The best plants for a Cottage Garden
Last Spring we finally finished what we call the “Cottage Garden” here at Bramblewood. What that means is we transformed the section of lawn in front of our house into a winding gravel path lined with stones, surrounded by large garden beds. Eventually, I hope that those beds will fill in with a somewhat wild, somewhat wonderful combination of perennials. And the walk down that stone-lined path will be nothing short of magical.
Since I’m fresh off my trip to the local nursery, I wanted to share all the perennial plants I added to the mix this year. So that if you’re into the same vibe, you too can capture that Cottage Garden feel.
Why I love perennials
Perennials are the gift that keeps on giving. In case you aren’t sure what exactly that term means, “perennial” means long lasting or apparently infinite. So, you guessed it, those kind of plants never say die. Perennials are plants that come back year after year, dying back in the colder months, and coming to life in the warmer.
I love that when you buy a perennial, you are investing once, and reaping the rewards for years to come. I like that most of them spread or at least self-seed, as I love the look of more filled-in beds. And I really love perennials because most of them come in colors and shapes that I prefer in the garden.
A few of my favorite perennials
- Salvia. Saliva isn’t the sexiest perennial on the market but they have everything I like: cut and come again ability, tall, spire-like blooms and soft colors. SOLD.
- Roses. DUH. I just shared a post about the two roses I added to the garden this year, but roses are always my #1 pick. David Austin for life, and seriously guys, CALL ME.
- Snow in Summer. Snow in Summer was first introduced to me by Angela of Parisienne Farmgirl, and I LOVE this carpet like bloom so much. With a light, sage-y green stem and small, white flowers, it really does look like a snowbank in your flower garden.
- Dianthus. Dianthus, also called “Pinks” in England (which I love), are small and delicate. They’re kind of what I imagine the child of a carnation and pansy would look like. Soft, lacy petals on smaller but similar foliage to a carnation. They too spread into a kind of carpet, and are great at filling in the blanks. My favorite variety is “Kiss and Tell.”
- Poppies. There’s something fairy-like about poppies that I’ll never get over. The big lacy blooms look like they must be home to Thumbelina herself, and I covet the gorgeous seed pods that form after flowering is over. I put more of these in almost every year, in the hopes they will continue to self-seed and multiply in my garden.
Perennials I planted in my cottage garden this year
- Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla). Lady’s Mantle is a geranium-like, low-lying, bushy plant that produces chartreuse blooms in summer and drapes perfectly over the stones of a stone-lined path. Very English cottage. Very good stuff. They like shady spots too, which bodes well for my beds. I planted the Thriller variety.
- Hydrangeas. Speaking of shade lovers, most Hydrangeas love morning sun and afternoon shade. Every time I’ve planted them in this situation, they’ve absolutely thrived. Nothing better than those big blooms the size of your face. I love these dried as well. I planted Strawberry Shake this year.
- Lupines. I feel morally obligated to plant lupines every year of my life thanks to one of my favorite children’s books, Miss Rumphius. Life goals: become a Lupine Lady. If you don’t find this book utterly enchanting, I’m sorry, but we can’t be friends. This year I added Gallery Mix, Gallery Pink, Gallery Red and Gallery Blue varieties. Bring on the lupines!
- Geums. This is a new one to me this year, and a perfect example of buying a book for its cover. This Pretticoats Peach color had me at hello, and I couldn’t resist the dusty blush color. I’ll keep you posted on how these do, but they like part shade, which I have in plenty, so I’m hopeful.
- Phlox. Also new to me this year is some Purple Sprite and Rose Sprite Phlox. I used to turn my nose up at more ground covery flowers, but not after building myself a big giant cottage garden. I have high hopes these mauve and purple blooms will fill things in nicely.
- Peonies. Though we live just down the road from one of the most beautiful flower farms I’ve ever seen, I didn’t actually buy my peonies there this year. I grabbed a few at my local nursey, Godfrey’s, simply because it was quick and easy. No regrets. I grabbed Shirley Temple and Festiva Maxima. Can’t wait til those girls get going!
- Giant Hyssop (Agastache). I fell for this one last year at the nursery, and couldn’t help adding more to the mix. I originally set out to restrict the cottage garden color palette to pinks, blues and purples. But over time I’ve squeezed in some blush and now peachy tones. These Poquito Orange Agastache are tall, whimsical and such a pop of color in an otherwise cool cottage-y palette. They grow fast and are great in arrangements. WIN!
Shrubs I planted in my cottage garden this year
- Spirea. This one is a nostalgic choice, as I grew up with the most beautiful wild and domestic spirea at our lake cabin in Idaho. The bright green leaves, the magenta blooms, the sweet smell, it all just transports me to the Lake. I grabbed the Double Play Candy Corn, Double Play Big Bang varieties to fill in some gaps in my bed, and add a touch of home.
- Butterfly Bush. The Cottage Garden has some big spaces to fill, and no one better to fill them than the big, bright, bouncy butterfly bush. I had planted one of these in the bed already, and wanted a few more to pop in here and there. I grabbed the Miss Molly and Miss Violet varieties and I can’t wait to see them bloom!
- Reblooming Lilac. I could buy lilacs all day every day. I could be a lilac farmer. No, I really could. We have several on our homestead that are at least 20 years old, and their blooms are overwhelmingly fragrant and beautiful for their short time in blossom. This smaller variety only gets a few feet high and wide, so I’m hoping they’ll be a great hedge along the driveway. I grabbed several of the Bloomerang (Dark Purple) variety.
- Deutzia. This shrub is new to me, but I used it along the driveway, interplanted with the reblooming lilacs. They both have a soft pink blossom, and have a similar size and shape to the lilacs, so I think they’ll eventually make a nice, floral hedge along the road. I grabbed the Yuki Cherry Blossom and Yuki Kabuki varieties.
What is “Cottage Garden” style?
Great, I’ve told you all the plants I’m buying and planting this year, but what does a “Cottage Garden,” really even mean? Well, here in the States, we tend to do more landscaping then gardening. We have a skeleton of shrubs that are either evergreen or in foliage all year long, so that our bark beds have permanent structure. Some people choose to fill in with flowering shrubs, plants, bulbs or annuals, to spice things up. But there is typically lots of space between plantings; you’re looking at a lot of bark dust in front of most homes.
A Cottage Garden kind of does the opposite. Plants are smooshed together as tightly as possible, things are encouraged to spread and self-seed, the lines of beds are a little softer, and eventually, all the plants intertwine with one another. Most of the plants are flowering, often at different times, and the colors of the blooms all kind of flow together, depending on the season. It’s lush, it’s full and it’s a feast for the eyes (and often, nose!).
Why a Cottage Garden works for me
The architecture of our home leans more small, Swedish Country House than cozy, thatched English Cottage, but I have still adopted a lot of the same cottage gardening principles. We inherited a large, somewhat untamed property, and not having to establish or maintain too clean of lines with beds serves us well. There’s also just a TON of space to maintain, and cottage style gardening can be very low maintenance.
My hope is that eventually these gardens will need a clean up in Spring, light weeding in Summer, a tuck-in in Fall, and that will be about it. Easy peasy.
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