Essential Plants for Your 2025 English Cottage Garden
When it came to creating my quintessential English Cottage Garden in Connecticut, there were certain must have flowers and plants that I wanted to have to help me achieve that charming, romantic look. From fragrant roses to the delicate lavender here is the plant list in Old Castle cottage sun loving Zone 6b garden.
Roses
No English cottage garden would be complete without the addition of beautiful fragrant roses. Mine are David Austin Olivia, Queen of Sweden, Generous Gardener, and Scarborough Fair, to name a few!
I plant nepeta more than lavender in this garden because I seem to have better luck. I use Proven Winner’s Walker’s Low and Jackson & Perkins ‘Cats Pajamas.’ It blooms all season with delicate purple flowers. It also helps keep pests away from the roses.
Foxgloves
With their tall spires and bell-shaped flowers foxgloves add height and whimsy to the garden. I use Dalmatian Rose, Dalmatian White , Excelsior, Candy Mountain, and Foxy Hybrids.
Delphiniums
Delphiniums are another tall, stately flower that I believe add drama and elegance to the flower bed. I planted and love the Magic Fountain’s Lilac Pink, but they also come in blue, pink or white. I must admit it depends if they come back for me, so I tend to plant three every year.
With their cheerful blooms but more importantly easy care they are a staple in my garden. I plant them in my borders, and they give a pop of color all season. The varieties I planted in my garden include Cranes-bill and Sanguineum Geranium.
Alliums
I love the whimsy of the alliums bulbs I plant in the fall, Allium Ambassador, Gladiator, Nigrum and the pollinator friendly Millennium Allium that give wonderful texture to the garden and whimsical purple spheres from summer through fall.
Peonies
In this garden I have planted Sarah Berndhardt which I originally took from my grandmother’s garden and have taken a cutting with me to every house I moved to. They are very hardy and so fragrant. I also have the White Duchesse De Nemours’ and Festiva Maxima in other gardens at Old Castle Cottage
For Spring interest I add Old fashioned Iris, Dianthus, Proven Winners Sweetie Pie, Scabiosa Butterfly Blue, and May Night Salvia.
To give late summer color I include Yarrow, Milly Rock Rose Tall, Garden phlox, Veronica Magic Show Pink Potion, Coneflower, Shasta Daisy, and Speedwell Royal Candles in the garden.
Creating a English Cottage garden is all about embracing the beauty of traditional plants, and for me unifying with a romantic pastel color palette of pinks, purples and whites. Below I labeled the garden layout for you. I hope you can create a romantic space that will transport you to the English countryside every time you walk outside.
Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts featuring shade and other cottage garden beds.
This is such a helpful post! Your garden is absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge- I love how you labeled the pictures with the name of the flowers. Thank you so much!!
You are so welcome!
hi. so beautiful and inspiring. how much time do you spend on soil amending. i see lots of mulch (i need to do more in that regard).
Hi Ann! I add some compost in Spring then a layer of good organic mulch like Sweet Peet. Thanks for following along!
So excited to add some of these to my garden! Question – do you/ did you plant these all at once or throughout the season? You mentioned adding late summer color … did you plant those later or thats just when they bloom?
Thank you!
I live in 7A, with scorching 100 degree days in summer and nights in the teens during winter. It will be a challenge, but we should be ready for prep work for our cottage garden at our new home in June.
That sounds great, Dena! How exciting.
I too have many of the same flowers and plants. But my garden looks nothing like yours. There is hope though. Thank you for the inspiration.
You can do it, Lisa! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Thank you for sharing! So much inspiration for my forever house once I get it built. Absolutely beautiful flowers you chose for your cottage garden!
Thank you for the kind words, Kelly!
Gorgeous! im working on mine on Long Island ny
Beautiful! I have most of the same plants in my garden. . Interestingly mine do not look as beautifully designed as yours . 😂
I am sure it looks beautiful, Sharon! <3
Thank You. I live in northern Florida and have been creating a cottage garden look for the past two summers. Your garden is beautiful, something I hope to achieve with mine.
Thank you for your kind words, Mary!
Thanks so much!
Your gardens are beautiful and your blog is so informative. What program do you use to label the plants in your photographs as you did here?
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you for your kinds words! I use Canva to label the photos that I take of my garden.