppress weeds while the plants take time to fill in - but they do fill in quickly. It's been low maintenance for me. Then all the wildlife that you see around the plants - that takes it to another level.