Cottage favourites

Small, delicate lovelies can still have a big impact in the garden. In the November issue of our magazine, we profile 10 top-performing cottage plants for all climates.

Cottage-style gardens are wonderfully forgiving. They’re places where plants mingle and spill over pathways, seedlings appear in unexpected places and any gap is an opportunity to squeeze in something extra. While gorgeous dahlias and towering hollyhocks may be the attention seekers in a garden, it’s the little pretties – the fillers and spillers – that weave together to create the magical tapestry that defines a cottage garden. Here are a few hardworking cottage flowers – find the rest in the latest issue of ABC Gardening Australia magazine!

Native cottage flowers

Cut-leaf daisy
(Brachyscome multifida)
These low, mounding Australian perennials (pictured in header) carry masses of small daisy flowers in blue, mauve, pink or white above fine green foliage. Plant in borders, pots and hanging baskets, where they’ll flower generously and attract pollinators. Look for compact forms of cut-leaf daisy, which thrive in most locations, including coastal conditions.

Growing notes:

Grows 20–40cm high and 30–60cm wide
Plant in spring or autumn in sun or part-shade
Suitable for subtropical, arid, warm temperate and cold temperate climates

Pink billy buttons
(Gomphrena canescens)
We can all agree that an Australian cottage garden needs pink billy buttons to shine. With papery pink-mauve globes above fine foliage, the effect is unmistakably Australian. This perennial works beautifully in sunny borders and naturalistic plantings, particularly where heat and dry conditions make it difficult to establish fussier cottage plants. The flowers also hold their shape well when dried. Growing notes:
– Grows 30–60cm high and 30–50cm wide
– Plant in spring or autumn in a sunny position
– Suitable for subtropical, arid, warm temperate and cold temperate climates

Non-native cottage flowers

Globe amaranth
(Gomphrena globosa)
A powerhouse in hot summer gardens, globe amaranth is a compact annual with papery, clover-like flowers that come in magenta, pink, purple and white. Continuing to flower through conditions that send many traditional cottage plants packing, it’s easily grown from seed or seedlings, is terrific for pots, mass planting and cutting, and retains its colour when dried.

Growing notes: