Create Your Own Cottage Garden

A cottage garden border is typically lush, informal, and full of colour, often featuring a mix of perennials, biennials, bulbs and self-seeders. Plants in a cottage garden should provide seasonal interest, attract pollinators and blend together naturally.

Here are the plants from our extensive range of 2 litre perennials that would work beautifully in a cottage garden border.

☀️ Full Sun Cottage Garden Plants

(Classic cottage garden favourites that thrive in full sun)

Tall, Airy Plants for the Back of the Border

  • Acanthus mollis (Bear’s Breeches) - Architectural foliage and tall flower spikes

  • Allium (Albopilosum, Gladiator, Globemaster, Purple Sensation, White Giant, etc.) - Adds height and structure

  • Eryngium 'Big Blue' (Sea Holly) - Unusual blue spiky flowers for texture

  • Kniphofia 'Papaya Popsicle', 'Pineapple Popsicle' (Red Hot Poker) - Bold spikes for contrast

  • Monarda didyma (Bee Balm varieties: Balmy Lilac, Balmy Rose, BeeMine Pink) - Pollinator-friendly, vibrant blooms

  • Phlomis tuberosa 'Amazone' - Whorled pink-purple flowers, adds vertical interest

  • Sanguisorba (Jam Session, Pink Brushes, Plum Drops) - Airy, bobbing flowers for movement

Mid-Border Cottage Garden Perennials

  • Geranium (Rozanne, Orion, Ann Folkard, Patricia, Biokovo, Mavis Simpson) - Long-flowering, cottage garden staple

  • Geum (Totally Tangerine, Fiery Tempest, Banana Daiquiri) - Cheerful flowers in shades of red, orange, and yellow

  • Penstemon 'Midnight Masquerade', 'Onyx and Pearls' - Elegant spires of tubular flowers

  • Potentilla (Miss Willmott, Esta Ann, Ron McBeath) - Compact, free-flowering plants

  • Scabiosa columbaria (Butterfly Blue, Pink Mist, Mariposa Blue) - Pretty pincushion flowers for bees and butterflies

  • Sisyrinchium 'Lucerne' - Delicate, starry blue flowers for a soft, natural look

  • Stachys (Pink Cotton Candy, Summer Crush, Summer Romance) – Fuzzy foliage and pastel flowers

Low-Growing Front of the Border Plants

  • Erigeron karvinskianus (Mexican Fleabane) - Small daisy-like flowers that spill over edges

  • Lavandula (Hidcote, Munstead, Edelweiss, Grosso, Dutch) - Classic fragrance and structure

  • Origanum 'Kent Beauty' - Cascading pink bracts, great for edging

  • Thalictrum 'Fairy Wings' - Delicate, ferny foliage and tiny flowers for soft texture

⛅ Part Sun Cottage Garden Plants

(Ideal for borders that get some shade during the day)

Astrantia (Roma, Claret, Venice, Snow Star, Star of Passion) - Delicate pincushion flowers, perfect for a romantic feel

  • Bergenia (Jelle, Silberlicht) - Large, bold leaves with early spring flowers

  • Brunnera macrophylla (Jack Frost, Betty Bowring, Alexander’s Great) - Pretty blue forget-me-not-like flowers

  • Dicentra (Pink Diamonds, White Diamonds) - Classic Bleeding Heart, a must for a soft cottage feel

  • Polemonium (Heaven Scent, Stairway to Heaven) - Ferny foliage and soft blue flowers

  • Sidalcea (Little Princess, Wine Red) - Miniature hollyhock-like blooms for a delicate touch

  • Tradescantia 'JS Brainstorm' - Long-lasting purple flowers with grassy foliage

🌑 Shade-Tolerant Cottage Garden Plants

(For the shadier edges of a cottage border or woodland-style beds)

Actaea 'White Pearl' (Baneberry) – Tall, white, feathery flower spikes, great for height

  • Aruncus 'Chantilly Lace', 'Fairy Hair' (Goat’s Beard) - Feathery cream plumes, soft and airy

  • Corydalis calycosa - Delicate, fern-like foliage with blue flowers

  • Hyacinthoides hispanica (English Bluebells, Dark Excelsior, White Prosperity) - Spring bulbs for naturalizing

  • Kirengeshoma palmata - Unusual yellow bell-shaped flowers, thrives in dappled shade

  • Pulmonaria (Blue Ensign, Raspberry Splash, Trevi Fountain, Opal) - Early spring flowers and speckled foliage

  • Rodgersia 'Bronze Peacock', 'Braunlaub' - Bold leaves, adds drama in a shaded area

  • Thalictrum (Black Stockings, Fairy Wings, Little Pinkie) - Airy sprays of flowers, elegant in shade

🏡 Cottage Garden Characteristics Found in This List

  • Pollinator-Friendly - 🐝 Many attract bees, butterflies, hoverflies, moths & other pollinators

  • Romantic, Soft Look - Airy plants like Astrantia, Thalictrum, and Sanguisorba

  • Mix of Heights & Textures - Tall Alliums, Monarda, and Acanthus contrast with trailing Geraniums and Erigeron

  • Long Flowering Season - Geranium 'Rozanne' Penstemon, and Geum bloom for months

  • Self-Seeding / Naturalising - Erigeron, Astrantia, Dicentra, and Pulmonaria spread naturally

  • Fragrance - Lavender, Monarda, and Origanum add lovely scent

 
Top