Birdhouse Ideas I LOVE for a Cottage Garden (You Will Too)
Cottage gardens are known for their charm and whimsy. Adding a birdhouse to your cottage garden is certain to guarantee both.
I have a birdhouse in my cottage garden and it is one of my favorite things.
My birdhouse not only adds charm and whimsy to my garden, it also adds vertical interest.
It looks beautiful when everything is blooming and in winter, when all the flowers have faded, my birdhouse is still as charming as ever. Plus birdhouses aren’t expensive and they can be added to the cottage garden with little effort.
If you can convince some birds to call your birdhouse home, then you have amped up the charm.
Here are some ideas I just love that will make your birdhouse look amazing in your cottage garden:
(If you want more ideas on how to add charm to your cottage garden, see my blog HERE.)
1. Mount a Birdhouse on a Post and Grow a Vine Up the Post
You can see the string I attached to my birdhouse post to get this clematis growing up the sides. This is the second year for the clematis in my cottage garden. Next year will hopefully be the season I’ve been waiting on!
This is the idea that I used in my cottage garden. It's so pretty!!!
My friend knew I had my eye on a certain birdhouse I wanted.
She found it on sale one day and picked it up for me! Yay for great friends!
Now I think of her when I see it in my garden and how blessed I am to have friends.
I painted a 4’x4’ post, put it in the ground, and mounted the birdhouse with a couple of screws.
I placed it in my front yard cottage garden at just the spot I wanted to add a little vertical interest.
But, in my dreams, I wanted a vine to grow up the post.
I planted clematis at its base and tried to train it but the post was too large for the clematis to climb.
I ended up attaching a string to each side of the post. I added a screw at the top and bottom of each side of the post.
Then I tied the string loosely from the top screw to the bottom.
I repeated it on each side. Then I wound my clematis through and around the string.
IT WORKED!
The clematis has started climbing beautifully.
I expect great things next year as it will be my third season with the clematis.
I put screws in the pressure-treated 4’x4′ wood birdhouse post then painted the screws white so they would blend in. I also chose white string. This just took a few minutes, a few pennies, and it gave the clematis all it needed to grow in my cottage garden.
You can see how the clematis climbed around the string on my birdhouse post in my cottage garden. It’s so pretty but I can’t wait until next year!
2. Grow Perennials at the Base of Your Birdhouse.
Mount your birdhouse on a post of some sort.
Then plant taller flowers that will reach up toward the birdhouse.
I have yarrow growing at the base of my birdhouse with hydrangeas behind it.
Other ideas would be gaura, black-eyed susans, phlox, or taller salvia.
It will look like the birdhouse is just peeking out of the flowers. So gorgeous.
I have yarrow growing at the base of my birdhouse in my cottage garden. This is the second flush for the yarrow. It’s even prettier with the first flush. ‘Little Lime’ hydrangeas are behind the birdhouse.
Look how pretty this birdhouse is in this garden in Nantucket, MA. My friend, Trisha Mitchell, snapped this picture when we were there visiting. They have what looks like salvia growing near the base.
For more ideas on dreamy flowers for a cottage garden, see my blog HERE.
3. Place a Birdhouse behind a Bench in the Cottage Garden
In one of my gardens, I placed a bench just to the side of my vegetable garden.
I mounted a beautiful birdhouse on a post behind and to one side of the bench.
It looked so pretty even in the winter.
It was a dreamy spot in my garden.
The bench was lovely on its own but when I added the birdhouse over its shoulder, it was next-level charming.
It was just that extra something-something. (But keep reading to bring this idea altogether.)
4. Plant Annuals at the Base of Your Bird House
In my last garden that I referred to above, I placed a bench beside my vegetable garden.
The birdhouse was behind and to the right of the bench.
THEN I PLANTED COSMOS!
I simply spread some seed behind the bench in the spring and waited for it to perform.
When it did, it was breathtaking!
It was easy and budget-friendly.
The cosmos reached up and over the bench and danced around the birdhouse.
That little spot in my garden became a haven when the cosmos bloomed.
You could also grow zinnias or some hollyhocks.
5. Hang a Bird House from a Tree in Your Cottage Garden
If you have a tree in your cottage garden, don’t miss the opportunity to hang a birdhouse from a limb.
It’s so enchanting and SO EASY and adds an extra dose of whimsy.
You can use jute rope to hang your birdhouse to protect your tree limb and keep a natural look.
6. Mount a Series of Bird Houses on a Post or Fence
You could make a statement if you displayed a series of birdhouses in your cottage garden.
Think about lining up a series of posts, maybe 5.
Make all the posts a different height and mount birdhouses to the top of each.
Plant perennials or annuals at the base of each and possibly plant a vine to grow up a post or two.
It would be a big impact of whimsy and charm in your garden.
Or create the same feel on a privacy fence you might already have in your yard.
7. Add a Bird House to Attract Birds - the Ultimate Charm
If you can achieve adding a birdhouse and also attract birds to live in your birdhouse, you are WINNING!
Do your research.
Different birds are attracted to different styles of homes.
Pay attention to how the birdhouse is shaped, how big it is, how wide the opening is, how far off the ground it is, what it is made of, what direction it faces, and what color it is.
I have a ton of bluebirds that circulate through my bluebird houses but they prefer their homes to be out in the open, not really in the garden.
Wren houses are the easiest so it may be a good place to start.
You can check out this link to find out all your need to know about wren houses.
https://www.wild-bird-watching.com/Wren_House.html
Do you see how charming birdhouses can be in your garden? I love these ideas and I hope you do too!
They are the cherry on top and so easy to accomplish. So get busy adding a birdhouse and enjoy the charming cherry on top!
Bird houses add charm to cottage gardens.
I love the birdhouse in my cottage garden.