next year I am going to plant a huge new cottage garden, any tips on color combos or plants to include? thanks

Sure thing! Here's a more concise version for your cottage garden adventure:

Classic Cottage Colors - Go for soft pastels mixed with vibrant yellows and reds. Roses, foxgloves, and lavender are great choices.
Bold Contrasts - Pair oranges with purples or blues with yellows for drama. Try marigolds, coneflowers, and sunflowers.
Cool and Calm Palette - Create a serene vibe with greens, whites, and blues. Think Shasta daisies and delphiniums amidst varied foliage.
Varied Plants - Mix perennials like phlox and lupines with annuals like cosmos and zinnias. Add herbs like rosemary and thyme for fragrance.
Vertical Interest - Use climbers like clematis and sweet peas to add height.
Edibles for Charm - Blend in edible plants like rainbow chard and flowering chives for beauty and utility.

Let your garden overflow with a relaxed style, welcoming self-seeders and spill-overs for that quintessential cottage look. Happy gardening!

That's the easy and fun thing about cottage gardening: there are NO rules whatsoever. You plant and plonk whatever you want wherever you want. (Bi)annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, ornamentals and vegggies all rubbing shoulders.

Great idea.
Don't forget the climbing roses, and nice natural structures for them to rest on. Then there's topiary, to ad quaintness.
Also a cottage type structure if you have the space, needless to say a cottage garden needs a cottage..
A nice lawn with soft curve's always appeals to me.
Good luck with your project.
John

I *think* there is just one rule for a cottage garden. "One HAS to have at least, :ONE ROSE!"

We did... Until rose rosette disease took almost all of them out. We have two barely holding on. We're not replacing them with more roses though.

The beauty of the ,"Cottage Garden" concept is that you grow what will do well in it. (....even if roses are not possible.)