Visiting gardens is one of my favorite things to do on vacation. French cottage style gardens are my absolute favorite! During our visit to France last summer, I spent many hours visiting French gardens and talking with their gardeners about the varieties that they grow. These are the 12 plants that I came home saying “I am going to try planting that next spring”. They are (mostly) easy to start from seed. All are perennial or self seeding, good for pollinators, and lovely. Several are old familiar plants that are grown in unusual ways. I bought most of my seeds for these plants from Plant World Seeds. They are located in the UK, but ship to the US.
1. Phacelia
Funny story, Phacelia is actually used as a cover crop here and in France. For some reason, I had never heard of it or seen it growing here in the Eastern US. I love the unusual shape of the purple blossoms and could picture it growing en masse. The gardener who introduced us to it said that it reseeds easily and grows easily. I have found that to be true here in Maryland as well. I have 2-3 beds of it growing now in my orchard. It germinates best in cool soil, so it should be planted in the spring rather than summer. The seeds can be purchased in bulk from Johnny’s Seeds.
2. Guara lindheimeri
We saw Guara in almost every cottage garden that we visited, even in the more formal showy gardens at Villandry. I love how it looks like a prairie wildflower. It has a long bloom time and I was able to start several trays of it from seed. I am looking forward to the fact that it is an enthusiastic self sower, hoping it will spread itself in all the open spaces in my orchard.
3. Hardy Geranium
Hardy geranium is a well known cottage garden plant. Their use of a mass of hardy geraniums as a ground cover along the edge of beds was brilliant and new to me. It is perennial in zones 4-8. I did not succeed in sprouting many of these seeds in my greenhouse over the winter/spring. I think it has been too cold and damp this year.
4. Carentan Leeks
Growing a variety of leeks specifically for the blossoms along a long border created a lovely series of soft spheres. Leeks grow easily from seed and are not fussy. Carentan leeks are quite cold hardy (to zone 3a) and can be left in the ground overwinter. They can be cut down to regrow or allowed to reseed themselves.
5. Lysimachia Punctata
Large Yellow Loosestrife is an easy keeper, maybe too easy, as its cousin Lysmachia vulgaris is considered invasive in some areas. Lysmachia punctata is a perennial wildflower and spreads via rhizomes and seeds. It prefers moist soil and will spread less readily in drier climates. A perfect plant to fill large damp areas with bright yellow blooms from May to September.
6. Atriplex Hortensis Rubra
Red Orach is a hardy biennial that will naturally self seed each year. I am a little obsessed with dark colored plants, they make such a beautiful contrast in the usual garden color pallet.
7. Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare
I know. I know. Everyone knows about fennel, but this fennel plant (see photo below) was several years old and made a lovely focal point for a French cottage garden. I had not thought of using fennel that way before. I love that an old favorite and such an easy keeper can make a bold statement, if allowed to grow for several years. I bet they have to weed out a lot of fennel babies though (haha!).
8. Rhubarb
Similar to fennel, everyone knows rhubarb. But have you seen it used as an edging plant along a cottage garden?! Its broad leaves make it excellent for suppressing weeds and I think the flowering stalks are pretty too. Victoria Rhubarb is the variety that has done the best for me here in the Mid Atlantic.
9. Salvia yangii or Perovskia atriplicifolia
Russian Sage was used in many different gardens that we visited, from the formal beds at Villandry (photo below) to the landscaping in my friend’s front yard. It creates a soft silvery lavender compliment to surrounding greenery. It is not easy to start from seed, but is a hardy perennial, easy to divide and propagate from an existing plant.
Russian Sage attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects in abundance.
10. Erigeron karvinskianus
Fleabane is considered a “weed” by many, but I allow it to grow among my orchard beds. I love the delicate blossoms. The Karvinskianus variety was used in several of the French gardens that we visited. The color variations and larger blossoms are more beautiful than common fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) and I am hoping that it will spread easily. In one of the gardens that we visited it had even taken over a space meant for myrtle, haha!
11. Eupatorium Cannabinum
I know our native Eupatorium perfoliatum (boneset) as a medicinal herb that also attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects. Its larger mauve flowered cousin, a European native, Eupatorium Cannabinum made a gorgeous addition to both cottage and medieval style gardens that we visited, Hemp Agrimony is a hardy perennial (zones 4-9) preferring full sun and moist soil. The medicinal properties of boneset and hemp agrimony are fairly different and I am looking forward to incorporating this new variety into my medicinal plant beds.
12. Tulbahgia Violacea
Society garlic blossoms were being harvested as garnishes at one of the French gardens that we visited. Society garlic is hardy in growing zones 7-9. It can be overwintered indoors in colder climates.
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