Page 68 - MNLGA Free State Spring 2024_WEB SPREADS

CULTIVATING COMMUNICATION A Wendy Brister In the late 1400’s, cottage gardens were

originally the working man’s garden –

gardens with limited space, gardeners
#cottagecore – with limited time, and function over

aesthetic
The Hashtag You Didn’t Know Your Garden Needed!

ow to reach the “younger” of flowering plants not only provided
generation…. We (as in those beauty but brought in pollinators.
Hof us over 40) always talk (What a concept!)
about how we are going to reach
While vegetable areas were laid
them. Whether we are looking for
out in straight rows with bare soil
employees that are interested in the
in between, the rest of the garden
green industry or looking for potential
had flowering plants grouped tightly
customers. An “old” style might just be
together with no soil showing. The
the ticket.
gardeners had limited funds and
PHOTO CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
#cottagecore would trade plants with neighbors, Baptisia australis
allow for self-sowing of annuals and Echinacea purpurea, Calamintha 'White Cloud' and food crops
If you aren’t familiar with this hashtag, in a container
biennials, and even wild collect plants.
you might be interested to know that Cottage garden harvest
there are currently over 1.7 million The focus was on plants. Gardens Carex radiata - great for green mulch applications
posts on TikTok that use it. I see this were biodiverse, organic in layout, Aster 'Bluebird' with Swiss Chard - combining edibles with perennials
as an opportunity, an opportunity and for the gardener – it was a
to grow more gardeners and future lifestyle.
green industry professionals. While
For myself, with an agricultural
the overall ideal of #cottagecore is
background, I understand the idea
experiencing agrarian life, it merges
of lifestyle. It was just what you did to
beautifully with the Cottage Garden
survive, and I vowed at a young age
style.
to enter any profession other than
In the late 1400’s, cottage gardens agriculture. You can see how well
were originally the working man’s that worked out for me! I can relate
garden – gardens with limited space, to the nostalgia of #cottagecore. My
gardeners with limited time, and 3.75-acre garden IS #cottagecore.
function over aesthetic. Plant palettes
Whether you are a retailer or an
focused more on the edible and
installer – cottage gardening applies
medicinal with few flowers.
to you.
Fast forward 200+ years and flowers
Your DIY customers can easily
played a larger role. Gardeners
relate to it, whether they garden
began to realize that an abundance
on a balcony or a 1-acre property.
(continued on next page)
68 SPRING 2024• Free State News Membership Matters • SPRING 2024 69