CASE STUDY

8 Welcoming Destinations that Make the Rose Cottage a Charming English Cottage Garden

At the end of the road nestled on a hill sits The Rose Cottage, warmly welcoming visitors with its meandering lines, colorful flowers, and pathways paved with accessible hardscape materials.

“The name, The Rose Cottage, was inspired by our clients decades ago,” explains Jessica Buss, Landscapes Residential Sales Representative. “Their kids lived at the previous home that was located on the property for decades. In 2023, our client decided to build their retirement cottage on the same location”.

Like its namesake flower, The Rose Cottage is filled with detail, inviting all visitors to soak in every mountain view and scenic vista. You may not be able to experience the boutique, welcoming charm of The Rose Garden in person, but today you will have the unique opportunity to explore and discover its alluring features on our virtual tour.

Come with us on this journey as we show you this luxury landscape! We’ll walk you through the care and detail that went into creating this gorgeous landscape for our client to enjoy during retirement. During your visit today, you’ll discover abundant features along the way that are coherently interwoven to tell a story very dear and meaningful to our clients.

1. Stone walls fashioned from the materials of memories

As we approach the cottage, our car ascends a paved herringbone drive. We will shortly arrive at a grandway, to accommodate many visitors. As we’re passing through, you’ll notice our first landmark, the stone walls that line the driveway. 

Walls are imbued with symbolic meaning and create a geographical boundary for every property. 

The walls of The Rose Cottage (and their fireplace) are built with the stones of our client’s previous property. They are an invitation to all visitors to experience the memories of our client’s past and make new memories within them that extend into the future.

The wall you see on the right is a retaining wall for the driveway. The other walls on the property, including the walls by the front entrance, are built from the same historic stone. These walls are neither intimidating nor imposing; they invite you further into the cottage to experience our client’s story for yourself.

2. The grand entrance of gathering

At the front of the property, you’ll ascend the grand entryway to arrive at the front door. The Grand entrance is paved with a running bond pattern laid in straight lines that run in a single direction to create movement. A circular gathering area invites guests to linger and take a look at the garden setting behind them.

3. Pass through the curved archway and descend the gently sloping staircase 

It’s time to explore our next destination at the back of the property. There are three paths that you can take to arrive at the backyard of The Rose Cottage. The most distinct and noticeable path begins as you pass through a curved metal archway that connects to a gently winding staircase.  

As you pass through the archway and descend the stairs you’ll be greeted by colorful perennials and the shade of many trees that line the mulch beds alongside the pavers. The stairs will carry you to the backyard faster, but if you prefer more scenery, you can also take the longer route. The Rose Cottage is built with accessibility in mind. A gradually sloped path runs adjacent to the staircase, providing an opportunity to soak in the view as you move towards your next destination. 


Remember, that it’s okay to get lost along the journey during our tour. It won’t be the first time that it’s happened; The Rose Cottage, patterned after the loose structure of an English Cottage Garden, prioritizes discovery along your journey.

4. The gathering place secluded by shade and privacy

We’ve made it to the back patio that combines an ample amount of privacy and seclusion with an optimal area for hosting intimate gatherings. Enclosed with trees and lined with plant material, the back patio is ideal for spending a long summer afternoon in relaxing meditation beneath its large shade canopy. 


As you stand on the patio, what would you say is your favorite part? Ours are the two beautiful Japanese Maples that frame the variety of plant material in the mulch beds. Like the other focal points of The Rose Cottage, The Japanese Maples don’t beg for your attention; they calmly mesmerize you as you subtly turn your attention to their leafy branches.

5. Detail in the colors, beauty in the perennials

Color is a fundamental attribute of our daily existence. It has plenty to say about our client’s style and preferences. 

The perennials that fill The Rose Cottage play an essential role in vivifying the ambiance of the landscape. The variety of plant specimens of various proportions displayed at the cottage blend together delightfully. 

Peonies, daisies, hollyhocks, black-eyed susans, irises, and echinacea coneflower create the welcoming and cheerful atmosphere that you experience. As you spend time perusing you’ll notice that the short and tall perennials create multiple layers of interest for all to enjoy, including the bees! Our clients are very fond of bees. Which of the many plant specimens is your favorite? 

6. “C” is for circle and connection: a circle landing and curved stairs 

What emotions do you feel when you think of shapes? This may feel like a strange question because we don’t typically associate shapes with emotion. The Rose Cottage is intentionally filled with round shapes and meandering lines. The roundness of a circle signifies unity and wholeness, values that the owners of the Rose Garden closely identify with.

The circle landing that you see integrates seamlessly with the stairs that lead to the client’s front entrance. Similar to the staircase at the back of the property, the stairs leading to the grand entrance also have a path that runs alongside it so that all guests can make their way inside. 

7. Focal areas chosen for a warm, soft, and inviting presence

The focal areas of the property are Sargentina Crab apples, the curved metal archway at the top of the staircase, and a pair of warm and welcoming lanterns that magnify the front entryway. 


We’ve already toured the archway, but if you haven’t had the opportunity to see it you can access it at many points throughout the property. While you’re at the front of this high-end landscape, make sure to admire the Sargentina CrabApple, a flowering tree that is equal parts petite and magnificent. 

8. The Rose Cottage earns its name: Roses pay homage to their namesake

Taking a page from its namesake, The Rose Cottage features roses throughout the property. By this point in our tour, you’ll have noticed roses subtly arranged throughout the landscape. The entire retaining wall by the front entryway is lined with roses. Roses also greet people traveling towards the garden area in the backyard. Roses are flowers invested with spiritual significance and meaning for millennia. At The Rose Cottage, roses welcome all guests home.

What story will you tell?


We hope you enjoyed your tour of this charming English Cottage Garden. The Rose Cottage was designed to bring loved ones together. Its cheerful colors and winding lines tell a story of gathering and connection. Seasons will come and go, but the memories made here will last forever. 

This is the story that our clients chose to tell with their luxury landscape. What story will you tell with yours?