Cottage perennials
2025-03-09T16:55:35+11:00
The focus of cottage-style gardens is on an abundance of colour and diverse flower shapes. Steve Falcioni reveals some of his favourite cottage perennials which are easy to grow.
CONEFLOWER (Echinacea purpurea & cv.)
You know you’ve reached peak summer when the coneflowers (above) put on their dazzling show of large pinky-mauve, daisy-shaped flowers with distinctive orange centres. This plant will reach up to 1.2m high and the flowers, which continue into autumn, can be cut for indoors. Cultivars are also available in a broader range of colours including white, yellow and orange. Prune old foliage away in winter.
ACHILLEA spp. & cv.
While achilleas have lovely, feathery foliage, it’s their bold flower show in summer and autumn that makes them so popular. During this time the plants will produce tall flower stems (up to 1.2m), which are topped with a mass of small flowers, often in a flattened disc shape. The colours range from white to yellow, orange, pink and red. The plants handle a range of soil types and will easily form clumps. Cut to the ground in winter.
BUTTERFLY BUSH (Oenothera lindheimeri, syn. Gaura lindheimeri)
Named for its long spikes of white and pink flowers, which sway in the breeze like a mass of butterflies, this is another must-have cottage garden plant. Butterfly bush is easy to grow and will handle all climates except the tropics. Flowering occurs from spring through to autumn. The plant reaches to 1.2m high and about 1m wide but dwarf varieties are also available. All will benefit from a prune after flowering to keep compact.
SALVIA spp. & cv.
Salvias come in an astounding range of flower colours, foliage types and growing heights so you’re guaranteed to find plenty to suit your climate and gardening taste. They flower generously, with many plants covered in flower spikes from spring into autumn. Some personal favourites include the delightful S. leucantha, with grey-green leaves and furry purple and white flowers; the aptly named S. x jamensis ‘Hot Lips’ (pictured), with red and white flowers; and the large-leafed S. guaranitica ‘Black and Bloom’, which produces gorgeous black and blue flowers. Most salvias benefit from a rejuvenating prune in winter.
PENSTEMON spp. & cv.
I adore penstemons, with their tall spikes of tubular flowers, which appear from spring to autumn. While many natural species are available, I confess to preferring the newer cultivars. Why? Because their flowers are even bigger! Colours range from white to pink, red, purple and blue. Prune in half once flowering stops.
Header image credit: iStock
