Cottage garden/borders plant suggestions

browneyedbazzi

I've spent a lot of the spring sorting out veg plants and trying to get that side of the garden in order but now I've decided it's time to sort out the border and flower bed because the previous owners of my house really left them to go to ruin. We've spent hours digging over the beds and removing a huge amount of weeds, roots and old bulbs and now have a fairly blank slate to work with.

I'd like to plant the beds/borders in a cottage garden style with as many perennials as possible. I'd like a mix of flower colours, heights, and foliage.

So far, I've got Salvia nemerosa, lavender, daisies, cosmos, Chinese bell flowers, gazinia and osteospermum. I'd also like to get some echinacea, poppies and lupins.

The problem with this style of garden is that it requires a LOT of plants. So although I filled my car with plants at the nursery over the weekend, I probably need to do the same again next weekend to achieve the look I want.

Does anyone have recommendations for plants that would be good in this type of garden? Is it too late to grow anything from seed this year?

My soil is fairly clay-like and the beds get afternoon/evening sun but are in the shade through the morning.

sobie

You've gone for rather a lot of tender plants and annuals.

I'd invest in a few structural, permenant plants. Such as roses, clematis/ honeysuckle climbing up rustic wigwams, perhaps Lavetera or hydrangea.

Then perennials can include Delphinium, foxglove, golden rod, kniphofia, hardy geraniums, pinks, leucanthemum, Michaelmas daisies, lupins, campanula, penstemon. honestly the choice in perennials is endless, and the good thing about a cottage garden is there are no rules on heights or colours and it should look effortless (although in practice they are one of the most time consuming types of border).

July is the next best time to start taking cuttings and sowing seeds of hardy perennials such as delphinuim, lupins, hollyhocks etc. these will flower early summer 2015.

tootallulah

Hi, I have made two large cottage borders from home grown plants grown from seed. The best ones have been lupins, delphiniums, aquilegia, fox gloves and poppies. I have just planted my seeds for next year and they have germinated well outside. I put all the plants in in September and they flower the following early summer. My borders are truly beautiful and the seeds are not expensive. I bought hydrangas, roses, and different types of clematis when they were reduced at various times.

I_have_spoken

And some cardoon, teasels, eryngiums

browneyedbazzi

Thank you all -

I am trying to buy perennials or self-seeding annuals as much as possible. Most of what I have fits the bill, other than the gazinia. I will probably put in a few more annuals this year to fill in gaps while I wait for the smaller perennials to mature and fill the space.

I'm glad to hear that some of my favourites do well from seed!

At the moment I am focusing on one bed that is nearest the house and borders the patio, but I also have a large bed alongside the neighbour's fence. The fence is due to be replaced this summer so I don't want to do much there now (anything I plant is likely to get trampled during the work) but if I can start things from seed now to plant in the autumn/late summer ready for next year that will be brilliant. The taller things like lupins, foxglove and delphiniums would be really good along that side and they are quite expensive to buy as plants. I'll keep an eye out for the next free postage offer and order some seed.

I have spoken - I'm going to have to google your suggestions because I haven't even heard of them!

tenzing

Alchemilla mollis - perennial with interestingly shaped leaves, sprays of small yellow flowers and looks lovely when there are rain drops on it and will self seed but easy to remove any seedlings you don't want.
If you have a B&Q search out their reduced plants section - I've had half price agapanthus, lupins and various other things this year. May look a bit sad but I've never lost one yet. I've got some auriculas which I've had about ten years which I got that way.
You could join the Cottage Garden Society www.thecottagegardensociety.org.uk (£12 a year). They send a magazine every quarter and operate a seed swap scheme at the end of each year. They also have regional groups so may be some members near you. Members send in seed and can then apply for free seeds. Even if you don't have seed to send in you can still apply for a reduced number of packets.

Pipkin

Our garden is fairly inhospitable, but we have some lovely Delphiniums, Hollyhocks, Lupins and Aquilegia that come back year after year without fail..they thrive on neglect!

Bunnygirl

Good luck I am turning my garden in to a cottage garden and have 100's of plants waiting to go in just need to dig it over again build my paths and put a small pond in. You will need to know how much light your boarder gets when picking your plants.


I have got lots of my plants from ebay much cheaper than the garden centre and they have all been pretty good just need growing on for a while.


Also got this set from Thompson and morgan you just need to pay postage
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/ms128


A good place to ask for seed is on your local freecycle group

sobie

browneyedbazzi wrote: »

I

So far, I've got Salvia nemerosa, lavender, daisies, cosmos, Chinese bell flowers, gazinia and osteospermum. .

Sorry but Cosmos, Chinese bell flower, gazania and osteospermum are all tender or annual. What variety the daisies?

browneyedbazzi

sobie wrote: »

Sorry but Cosmos, Chinese bell flower, gazania and osteospermum are all tender or annual. What variety the daisies?

Cosmos and gazinia are annuals, but from what I've read they self seed fairly reliably. In any case they are lovely and I want them in my garden.

I'd never have thought of osteospermum as tender - they overwinter and come back each year where I grew up in northern Alberta which is a much harsher climate than the UK (my mum has had them in her garden for years at it is regularly -40C in winter there).

As for Chinese bell flower (or balloon flowers), they have an H5 hardiness rating so should be fine here in the South East or indeed most of the UK.

I_have_spoken

Also lilies! I buy the remaindered ones from B&Q etc., once the flowers 'go over' they are heavily discounted but are fine for next year of course.

Plus the 'see throughs' like Verbena bonariensis and grasses which rustle in the breeze like Stipa tenuissima or Stipa gigantean, all of which give height but don't block out the plants behind.

Then the garden worthy Umbellifers, very fashionable at Chelsea

Sweet William, terribly unfashionable true, but 'do' very well, also Nicotiana sylvestris would also be on my list, white flowers that attract moths at dusk.