“While both English and cottage gardens are known to include architectural elements like walls, trellises, and walkways, cottage gardens are less traditional than English gardens. Historically, cottage gardens also tended to offer both beauty and function, with vegetables and herbs tucked in among fragrant annuals and perennials. Conversely, English gardens—which were modeled after classical Italian gardens—are more sculptural and often feature uniform beds, clean lines, and symmetrical plantings.” Better Homes and Gardens

What is chaos gardening?

“Chaos gardening is exactly what it sounds like—a haphazard and laid-back approach to gardening in which rules and meticulous garden planning are thrown out the window. Simply gather up any leftover seed packets you have (or buy some new ones), and throw the seeds around the garden to see what takes. The result is a natural-looking garden that teems with life and plenty of variety. Plus, if you find the process of planning a garden and sowing seeds stressful, chaos gardening saves you a lot of time and effort.

This laissez-faire approach to seeding a garden can be used with any type of plant, including flowers, fruits, vegetables, and grasses, which sets it apart from similar trends such as meadowscaping. You can choose to turn your entire yard into a wild and wonderful chaos garden or just keep the chaos contained to a few beds. The trick is to let go of expectations and allow mother nature to do its thing. Inevitably, some plants will thrive and some might not fare as well.

Reasons to Garden Chaotically

Allow me to preface this by saying that I am not a neat freak, and while some people continuously clean and nitpick their gardens, I do not. I have learned, however, that there is a method to my madness. At the end of my garden season, I leave plants–even dried plants–where they fall. This year, the seeds from those undisturbed dried plants have planted themselves all around my garden, and I have huge beds of plants that have returned from last year.