Classic Perennials for a Cottage Garden

Today I’m sharing some classic perennials for a cottage garden, as well as a tour of our own garden and some ideas I have for next year!

If you’re looking for some classic perennials for a cottage garden, the options really are endless. Cottage gardening is so relaxed and easy, that’s really why I love it so much!

Whenever I share snippets of our back gardens on my Instagram page or YouTube channel, I get asked to share the exact perennials I chose for our raised beds. I shared a little bit about them in our shed reveal, and I explained how we made them in this post. But today I want to go through each flower if you’re interested in planting a cottage garden, too!

There aren’t many rules when it comes to cottage inspired gardens, but there are three things I like to keep in mind when I’m choosing plants. 

3 Things to Keep in Mind for a Cottage Garden

Blooming Times

You want to choose flowers that will bloom at different times so that you can enjoy your garden all season long. For example, my phlox blooms at the end of May here in Michigan, then my catmint blooms a bit later in June, and my daisies bloom early July. 

Height

You don’t want to choose flowers that will all grow to be the same height. Choose a variety of different heights and plant the tallest flowers in the middle and the shorter ones near the edge of your garden. The variations in heights will giver your garden a whimsical feel. 

Colors

Decide on a color pallet so that your garden feels cohesive. Since I have a gray home and shed, I decided to go with hues that would compliment the house. Our gardens have purples, pinks, blues and whites. 

Classic Perennials for a Cottage Garden

Here are the flowers I chose to put in our back gardens this year!

Catmint – I have had catmint for years and I absolutely love it. It is so low maintenance and I have divided mine with a shovel so many times, it seems to do well wherever I plant it! I love the periwinkle flowers it produces, but sometimes it grows to be so large that it can choke out the plants around it. 

Foxglove – The first time I shared that I had foxglove in my garden, I got so many messages from people warning that it was poisonous. I had no idea! It is absolutely gorgeous, but I most definitely make sure that the kids keep away from it. 

Phlox – Our phlox blooms in the early spring here in Michigan, so it’s flowers have already faded for the year. I have a taller variety in my back gardens, and it is already spreading nicely. The flowers are the prettiest shade of blue in May and they are perfect near an outside border. 

Hardy Geraniums – These flowers are another great option for along a border! My neighbor gave me a light pink variety and we love it. 

Delphiniums – We purchased shades of both purple and blue delphiniums. They grow in spikes and are very popular in cottage gardening. Our blue delphiniums are still blooming, but the purple variety has faded at this point. 

Lavender – Ohh Lavender! It’s a classic perennial for a cottage garden, for sure. It smells amazing and attracts all the bees and butterflies!

Salvia – Also a part of the mint family, salvia is one of my favorites. We have beautiful pink and purple varieties in our gardens, but both are fading right now!

Daisy – Both my neighbor and mother in law gave me daisies this year, and I love them in our cottage gardens so much! They’re such a happy flower, aren’t they? I love the way the white looks sprinkled amongst the purples, blues and pinks. 

Hostas –  I did put a few hostas in our gardens, but just for filler until I can plant something different. 

Yarrow – This was a recent purchase, it was actually on sale and I wish I had grabbed more! We went with a pink variety and I love it so much!

Sedum – I have one sedum plant and it actually blooms in the fall, which will be nice once most of the other flowers have faded. 

Veronica “Hocus Pocus” – I love this beautiful purple perennial! This is one that I picked up on clearance a week or so ago at Lowe’s and it has already grown so tall. I grabbed a pink variety, as well!

Veronica “Tickled Pink” 

Spotted Dead Nettle – this is another one that my neighbor gave me. It spreads quickly and makes for beautiful ground cover! You can see a bit of it in the photo above.

Pink Primrose – I picked two of these up recently as well. I love the soft pink flowers against all the purples and blues!

Well there you have it, some classic perennials for a cottage garden. Like I said, there are so many more you could add to this list. These are just the ones we chose for this year!

Eventually I would love to add roses somewhere in our garden, maybe even some that creep up onto the shed? We’ll see! What would you add to my flower garden? Let me know in the comments below! 

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