Practical Magic 2 Revives Cottage Garden

The sequel 'Practical Magic 2' is renewing interest in the romantic cottage garden style seen in the original film. Garden designers explain how to recreate the look of the Owens sisters' garden and glass conservatory.

According to a report from Gardening Know How, the garden for the 1998 movie was built on San Juan Island in Washington. It was designed to appear as if the fictional Owens family had been tending it for decades.

How to Get the Practical Magic Cottage Garden Look

You do not need a mansion or a large budget to capture this style. The key is to aim for organized chaos, especially in a conservatory or greenhouse space.

Plants should be layered at multiple heights. This includes trailing vines, mid-height plants on shelves, and pots on the floor. The goal is to have no empty surfaces, using a mostly green color palette to avoid a feeling of oppression. One designer suggests working in three layers and resisting the urge to tidy. Hang dried herbs from the ceiling, cluster mismatched pots, and let climbing plants like ivy grow across walls.

For plants, choose varieties that grow abundantly with little attention. The film's conservatory is an apothecary space, making herbs particularly important. Recommended plants include ferns, trailing pothos, climbing jasmine, rosemary, and lavender. The smell of real herbs like rosemary or jasmine contributes significantly to the atmosphere.

Steer Clear Of Formal

The outdoor garden is a cottage garden that leans toward the untamed and romantic. It avoids perfectly clipped hedges or geometric beds. Instead, it features a dense mix of flowers that appear to have planted themselves.

A suggested plant list for this look includes roses, lavender along pathways, foxgloves for height, hollyhocks against walls, and catmint to soften edges. Climbing roses or wisteria can be grown on structures. Density is crucial; visible soil should be minimal as plants are allowed to flop, sprawl, and self-seed. A white picket fence, a low box hedge, or stone path edging can frame the garden to keep it from looking neglected.

And Don't Forget The Practical Details

Specific decorative elements from the movie set can be incorporated. Bell jars and glass domes placed over terrariums or single plants create an apothecary feel. The conservatory uses many mismatched terracotta pots in different sizes and ages, which can be sourced from garden centers or secondhand stores.

Lighting is also key. Hurricane lanterns in the garden and candles in the conservatory provide warm light. Hanging bundles of rosemary, lavender, and sage to dry from ceiling hooks adds scent and style. As one line from the film advises, "Keep rosemary by your garden gate….plant lavender for luck."

The overall aesthetic grants permission to let a garden become a bit wild, especially for those who usually maintain highly organized spaces. The report was written by Sarah, a lifestyle and entertainment writer with over a decade of experience who also covers gardening trends.