21 of Our Favorite Perennials for a Cottage Garden
- Rebekah
- Apr 11
- 6 min read
Cottage gardens are classic, timeless, and gorgeous. They are informal, relaxed spaces where flowers and pollinators abound. Plants are usually arranged in a naturalistic manner and focus on visual texture, color, fragrance, and the ability to attract birds and pollinators. Perennials, annuals, biennials, fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, evergreens, and flowering shrubs can all be a part of a cottage garden. Pollinators are also a focus of cottage gardens. Cottage gardens are welcoming and charming, a lovely addition to a home and landscape.
Below, we're sharing 21 of our favorite perennials for a cottage garden, plus several more must-haves for this style of garden, and tips for creating a charming cottage garden at your home.
Plant Height: 3 feet
Flower Height: 4 feet
Spacing: 14 inches
Sunlight: full to part sun
Exciting tubular flowers; tall spikes rise above attractive green lance-shaped leaves; a biennial that's happiest in part shade with adequate moisture.
Height: 2-3 feet, depending on variety
Spacing: 18 inches
Sunlight: full sun
This vigorous perennial blooms profusely in the summer and multiplies each year. Deadhead it for the best reblooming. Once established, it is more drought-tolerant than other flowers and wonderful in many styles of gardens.
Height: 15-18 inches, depending on the variety
Spacing: 18 inches
Sunlight: full sun
A stunning perennial producing a mix of flower colors (depending on variety) from rich purple, pink, red-orange, to yellow and white; attracts pollinators and feeds the birds in winter; use in naturalized areas with other native plants.
Height: 12-36 inches, depending on the variety
Spacing: 2-3 feet
Sunlight: full sun
An attractive perennial that produces masses of bluish-purple flowers in late spring through summer. Pollinators love this plant; it makes an excellent cut flower.
Height: 18-24 inches
Spacing: 18 inches
Sunlight: full sun
Little Spire Russian Sage features delicate spikes of lavender flowers rising above the foliage from early summer to mid-fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive, tiny, fragrant, narrow leaves emerge silver in spring, turning a grayish-green color throughout the season.
Height: 12-14 inches, depending on variety
Spacing: 15 inches
Sunlight: full sun to part sun
Catmint has masses of beautiful spikes of lightly-scented royal blue flowers with lavender overtones rising above the foliage from late spring to early fall, which emerge from distinctive rose flower buds and which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its small, fragrant, pointy leaves have a grayish-green hue throughout the season. Cats usually like the aroma of catmint.
Height: 12-15 inches
Spacing: 10-18 inches
Sunlight: partial shade to full sun
A charming perennial that gently blows in the wind. It is lovely when mass planted in a garden, attracts butterflies, and profusely blooms in spring.
Height: 5-30 inches, depending on variety
Spacing: 12-36 inches, depending on variety
Sunlight: shade to partial shade
A must-have perennial for any shade garden. Adds texture to a cottage garden and its dainty purple flowers attract pollinators in summer. Many different sizes and colors of foliage are available.
Height: 18 inches
Spacing: 15 inches
Sunlight: full sun
Pincushion Flower features unusual blue pincushion flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its deeply cut, ferny leaves remain grayish-green in color throughout the season.
Height: 8-18 inches, depending on variety
Spacing: 12-15 inches
Sunlight: full sun
A cheerful perennial that has masses of blooms all summer into early fall. Tolerant of pests and drier soils, thriving in sandy and rocky areas; visually stunning along border edges.
Height: 12-15 inches
Spacing: 20-24 inches
Sunlight: shade to partial shade
An attractive perennial that blooms in winter to mid-spring, depending on the variety. Many different colors available. Deer-resistant. This perennial brightens up shadier spots in the cottage garden.
Height: 12-18 inches
Spacing: 10-12 inches
Sunlight: full sun to part sun
A striking perennial that adds beauty and texture to a garden. Pollinators love this perennial. It looks amazing in a mass planting or mixed with other perennials.
Height: 26-28 inches
Spacing: 24 inches
Sunlight: part sun to full sun
A staple in any cottage garden! It has a long bloom season and looks spectacular mixed with other perennials. It is taller than many perennials, and that should be kept in mind when planting it with other plants.
Height: 3-8 feet, depending on variety
Spacing: 2-3 feet
Sunlight: full sun
A staple in a cottage garden! They bloom in summer to fall and can be many different colors. They flourish when they are in full sun and have a wind barrier, such as other plants or beside a fence. They make a stunning backdrop in a cottage garden and attract pollinators.
Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)
Height: 10-24 inches, depending on variety
Spacing: 20 inches
Sunlight: partial shade to full sun
Shasta Daisies have masses of beautiful white daisy flowers with yellow eyes at the ends of the stems from early to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its serrated, narrow leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.
Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia)
Height: 24-26 inches
Spacing: 2-3 feet
Sunlight: full sun
Striking bluish-purple blooms; impressive silvery foliage is beautifully fragrant; excellent for borders, containers, and massing in the garden; used for sachets and perfumes.
Pinks (Dianthus)
Height: 6-16 inches, depending on the variety
Spacing: 6-12 inches
Sunlight: full sun
Dianthus blooms profusely from late spring through summer and is available in several different colors and heights. Its blue-grey foliage is stunning when mixed with other perennial foliage.
Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
Height: 4-6 inches
Spacing: 15-20 inches per plant
Sunlight: part sun to full sun
Creeping phlox covers beautifully and is smothered in a mass of flowers in spring. It looks stunning in a place where you need a ground cover, over a rock wall, or as a border.
Height: 24-30 inches
Spacing: 30 inches
Sunlight: full sun
Peonies bloom for a short time, but what a glorious time that is. Their large, showy flowers are perfect for cutting to enjoy indoors, and often, one plant can have several buds on it. It usually takes a year or two for Peonies to bloom well. Don't move them after you've planted them, as they don't like to be moved, and do not plant too deep (that can greatly affect how much they bloom).
Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina)
Height: 3-18 inches, depending on variety
Spacing: 8-18 inches
Sunlight: partial shade to full sun
A wonderful perennial that adds beautiful texture, interest, and color to a cottage garden.
Height: 18-28 inches, depending on the variety
Spacing: 14-18 inches
Sunlight: partial shade to full sun
A mid-late spring bloomer. Irises come in practically every color and add beauty and form to a garden.
Other Plants that Add Beauty and Charm to a Cottage Garden
Spring bulbs such as Tulips, Hyacinths, Alliums, and Daffodils
Beginning Tips for Creating a Cottage Garden
Cottage gardens are informal, as we said above, and are a natural extension of your surrounding area. For example, if the area you're looking at has several mature trees, design part of your garden around those trees, working them into your plan. Plant flowering plants, ferns, and other textured perennials at the base of the trees and work it all together very naturally. If you have a fence, think of a way to soften it, such as adding Wisteria or a climbing rose. If you don't have a fence, add trellises to create vertical interest and grow a vine such as climbing rose, Wisteria, Clematis, or Sweetpea.
Idyllic thinking is a strength when creating this charming garden. Add several of the plants we mentioned above, and also think about seating- places where you can sit and enjoy your garden. Fountains or other water sources can be soothing to hear and add romance and charm.
Usually, in a cottage garden, plants are planted closely, and not a lot of mulch is needed, as the style is a relaxed look. Use pathways and stepping stones to create intimacy and walkways in your garden.
