20 Expert-Picked Cottage Garden Plants Full of Color & Charm
Add romance and timeless appeal to your yard with these cottage garden plants and flowers
Cottage-style gardens are delightful exuberant spaces, with colorful layered plantings that exude romantic charm. These gardens originated in England hundreds of years ago when families placed garden plots adjacent to their quaint rural cottages, where they grew edible crops of vegetables, herbs and fruits trees. Flowers were interspersed for color, and to provide cut blooms for the table.
Contemporary cottage gardens are often solely ornamental, with a mix of flowering shrubs, perennials and annuals. There are no hard-and-fast rules for creating a cottage-style look, though color, fragrance and dense, loose plantings are core attributes. Here are some of the best cottage garden plants and how to use them in your yard.
1. BEE BALM ‘Pardon My Rose’ Zones: 4-8 A staple of cottage-style borders, bee balm is an old-fashioned favorite with scented leaves and showy long-lasting flowers that attract pollinators. The compact habit of ‘Pardon my Rose’ is perfect for edging cottage-style borders. For an exuberant summertime display, combine this pink-flowered variety with coneflower, phlox and butterfly bush. |
2. BLACK-EYED SUSAN Mega Millions® Zones: 3-9 Black-eyed Susan is a common cottage garden plant with cheerful daisy-like blooms that provide late-season interest. For increased disease resistance and exceptional bloom production, Mega Millions® delivers, with hundreds of golden-yellow flowers. Combine in a cottage-style garden alongside Russian sage, sedum, bee balm and asters. Stacy Ling of Bricks 'n Blooms, a master gardener with 25 years of experience, calls them “cheerful pollinator magnets that require very little attention.” |
3. BUTTERFLY BUSH ‘Miss Molly’ Zones: 5-9 This deciduous shrub produces showy flower spikes that are attractive to butterflies and other insect pollinators. Butterfly bush provides background color and structure to cottage-style borders. ‘Miss Molly’ is a non-invasive variety with vivid pink flowers, offering stunning contrast to yellow-flowered cottage plants such as yarrow or tickseed. |
4. CATMINT
Zones: 3-8 This easy-care perennial provides long-lasting color, with aromatic foliage and flower spikes in soft pastel hues. ‘Cat’s Meow’ has a profusion of purple-blue flowers, with a compact habit that won’t flop. Plant at the front of a cottage border in combination with groundcover roses, coral bells and yellow daylilies. |
5. CONEFLOWER
Zones: 4-8 One of the most popular cottage garden flowers, coneflower is a late-season perennial with daisy-like flowers. Summersong™ Firefinch™ produces blooms in sunset shades of reddish-orange to pinkish-red. Mass this compact variety towards the front of a cottage-style border alongside Pyromania® ‘Hot and Cold’ red hot poker and ‘Firefly Sunshine’ yarrow. |
6. CORAL BELLS
Zones: 4-9 Grown for the attractive foliage in a range of colors, coral bells is tolerant of different growing conditions including sun and shade, making it a versatile addition to cottage-style gardens. Dolce® ‘Spearmint’ produces ruffled silver-green foliage and vivid deep pink flowers. Mass along border edges and pathways. |
7. DAYLILY
Zones: 3-9 Daylily is one of the most beloved perennials, with trumpet-shaped flowers in a range of colors and patterns. Rainbow Rhythm® ‘Orange Smoothie’ is a reblooming variety with ruffled orange-mango petals and a green center accentuated by a rose band. Plant in a cottage border alongside coneflower, bee balm and phlox. Jenny Simpson of @gardeningwithcreekside, a seasoned gardener and nursery owner, grows daylilies in her cottage garden because they are "low maintenance, high impact, and they get bigger and better every year." |
8. FOUNTAIN GRASS
Zones: 5-9 Ornamental grasses are often incorporated into modern cottage-style gardens, offering late-season color and structure. The bright chartreuse foliage of Prairie Winds® ‘Lemon Squeeze’ fountain grass contrasts with the coppery seed heads for a stunning effect. Combine with stonecrop, hydrangeas and daylilies. |
9. SMOOTH HYDRANGEA
Zones: 3-8 Hydrangea is one of the best cottage garden shrubs, with large showy flowers that lend nostalgic charm. The oversized globe-shaped blooms of Incrediball® appear in mid-summer on sturdy stems. Flowers start out snow-white and fade to jade green, holding their color until frost. Use as a background element in a cottage-style border. |
10. LAVENDER
Zones: 5-9 Lavender is a popular perennial herb grown for the aromatic leaves and wand-like flowers. Sweet Romance® has silver-green foliage and vivid blue-purple flowers. Mass this compact variety at the front of a cottage-style bed with Amazing Daisies® Daisy May® Shasta daisy and Rock ’N Round® ‘Pure Joy’ stonecrop. Provide well-drained soil. |
11. ORNAMENTAL ONION
Zones: 4-8 |
12. BEARDED PENSTEMON
Zones: 4-8 Penstemon is a diverse group of North American natives, with a long bloom time and tubular-shaped flowers. Bejeweled™ ‘Pink Pearls’ is a compact variety with medium pink blooms that are a favorite of hummingbirds. Plant in a waterwise cottage-style border or curbside strip alongside lavender, sedum and coneflower. |
13. PHLOX
Zones: Annual One of the most common cottage garden plants, phlox is an annual or perennial with clusters of star-shaped blooms. Intensia® White produces large pure white flowers from late spring through fall for long-lasting color. Use this mounding variety in containers, or as edging for a cottage-style border. |
14. PINKS
Zones: 4-9 Pinks are one of the best known cottage garden perennials, with small fragrant flowers in many different colors. The vibrant pink blooms of ‘Paint the Town Magenta’ contrast with the glaucous blue foliage for a striking effect. Mass this petite variety along the front of a cottage garden or pathway. |
15. ROSE
Zones: 4-9 Roses are a quintessential cottage garden plant, with intricate flower petals and a heady fragrance. Cottage roses are typically grown on rustic arbors or interspersed with perennials such as lavender, daylilies and catmint. Oso Easy Red Stripe™ is a shrub rose featuring unique striped and swirled blooms in colors of pink, red and white. "Roses are so much easier than people give them credit for—so much less fussy than people think," say Eric and Christopher of @growformegardening, who have an incredible contemporary cottage garden in Upstate NY (Zone 6A). |
16. SALVIA
Zones: Annual Salvia is a pollinator-friendly annual or perennial that is commonly used in cottage-style borders for its carefree nature and long bloom time. Rockin’® Blue Suede Shoes™ has tubular pale blue flowers and a black calyx for an eye-catching effect. Use to quickly fill in gaps, or as a thriller element in containers. |
17. SHASTA DAISY
Zones: 5-9 One of the most common cottage garden flowers, Shasta daisy is a long-lived perennial with serrated green foliage and cheerful summer blooms. Amazing Daisies® Daisy May® produces snow-white flowers with a sunny yellow center. This cultivar blooms longer than older varieties, with a compact habit that won’t flop. |
18. STONECROP
Zones: 3-9 |
19. SWEET ALYSSUM
Zones: Annual Sweet alyssum is a common cottage garden annual, with clusters of tiny flowers that are intensely fragrant. The pure white flowers of Snow Princess® bloom continuously throughout the growing season on plants with exceptional heat and cold tolerance. Use this groundcover in containers, or to edge cottage-style borders. |
20. YARROW
Zones: 3-8 Yarrow is a tough perennial that is commonly used in a cutting garden or cottage-style border. Flat-topped flowers, which are produced throughout summer, are attractive to a range of pollinators. The bright yellow blooms of ‘Firefly Sunshine’ complement other cottage-style favorites such as ‘Violet Profusion’ salvia and Magic Show® ‘Wizard of Ahhs’ speedwell. Find a cutting garden recipe |
‘Cat’s Meow’
Summersong™ Firefinch™
Dolce® ‘Spearmint’
Rainbow Rhythm® ‘Orange Smoothie’
Prairie Winds® ‘Lemon Squeeze’
Incrediball®
Sweet Romance®
‘Serendipity’
Bejeweled™ ‘Pink Pearls’
Intensia® White
‘Paint the Town Magenta’
Oso Easy Red Stripe™
Rockin’® Blue Suede Shoes™
Amazing Daisies® Daisy May®
Rock ’N Round® ‘Pure Joy’
Snow Princess®
‘Firefly Sunshine’Cottage Garden Videos from Our Friends
A cottage garden is all about layering color, texture, and structure—using a mix of perennials, self-seeding flowers, and classic cottage plants to create a space that feels natural, charming, and full of life. Check out these videos to see these concepts in action.
FAQs
What is a cottage garden?
Traditional cottage gardens are a colorful mix of flowers, herbs and vegetables densely planted together. These exuberant informal plantings are typically embellished with stone walls, rustic fences, arbors and trellises that offer structure and timeless charm.
What are the best perennials for cottage gardens?
Some of the best perennials for cottage gardens are old-fashioned favorites that harken back to traditional English cottage gardens. These include bleeding heart, columbine, delphinium, dianthus, peony, phlox, Shasta daisy and yarrow.
What are the best shrubs for a cottage garden?
Flowering shrubs add structure, seasonal color, and charm to a cottage garden. Favorites include roses, hydrangeas, lilacs, and spirea. Kristina Howley of Proven Winners ColorChoice recommends ones "that have a naturally carefree habit with a range of heights, bloom times and colors." See her expert cottage garden shrub picks and explore two bonus planting layouts.
What are the most cottagecore flowers?
“Cottagecore” is a modern design trend that celebrates the romantic aesthetic of English country life. Contemporary cottage garden style embraces the traditional while incorporating modern design elements. Typical plants for a cottage garden have exuberant flowers and a loose form. These include cosmos, daisies, hollyhock, hydrangea, lilac, pansy, poppy, roses, Rose of Sharon and sweet peas.
For a fresh take on the classic cottagecore aesthetic, explore this ideaboard of plants for a modern cottage garden curated by Heather Wheatley, CPH CBLP APLD.
What are the best low-maintenance cottage garden plants?
A modern cottage garden is easier to manage for busy homeowners when incorporating low-maintenance plants. Carefree plants include catmint, daylily, foxglove, hydrangea, iris, lilac, stonecrop and yarrow. Plants that are native to your area will be easier to care for.
Try this easy-care design idea
What are the colors for a cottage garden?
There are no hard-and-fast rules for a cottage garden color scheme. For a traditional look, choose a pastel palette of soft blue, pink, pale green, silver, gray, white and lavender. A bold color scheme may include orange, yellow, red, purple, magenta or chartreuse.
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