If you're hoping to transform your garden with a romantic, country aesthetic this year, you'll need a list of the best cottage garden plants to hand.
For some years now, gardeners have striving to perfect the cottage garden look at home — and cottagecore is predicted to be one of the biggest garden trends for 2025, so there's no better time to jump on the bandwagon.
To help you get started, we’ve rounded up the best cottage garden plants, with top recommendations from garden experts — including the senior gardener at the National Trust’s Hill Top, which was Beatrix Potter’s much-loved garden in the Lakes.
1. Foxgloves
Nothing says cottagecore like the elegant foxglove, and that’s exactly why it tops our list of the best cottage garden plants.
‘Foxgloves are a favourite at Hill Top, partly because Beatrix Potter featured them in some of her little books — most notably The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck — but also because they're so easy to grow!’ says Peter Tasker, senior gardener at the National Trust’s Hill Top in Cumbria.
Once you know how to grow foxgloves, it's an uphill journey to a thriving cottage garden. They're brilliant at propagating themselves, after all. ‘Each flower spike produces thousands of tiny seeds which will germinate the following spring and continue the succession,’ explains Peter.
In fact, that’s what Peter loves about foxgloves. ‘Because they self-seed so freely, they bring an air of randomness which is so characteristic of a cottage garden,’ he says.
Where to buy foxgloves:
- Crocus: Go for pink hues with Digitalis purpurea 'Sutton's Apricot', available in pots or as seeds.
- J. Parker's: Another brilliant place to buy mixed foxglove plants.
2. Delphiniums
Delphiniums are another beautiful option if you’re on the hunt for the best cottage garden plants.
Last year, I swapped out the hedges in my garden border for a cottage garden planting scheme, and delphiniums were my go-to choice.
‘A classic cottage garden is a picture of romance with soft shapes, colourful flowers, and sweet smells filling the air,’ says Julian Palphramand, head of plants at British Garden Centres. ‘Tall delphiniums add height to a cottage garden.’
Learning how to grow delphiniums can be a little trickier than some of the other plants on this list, but offering them a spot in full sun with well-draining soil is a great start — and it’s incredibly rewarding when the tall spikes start to flower.
Where to buy delphiniums:
- Sarah Raven: Get started with this beautiful blue Delphinium Border Collection.
- Dobies: Another lovely range of delphiniums to choose from.
3. Sweet peas
Once you know how to grow sweet peas, you’ll be able to enjoy pretty blooms and beautiful fragrance in the garden. Their delicate nature makes them another brilliant option if you’re searching for best cottage garden plants.
‘Sweet peas are a cottage garden essential,’ agrees Peter. ‘At Hill Top, we grow the 'old fashioned' variety which have smaller flowers but the best scent of almost any garden flower.’
You can also get creative with the way you display your sweet peas. 'We plant them out in a nice fertile soil and grow them up a tepee of hazel poles,’ Peter says. ‘Pick the flowers regularly to encourage more — even a small posy will scent a whole room.’
Where to buy sweet peas:
- Crocus: Grow sweet peas from seed or a young plant with the traditional Lathyrus odoratus 'Matucana'.
- Sarah Raven: Order New Giants Sweet Pea Collection seedlings for delivery in early April.
4. Roses
We couldn’t put a list of the best cottage garden plants together without mentioning roses. Perfect in a garden border, they’re a classic pick for gardeners looking to add a country cottagecore feel into their space.
‘The quintessential English rose is the ideal choice for a cottage garden with its many colours and scents,’ agrees Julian.
You can learn how to plant roses right now, so it’s the perfect time to stock up on your favourite bare root varieties. Personally, I love ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ — it has a beautiful fragrance.
Where to buy roses:
- David Austin: Browse a beautiful selection of bare root roses.
- Suttons: Take your pick from this varied range of rose plants.
5. Lupins
I consider lupins to be one of the best cottage garden plants out there — the white lupins in my garden border really stand out amongst the other plants, and the tall flowerheads always remind me of a fairytale.
Early spring is widely considered to be one of the best times to plant lupin seeds, so you can get started now. If you'd prefer to buy ready-grown young plants, those are available to buy now, too.
Where to buy lupins:
- Crocus: Lupinus 'Noble Maiden' lives up to its name for all its elegance.
- Thompson & Morgan: Buy Lupin 'Avalune Mixed' seeds to grow bi-coloured blooms that smell like sweet peas.
6. Mexican fleabane
You might be less familiar with the name of this one, but garden designer Harriet Worsley is a huge fan of Mexican fleabane, or Erigeron karvinskianus.
'Erigeron karvinskianus is one of my cottage garden favourites,' she says. 'They are fairly drought tolerant and flower all summer, filling a bed or border with glorious speckles of pink and white.'
They're a great choice if you're looking for something on the wilder side, too. 'The Erigeron will seed itself in cracks and crevices all over the garden,' Harriet adds.
Where to buy Mexican fleabane:
- Sarah Raven: Grow Erigeron karvinskianus 'Profusion' for a flurry of daisy-like blooms.
- Primrose: Another stockist of Erigeron karvinskianus as seeds or a potted plant.
FAQs
What are the best colours for a cottage garden?
Cottagecore is all about soft, delicate tones. Baby pink, lavender and pale blue are all go-to shades for gardeners and interior designers looking to nail the aesthetic. Or, you could opt for peach and apricot hues.
Are dahlias cottage garden plants?
Learning how to plant dahlia tubers is a great idea if you're looking for the best cottage garden plants, but it all depends on the variety.
Open-centred types in bolder tones might look a little less subtle against the traditional cottage garden look, whereas billowy double flowers in soft hues like 'Café au Lait' dahlias (which you can buy from Sarah Raven) will better suit the aesthetic.
Our list of the best cottage garden plants is by no means extensive, but it'll get you started — and there are plenty of other long-flowering perennials you can add to the list for blooms that return year after year.
