~Jane Goodger
While formal gardens are all about order and well-defined spaces, English Cottage Gardens bubble in cheerful tangles of flowers that form a kaleidoscope of hue and texture. To create an English Garden go big on color, but light on labor with this classic, informal garden style, using these plants:
For SUN:
False Sunflowers
Sun-Loving, easy to grow, hardy, heat and drought-tolerant, False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) with its brilliant yellow daisy-like flowers add cheery color to a garden bed or border.
https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/heliopsis-helianthoides-false-sunflower
Salvia - Vibrant Blue or Pink Flower Spikes
This plant will rev your garden with big, electrified vibrant blue or pink flower spikes above a dense mound of lush foliage. Extras include its appeal to butterflies and hummingbirds.
https://www.bluestoneperennials.com/SAMM.html
Drought-tolerant common yarrow (Achillea) grows well in poor soil, making it an ideal plant for xeriscaping, especially if you live in a desert environment. Yarrow is most often sold as a potted plant but can be easily grown from seed and doesn't need much attention once established.
https://www.almanac.com/plant/yarrow
Echinacea
An adaptable, easy-to-grow wildflower for your garden. Grows in a variety of soil types and moistures but is intolerant to long, dry periods and might begin to droop. The stunning blooms are long-lasting throughout the summer. Highly attractive to the Monarch butterfly and large seed heads attract small birds later in the season.
https://onplants.ca/product/echinacea-purpurea/
Shasta Daisies
Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum) are an old-fashioned favorite for planting in a cutting garden, along a fencerow, or in a half-wild, meadow-inspired cottage garden. They will not attract the deer wandering through but will draw in butterflies when bursting with blooms in spring and summer. Shasta daisies are tough and tolerant but prefer well-drained soil and require full sun (at least six hours).
https://www.southernliving.com/garden/flowers/daisy-flower-plant
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SHADE / HALF-SHADE
Siberian Iris
Like all irises, Siberians (Iris sibirica) have strappy, sword-like foliage, but the leaves of Siberian iris remain quite attractive long after the flowers have faded, offering a texture similar to that of ornamental grass. Siberian irises are also somewhat more cold-hardy than most bearded iris.
https://www.thespruce.com/growing-siberian-iris-5089592
Japanese Anemones
Japanese Anemones (Anemone hupehensis) do best in semi-shade, in rich soil with lots of organic matter dug in to improve their structure. They’re very easy to care for – simply cut the old flower stems back to the base in autumn to keep the plants looking tidy, and remove any tatty-looking old leaves in spring once new leaves start to appear. They don’t like being dug up and transplanted, and also don’t respond well to being divided, so if you want to propagate them the best way is by taking root cuttings in spring. Ironically, given that Japanese anemones can be difficult to establish and don’t like disruption, once they are settled in.
https://www.radwaybridgegardencentre.com/news/902/garden-plant-of-the-moment-anemone
Astilbe
Astilbe (Astilbe spp and hybrids) varieties are hardy. Plant in spring to early fall in a part sun or part shade location spaced 1 to 3 feet apart depending on the variety. Astilbe plants can take more sun but need more shade in warmer locations. Astilbe will grow in a full-shade location, but may not flower well. An East-facing location with morning sun is usually best. Astilbe grows well in moist, fertile soil with a slightly acidic pH. Keep plants well-watered and mulched with a layer of bark mulch. Replenish the mulch each spring and fertilize in spring with compost spread around the plant roots.
https://gardenerspath.com/plants/flowers/best-astilbe-varieties/
Lady's Mantle
Absolutely enchanting after the morning dew, the fuzzy leaves of Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) catch the tiny water droplets which glimmer like tiny crystals. The foliage is a soft grey-green and nearly round with deep lobes, giving them a scalloped look. From late spring to early summer, masses of finely textured, star-shaped, yellow-green flowers are held in small clusters above the foliage. They work well as a filler in cut flower bouquets or can be dried for fall and winter arrangements.
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/products/ladys-mantle?variant=37358152581287
This is just a small list of flowering plants for an English Cottage Garden. Here are more that I can suggest, such as Shrub Roses, Lupins, Delphiniums, Lavender, Poppy, Hollyhock, Peonies, Snapdragon, Foxglove, Bee Balm, Loosestrife, Hydrangeas, Sage, Flox, Goatsbeard, Spiderwort, Castor Plants, Salvias, etc.
Planting and Design Tips:
- Plant in clumps. Avoid individual plants, group your flowers and plants in clumps.
- Mix flower typs. Never have a single flower species in a flower bed, so, mix them all up.
- Mix colors! You can mix all colors. Make sure you choose a wide range of colors too.
- Flowers are the real protagonist. You can have trees and shrubs etc. but you will need lots of flowers in English cottage gardens! They are the real heart of a cottage garden.
- Get rid of large lawn areas. Install more flower beds and have lawns only for footpaths - if at all.
