About The Country Cottage Landscape Design
A Garden That Means Something
My name is Patricia Thuell, and my connection to gardening began in North Etobicoke, where my mom filled our yard with simple, joyful flowers that made everyday life feel a little more vibrant. Marigolds, geraniums, impatiens, and the occasional rose were never complicated, but they created a space that felt welcoming and cared for in a way that stayed with me.
When she later moved to Innisfil, her garden grew with her, becoming more layered and expressive with perennial beds filled with daylilies, irises, bee balm, echinacea, and black-eyed Susans. After I moved back to Ontario in 2012, building and tending gardens became something we shared, and it changed how I began to see outdoor spaces, not just as landscaping, but as places that hold meaning and connection.
How I Approach Design
As my mom got older, her gardens became harder to maintain, and I’ve since taken on the process of restoring them, bringing back what she planted while slowly adding a few of my own favourites. Hydrangeas, roses, delphiniums, foxgloves, daisies, and phlox now grow alongside those original plantings, creating something that still feels like hers while continuing to take on a life of its own.
Some flowers will always carry a story. Daylilies remind me of my mom, while johnny-jump-ups and sweet peas bring me back to my grandmother. That way of seeing a garden is what I bring into every project. I believe a landscape should reflect the person who lives there, not just in how it looks, but in how it feels to spend time in it.
Through The Country Cottage Landscape Design, I work with homeowners across Simcoe County to create gardens that feel natural to their surroundings and connected to the home they frame.
Each design is shaped around how the space is used, what matters most to you, and how the garden will settle into the property.
Let’s Talk About Your Garden
If you’re ready to start shaping your space into something more personal, I would love to hear about your garden and what you have in mind.