Turn lawn garden into cottage garden?

After watching The Great British Garden Revival, I've been inspired into turning my small lawned landscaped garden into a retro cottage garden. However, before I live to regret it, it may perhaps be a better idea to turn part of the lawn area into a cottage garden? The borders are fairly shady.

Perhaps using lawn edging I could section parts of the lawn for cottage garden planting?

I have 2 dogs so poisonous plants to be considered.

Any ideas please?

 

Keep all/someof the lawn if you need it. Kids playing football, hanging the washing out etc.

If not, and you are not sure about how much you will like the result, then have a 2-stage plan that removes enough lawn now to create beds wide enough for the effect you want, but allows for more lawn to be removed later. Maybe the lawn in the middle is left initially, and then you remove that converting the "edge" of the beds into a winding path that will, then, have plants on both sides - rather than just around the perimeter of the garden.

Loads of poisonous plants in gardens. Mostly they are very bitter, so people/animals spit them out when giving them a try. For the remainder few are so poisonous as to kill, rather than cause stomach upset, but it does happen of course. Puppies more inquisitive than adults dogs IME.

 

Great advice there Kristen - many thanks pal.

As to the poisonous flowering plants - please tell me which ones to avoid. I have a Jorgie (Jack Russell Corgi cross) and a long haired Chihuahua.

I am hoping to get dahlias, chrysanthemums and other blooming flowers. No roses as not a fan.

Also not planning on using slug pellets or insecticide and I do have slugs in the garden so I am already beginning to worry about what choice of flowering plants I will be left with to choose from

 

Loads ... Onions, Garlic, Asparagus, Lupins, Aconites ...

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/poisonous-plants-a-summary.767/