Romantic cottage gardens only look difficult to achieve.
You don’t need a big yard, and you don’t even need a cottage.
You just need to get creative.
Credit: Photo: Van Chaplin
Because of their casual-yet-cared-for style, cottage gardens are pretty easy to pull off.
(The Grumpy Gardener says so himself!)
Read on for 13 of the best plants for a charming cottage garden.
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Try planting Delphinium exaltatum, also known as tall larkspur.
This selection shows off four- to six-foot-tall blue spikes during the summer.
They’re loved for their height and color.
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(Note: All parts of foxgloves are poisonous if ingested.)
Iris can handle the heat, cold weather, and drought all while producing fragrant flowers every spring.
Stems can grow two to four feet tall.
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Give them plenty of sun and plant in well-drained soil.
Snaps also makegreat cut flowers for seasonal arrangements.
These perfumy flowers bloom in spring and summer.
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Water: evenly moist
Phlox
Phlox plants shows off vibrant clusters of dainty blooms.
Plant tall selections along a border and dwarf selections in a rock garden.
They grow well in ordinary garden soil with regular moisture.
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Plant them in spring for blooms all summer long (deadhead spent flowers to lengthen their blooming season).
Coneflowers grow best in well-drained soil.
Give butterfly bush full sun and fertile, moist, well-drained soil.
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Florists' carnations are sought-after cut flowers, but they can also be grown in borders.
Hydrangeas
No Southern gardener can go wrong with hydrangeas.
Whichever selection you choose, be sure to plant in a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon shade.
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Credit: Ralph Anderson
Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Ralph Anderson
