Join us for a January garden tour of our small English cottage garden as we embrace the slow season and reveal our complete garden design plans for 2026.
Right now, the garden is in deep winter slumber. In this vlog, we’re taking an honest look at the “winter bones” of our space—from the messy corners to the frost-covered vegetable beds—to see exactly what we are working with.
It’s tempting to rush toward Spring, but we are choosing to slow down. After touring the cold exterior, we head into the warmth of the cottage to put pen to paper.
There is something grounding about raw ink on paper; sketching our garden layout by hand allows us to truly see the potential in the soil.
This isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about setting a rhythm for the year ahead—intentionally, quietly, and by hand. Standing here in the frost, it’s hard to imagine, but the light is already returning. We are planning for that first soft breath of Spring.
So grab a tea, join me at the table, and let’s map out this year’s transformation together.
In this video:
0:00 Winter Garden Tour Intro
01:25 Wildflower Meadow: Year 2 Plans
05:24 Greenhouse Makeover & Design Ideas
06:51 Fixing the Lawn: A Natural Approach
08:38 The Problem Area: Fixing the “Worst Corner”
09:59 Restoring an Inherited Garden Bench
12:08 Small Patio Design Plans
13:48 David Austin Roses: The Rose Walk
16:13 Sunny Border & Fruit Tree Layout
17:12 Lower Patio Transformation
22:06 English Cottage Garden Tour (Front)
25:26 2026 Design Plans & Reflections
#CottageGarden #GardenDesign #SlowLiving
🏠 ABOUT US:
Welcome to Elliot & Matt Lifestyle – your weekly escape to slow living in the English countryside. We’re Elliot and Matt, a married couple sharing authentic lifestyle vlogs from our Shropshire village. Every Monday, we invite you into our cottage life for glimpses of British countryside living, seasonal traditions, and simple joys.
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Watch more cozy cottage & countryside Christmas vlogs:
🎄 Inside Our Modern Cozy English Cottage at Christmas:
Thank you for spending part of your day with us – we’re so grateful you’re here. 💫
43 Comments
It feels equal parts terrifying and exciting to commit these plans to paper! 📝🌿 If you could change just one thing in your garden (or green space) this year, what would it be? Let me know below—I’d love to hear what you’re dreaming up for 2026! 👇
🏠 ABOUT US:
Welcome to Elliot & Matt Lifestyle – your weekly escape to slow living in the English countryside. We're Elliot and Matt, a married couple sharing authentic lifestyle vlogs from our Shropshire village. Every Monday, we invite you into our cottage life for glimpses of British countryside living, seasonal traditions, and simple joys.
📺 MORE COZY SEASONAL VILLAGE LIFE:
🎄 Weekly Vlog Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhLKcJoT-eABUS_ilKIZT2P4PW82mqnaF
👋 FOLLOW OUR COTTAGE LIFE:
📸 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/elliot.and.matt/
🤍 Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/ElliotYoutube
📘 Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577899509741
This year trim some trees that are over grown
Hi there. My input on this is – 1. Half the garden for growing food ( its very satifsying to do this ) 2. Make full use of the greenhouse by growing tomatoes and cucumbers 3. The raised bed is ideal for growing beetroot and carrots 4. The other half of the garden can be thrown over to leisure i.e. a small wildlife pond for instance. That leaves plenty of greenery for the all important sunbathing and relaxing. Loving your blogs btw.
What a great treat to see this video today. Loved gardening until I moved to Florida…snakes! First encounter, was the last encounter.
Hi Elliot and Matt I have a cup of tea and a custard cream love your garden plans you have a beautiful home and garden
Firepits are popular here in the Southern US. I love firepits (roasting marshmallows, sitting around the fire chatting). I love your garden Elliot. Whatever you decided to do with the space, i'm sure it'll be lovely.I'm thinking a whimsical English garden, or like a secret garden. Not sure why that popped into my head, but it sounds lovely.
Love your garden. It's too cold and snowy here in Wisconsin to do anything in the garden. We are still shoveling snow. Looking forward to seeing your garden grow. ❤
I ended up watching your video three times. Found the unfeasibly large trouser bulge very distracting, but please note I am not complaining, and of course the repeated views should help the channel, so happy days. ❤ 🍆 😍. Your cozy home life videos are my fave.
Looking foward to future garden vlogs and how it transform in the coming months.❤
I'm distracted by the Plums in your garden 😂
Hey sure your magical touch will transform the sleeping into a beauty❤❤❤❤
I loved this update and I was the one who suggested the meadow in the raised bed so i feel a little pride knowing that worked out. I love gardening and i love planning the garden even more! I am in a condo now so i live vicariously through content creators like you. My 2 cents is that i think the perimeter beds could be less man made looking by making them slightly curved as with no harsh right angles or straight lines – more organic. I have had pompas/ ornamental grass too – I always cut mine down to 2-4 inches above the ground in a mound shape and trash the existing grass. It will grow back cleaner and i like to trim throughout the summer to look more impressive and not let it drag the ground. I would consider removing the grass between the right row of roses and the fence bed and perhaps plant an alternating row of roses there. Lastly (not really but i am sounding too bossy), i would consider moving grandmas seating or a loveseat and some chairs to the concrete pad and maybe pots along the sides. You could then add that umbrella for summer seating. It’s such a beautiful space and I’m looking forward to following regardless of what you end up doing. Cheers from a condo with only a balcony, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Such a relaxing video to watch, love your ideas for the garden. You’re lucky to live in a place with an earlier spring than where I am in Canada. Looking forward to your next video.🇨🇦
What a lovely Saturday surprise. Keep the gardening ones coming. Honestly you could be there next Alan T
For your patio area, how about an outdoor kitchen? And don't forget to grow enough food so that you can preserve some of it.
I enjoy watching the colors change…peppers, flowers, fruit…love and it.
If you like non traditional roses you might like Jacobs coat 🌹s for they grow nicely along the fence
Right now nothing with gardening, don't own a garden.
But before January to March was just keeping bird feeders and animal feeders filled and staying warm and dreaming of gardens. March starting starters indoors to go out mid May when the frost is gone.
I look forward to all your gardening videos, I miss gardening, both flowers and heirloom veggies etc. the idea of a country mini cottage is inspiring it would use the slap you already have as a base.
What a lovely treat from you on a Saturday.! Honestly, I think your garden is beautiful in the summer, I love your Roses, and I’ve learned so much about planting and growing them from your vlogs.
Here in Canada, in January, we can only look at the snow an long for March/ April
My suggestion would be to grow a natural willow arch up and down your rose path, some varieties will climb and attach to it.
My daughter did this with beans and snap peas,
Looking forward to what you create 👋🇨🇦
Looking forward to your BLOOMS this year! 🌸
I love Poppies, it's a shame you don't like red. Thanks for the tour of the garden 😀
I think a summer house would be ideal at the end of your garden. Love the bark idea. Looking forward to seeing how it goes
There was so much I needed to do in my garden before winter set in, but I didn’t 😢, you’ve inspired me to get those jobs done ❤❤
On the unused patio area at top of garden, could be used as your veg garden,put your raised unused beds on the patio.
I enjoyed this garden tour, Elliot. You are looking forward to longer days, sadly, our days are beginning to close in. Much faster than I would like.
My January and February are taken up with watering. My roses are looking great and I find it very restful, deheading them. A job for today. I love raspberries, so there are a lot to be picked today, as well. I also love sitting in the garden for my lunch and reading my kindle and just watching the birds. My garden is 1.5 acres so is like a park. I planted it to suit the honeyeaters and bees. Cheers
What a lovely tour of your garden. Elliot I was gifted last year for my birthday a rose bush, It does look sorry for itself. Should I put it in a bigger plant pot to save it? You seem to know a lot about roses and I need a little advice. xxxx❤❤❤❤
This was so enjoyable Elliott. Love that you have grandparents seats. When your wreath has really finished you must take the oranges etc off and keep them. We still have the Christmas wreath on our front door. I always have door wreaths but like the idea of keeping the Christmas one up throughout January. Favourite thing for the garden is renewing the bunting which is in our back garden and looks so pretty.
Really looking forward to your garden tips and progress to inspire me for my own garden. Your suggestion for monthly progress would be very useful
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Would love to see a fire pit on the patio somewhere. I love fire pits.
Have you thought of installing an arched arbor for your large rose? I have one leading into my garden and love thé David Austin rose and clematis. Your garden is lovely TYFS❤
I very much enjoyed your tour of the garden and the resulting focus on careful planning for the upcoming year. Your ability to defer some changes for various practical reasons is a reminder that speed is not important, thoughtfulness is.
I have been watching you forever ❤ I planted bare root roses because of you when we lived in Houston, TX, we are now in Colorado and the garden is completely different, but in a great way! Three years in here and we were planted vegetables 🥗 but my husband is disabled now, and I am just doing flowers 🌺 ❤ You are an inspiration 🌹🌺🌸🌼🌻
You are an inspiration to us all I've never had a garden but last year we move home and we now have a garden so I look forward to seeing what you do in the garden so we can copy living in Queensland the plants will be different but watching you gives me so many ideas. I've watched your channel for a few years now and I just love the both of you and of cause the fur babies 💓
Thank you for your gardening videos Elliot I've always been too scared of gardening but you are giving me the confidence to start giving small bits a go and I'm learning a lot from you. I planted some tulips and daffodil bulbs in November and I'm just starting to see them sprout through so they are definitely coming. I would eventually like to layer bulbs for every season so there's always some nice flowers coming through but I don't think I'm quite at that stage yet!
I really like your garden Elliot I have been watching you and Matt for years
Always love watching your gardening content Elliot (in fact, all of your videos!) – can’t wait to see what you do over the course of the year ❤️
Did your parents keep up what was left of your old garden? That was beautiful as well. Looking forward to this years plan coming to life.
Hi elliott..i moved house 2years ago with my family..we now have a bigger back garden and weve done quite abit..We had the old patio taken out and now have areally nice patio..Also have an awnings if thats how you spell it..itlooks very mediteranian in the summer..still ha 3 lots to do though..your garden looks fabulous by the way..❤❤❤
I’m excited to see you guys add veggies to your garden!
Looking forward to the new 2026 garden. Your plans for the garden sound wonderful. I think a summer house is a lovely idea. You could even have a comfy chair for the cats to sleep on. 🌸🌼💚
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Still think a small pond and fountain would be very Zen. Otherwise, all good especially roses – ive never been any good at growing them.