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Cottage Garden Plants for American Gardens
By Kathy Wilson
American cottage gardens can be just as wonderful as English cottage gardens with the same sense of informal wonder, curving borders filled with flowers and relaxed atmosphere filled with materials from nature such as wood and stone. However, few places in the U.S. have the climate to support the traditional English cottage garden plants outside of the Pacific Northwest. As drought and low water conditions continue to be problem in many parts of the country, it is time to take a look at the types of perennials, annuals and shrubs that not only survive in the heat and low water regions, but thrive there! After all, that is how the best gardens are made…working with nature, rather than against it!
Here is a list of both the latin and common names of The Garden Glove’s favorite cottage garden plants. Most are heat and drought resistant, and many bloom all summer long!
Perennials
Yarrow- Achillea- Blooms in yellow, pinks and Whites all summer
Purple Coneflower- Echinacea- Blooms from July on
Boltonia- Blooms late summer
Perennial Sunflower-Heliopsis;Helianthus- Blooms all summer
Coreopsis- Blooms all summer
Zing Rose Dianthus- Blooms all summer
Globe Thistle-Echinops-Blooms late summer
Gaura-Blooms all summer
Gloriosa Daisy- Rudbeckia- Mid summer on
Ornamental Grass- Miscanthus or Pennisetum
Daylily-Hemerocallis- Some all summer, try Stella D’Oro
Lavender-Lavandula- Blooms late spring- early summer
Blazing Star- Liatris- Late summer-fall
Mallow-Malva- Blooms all summer
Catmint-Nepeta-Blooms early summer
Evening primrose- Oenothera- Blooms all summer
Beardtongue-Penstemon-Blooms all summer
Russian Sage-Perovskia- Late summer
Creeping Phlox- Phlox sublata- Spring
Lambs Ear-Stachys-grown for soft, velvety silver foliage
Shrubs and Vines
Butterfly Bush- Buddleia- Mid summer bloom into fall
Lilac- Spring bloom
Blue Mist Shrub- Caryopteris- Mid to late summer
Honeysuckle
Shrub Rose- Try landscape roses such as Flower Carpet or Knock Out
Annuals
California Poppy
Cleome
Sweet Alyssum
Keep in mind, that all plants require regular water the first year in order to get their root systems established. After that, all of these are drought resistant, and beautiful flowers to boot. If you’ve always wanted a cottage garden but felt it wasn’t possible for you, try these varieties. I grow most of them here in my high desert garden at The Garden Glove, where they tolerate summer highs in the 100’s and winter lows occasionally below 0. For more info on cottage gardens visit The Garden Glove’s cottage gardening page at http://www.thegardenglove.com/cottage_garden.html
Kathy Wilson is a home and garden writer, author and consultant and is the home decorating expert for LifetimeTV.com. Visit her for more home and garden ideas at http://www.TheGardenGlove.com and http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com. Also visit her at http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com where any woman can learn to make money on the internet!
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Purple Coneflower
