Practical Magic 2 Is Reviving the Romantic Cottage Garden Trend – Recreate the Owens Sisters' Look
Practical Magic 2 has everyone obsessed with the Owens sisters' garden. Here's how to recreate its enchanting conservatory and romantic cottage garden style.
Okay, I have a confession. I've spent the last few weeks rewatching the original Practical Magic. But, in my defense, it's in preparation for the sequel, and I spent most of the time staring at the garden rather than paying attention to the plot, so it was "work."
I know the Owens sisters' house gets most of the attention – and understandably so – but it's the landscape that keeps pulling me back. The rambling cottage borders, the climbing roses, the weathered paths and, of course, that dreamy glass conservatory create the kind of garden that feels as though it's been growing for generations. It's a little wild, a little whimsical and impossibly romantic.
The best part is that, unlike some movie sets, this isn't a fantasy created entirely with CGI. The Victorian house was built specifically for the 1998 film on San Juan Island in Washington, complete with elaborate gardens designed to look as though the Owens family had been tending them for decades.
How to Get the Practical Magic Cottage Garden Look
While the set no longer exists, its influence certainly does. And, with Practical Magic 2 reigniting interest in the Owens sisters' world, it's no surprise that gardeners are once again looking to recreate that enchanting blend of cottage planting and Victorian conservatory style.
The good news? You don't need a cliffside mansion or a Hollywood budget. I spoke to garden designers to find out exactly which plants, materials and design tricks capture the Owens sisters' signature look.
1. Aim For Organized Chaos
The whole reason the Owens conservatory works so well is that it looks like it grew like that rather than being designed. Plants are layered at every height, including trailing vines at the ceiling, mid-height botanical clutter all over the shelves, and pots on the floor. There is no empty surface, and that’s completely on purpose. However, it never feels oppressive because the color palette is mostly green.
To get close to this look at home, whether you’re working with a full conservatory, a greenhouse, or just a large porch, the principle is the same: Work in layers (preferably 3) and resist the urge to tidy (especially if you’re a naturally organized person). Hang some dried bundles of herbs from the ceiling, cluster some mismatched pots on the shelves without spacing them out evenly, and let ivy or another climbing plant make its way across the wall.
Shop the Look:
To really capture this look, you’ll need to find plants that grow abundantly with almost no attention. For example, ferns, trailing pothos, climbing jasmine, rosemary, lavender, and any other variety of herbs that will cascade over the edges of a pot if they’re left alone.
In the Practical Magic movie, the conservatory is supposed to be an apothecary space, so herbs are obviously important. It’s best not to go for fake ones on this, as the smell of rosemary or jasmine is doing some heavy lifting when it comes to the atmosphere.
2. Steer Clear Of Formal
The outdoor garden in Practical Magic is technically a cottage garden, but one that leans more towards the untamed end of the spectrum. It's romantic rather than formal, which means no perfectly clipped hedges or geometric beds, but simply a ton of flowers that feel as if they chose to be there all by themselves.
The plant list almost writes itself. Roses, because obviously (try your birth month rose for something different). Lavender along pathways. Foxgloves for height. Hollyhocks against walls or fences. Catmint to soften any hard edges. Climbing roses or wisteria on anything that will hold them. The real key here is density: this is not a garden where you want visible soil. Every inch has something growing in it, and plants are allowed to flop, sprawl and self-seed as they please.
Shop Roses:
Aesthetically, the white picket fence is giving this “chaos” a clear frame. It keeps the garden looking romantic rather than tipping over into looking neglected. If you don’t have a fence, a low box hedge or even a stone path edging achieves the same containment effect.
The Zippity Roger Rabbit fence kit (available on Amazon) requires no digging, no concrete, and no maintenance. You get 6 feet of classic white picket fence in one box, which is all you need to frame a small cottage border.
3. And Don't Forget The The Practical Details
A few specific elements from the original set that you can actually buy or build:
Bell jars and domes:
They're all over the Owens' house, including on counters, on benches, in the garden. A simple glass dome over a small terrarium or a single herb plant immediately reads as apothecary-chic and costs very little.
A set of glass domes like these Pumtus bell jars (available on Amazon) with wooden bases can be placed over a small succulent, a bundle of dried flowers, or a candle on a shelf.
Mismatched terracotta:
The conservatory is full of pots that clearly weren't bought as a set. Source terracotta in different sizes and ages from anywhere you can find them: garden centers, secondhand stores, and markets; the more varied, the better.
Candles and lanterns:
The Owens aesthetic is fundamentally about warm light. Hurricane lanterns in the garden and candles in the conservatory do more than fairy lights to get the mood right.
Hang bundles of rosemary, lavender, and sage upside down from ceiling hooks or a wooden beam. They dry beautifully, smell even better, and cost almost nothing (not to mention are perfect for herb burning rituals).
A couple of these diplambr ceiling hooks (available on Amazon) screwed into a beam or ceiling joist is all you need to start hanging bundles. They come with all the hardware included and hold up to 35lbs, so they'll handle rosemary, lavender, and sage with ease.
The thing Practical Magic gives you, more than any specific plant list or design rules, is permission to let things get a bit out of hand (especially if you usually have a perfect-looking, highly organized garden).
“Keep rosemary by your garden gate….plant lavender for luck,” as they say in the movie. It's genuinely good horticultural advice, as it happens.
