The previous article was about how to design a cottage garden, so I thought I’d go ahead and introduce some of those flowers I mentioned.
Cottage gardens are fun to create and beautiful to look at. I would like to think that many of my fellow gardeners more or less agree with that.
It’s a blooming riot of color that produces fragrance and feeds pollinators while improving the appearance of the landscape.
A successful cottage garden has something in bloom from early spring until the first frost of autumn.
Plant some of these blooming summer flowers in your cottage garden for a riot of color all summer.
Granny’s Bonnet (Aquilegia vulgaris)
Delicate-looking perennial plant that produces blooms shaped like a bonnet.
Also known as the Columbine, Granny’s Bonnet will be between 1-3 feet (30 – 90 cm) tall and grows well in partial shade.
Adaptable to most soil conditions and is self-seeding. To prevent Granny’s Bonnet from self-seeding, just remove spent flowers. These make good cut flowers, attract hummingbirds and deer usually leave them alone.
You may be interested in my other post, How to Create Shade For Your Summer Gardens.
Geraniums (Pelargonium)
Colorful, easy to grow flower that thrives in sunlight and well-draining soil.
Remove spent blooms to encourage more blooms. Geraniums won’t survive in cold weather, but can be over-wintered indoors as a houseplant, then placed outdoors in the spring.
Pinks (Dianthus)
Pinks can be annuals, perennials or biennial, depending on the variety planted. All are hardy and make a colorful addition to a cottage garden.
Also known as Sweet Williams, Pinks have a spicy fragrance that smells a lot like cloves.
Plants create low mounds that are 6-12 inches (15 – 30 cm) tall. Plant pinks in an area where they will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
Larkspur (Delphinium)
This is a tall growing annual plant that produces stalks of blooms in vivid purple.
Plants can grow to be 6 feet (1.8m) in height and will need some support to keep them upright.
Larkspur seeds must go through a cold period in order to germinate. Place seeds in the refrigerator 2 weeks prior to planting to ensure your seeds have went through a cold period.
Plant seeds in soil after all danger of frost has past in spring.
Lupine (Lupinus)
Tall growing annual (2 feet tall/60cm) that produces masses of flower spikes covered with pea-shaped blue and purple flowers.
The plant self-seeds and attracts several different bird and butterfly species.
Lupine is adaptable to any soil type, except overly damp soil. This is a hardy, native plant that will thrive in a cottage garden.
Campanula (Campanulaceae)
Perennial plant that is also known as Bell flower due to the bloom shape. Bloom colors range from pink to white to blue.
Mature height also spans a wide range of everything from low-growing ground cover to plants that reach 2 feet (60cm) in height. Plant in full sun and well draining soil.
The pH of Soil Affects Plant Growth and Health
