Landscaping: What should I put in this flowerbed for a cottage look? 7b

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meiow Raleigh, NC April 3, 2008 11:08 AM	I got a bit overzealous. blush I've made several flowerbeds around the house, and have very little idea of what to put in them. The one in this picture is my biggest puzzle, because it's part shade - most of the plants I lean toward are full sun. I like the "cottage garden" look - but that only works if you have lots of plants! Note my lack of plants. ;) The crepe myrtle in the picture has white blooms. I've been trying to cultivate moss between the stones. The rose on the trellis has pink blooms. The short plant in the photo was an annual that has long since died. You can see more photos here: [HYPERLINK@picasaweb.google.com] Thank you for any advice you can give! I'm in Raleigh, NC in zone 7b. Best wishes, Cat View Larger
growgirl59 Saint Louis, MO April 3, 2008 11:24 AM	I think you can get the cottage look by putting in a larger weeping type shrub (maybe a spirea or viburnum) and fill in with flowering plants. That way you don't have to purchase as many plants, but you'll have the same effect. The flower choices you have are abundant. When I think of a cottage garden, I think of multi-colors rather than only a color or two. Taller plants also come to mind, as opposed to, say a patch of wave petunias. Since I have all sun in my yard, I'm not the best person to give advice on a shadier garden area, but I will check out my trusty garden books for long blooming selections for your climate and conditions. That area you have pictured here looks so inviting as is. Any planting you do will only enhance that cozy feel. Chris
plantfreak78 Rolesville, NC (Zone 7b) April 3, 2008 11:26 AM	Many of the plants you see in pictures of English cottage gardens need shade around here anyway and luckily, many of them are evergreen! How about Heucheras (there are so many colors of foliage from rich purple, to peach, to chartruese), Astilbe (white, pinks, lavender or red), Foxglove (Digitalis), Bleeding-hearts (especially the fringed-leaf ones like Dicentra eximia, 'Kings of Hearts' and 'Luxuriant'), Euphorbias (like E. 'Helen's Blush', 'Humpty Dumpty' and 'Enfanthia'). There's a few low-ish shrubs that are good for filler like Loropetalum 'Daruma' (which is also evergreen), Deutzias like 'Nikko' and 'Chardonnay Pearls', summer blooming Spiraeas (S. japonicas and S. x bumaldas), and everyone's favortie, Bigleaf Hydrangeas. shamless plug At Homewood Nursery, we have a great selection of all of these plants and we've got handouts on shade tolerant plants and plants for cutting gardens (which tend to look very cottage-gardeny). Come on down and I can show you around! :) edited to fix a few spelling errors (I've got to stop typing so fast...) This message was edited Apr 3, 2008 11:34 AM
growgirl59 Saint Louis, MO April 3, 2008 11:28 AM	oops, I forgot to include this. I think you should plant the archway with a fragrant vine like moon flower or jasmine. How nice to sit out there in the evening and have that fragrance wafting through there.
meiow Raleigh, NC April 3, 2008 11:57 AM	Oooh - moonflower! plantfreak78, since you're local and knowledgeable - will moonflower grow around here, and will it play nicely with the rosebush? The PlantFiles database seems to say no, but I've always wanted to try it out. Similarly, I've always been tempted by delphinums, but I've heard they are very difficult to grow in this area. What do you think? I had no idea I could even grow Bleeding-hearts and Foxglove around here! :) That's great! Hydrangea is a great idea - I almost bought a Nikko Blue one last Fall, but I was afraid it would grow too tall. I gravitate toward blue/purple/white in general, if that helps with suggestions. :) I figure there will be a rainbow of colors, but my natural tendency is to use those. I'm all ears - even if I can't fit something here, I've got other flowerbeds to fill. ;) This message was edited Apr 3, 2008 11:59 AM
terichris Naples, FL (Zone 10a) April 3, 2008 11:05 PM	My jasmine is blooming right now & it is heavenly. Is it still early enough to plant caladium bulbs there?
plantfreak78 Rolesville, NC (Zone 7b) April 4, 2008 1:58 PM	Moonflower will grow fine here. It is a morningglory relative so it can grow very big, very fast! But, it sure is glorious when it blooms! It is an annual so you'll have to plant one each year. You can also grow Delphiniums here but usually only the larkspur types. They're annuals but they will reseed themselves. As to the hydrangea, I would choose either a smaller growing one like one of the Halo Series [HYPERLINK@www.halohydrangeas.com] or better yet, plant one that you can cut back but not mess up the bloom set like 'Endless Summer' or 'Penny Mac'. Now that I know your colors, I'd like to add the following to my previous list: Hardy Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides), Japanese Painted fern (Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum'), Lenten Roses (Helleborus x hybridus). Have you had a chance to see the Heucheras yet? If not, I think you'll flip for ones like 'Amethyst Mist' [HYPERLINK@www.nzplantpics.com] We also grow a lot of the ones pictured here: [HYPERLINK@www.terranovanurseries.com] So, when ya droppin by? :)
terichris Naples, FL (Zone 10a) April 4, 2008 2:46 PM	How about blue sky vine?
WeeNel Ayrshire Scotland (United Kingdom) April 6, 2008 9:22 PM	How about the good old Clematis growing through a climbing rose on the arch, they like the roots in shade so it should fit the bill, I have a lovely yellow climbing Rose with a deep lilac Clematis growing together and the rose extends the flowering period, but the do bloom together too, you can grow white, pink deep blue or yellow Delphiniums, they are not hard to grow at all so long as the slugs dont destroy the tender new shoots as they emerge, Lilies, all colours shapes and sizes, perfumes to die for too, Honey suckles good for background, Lupins, Day lilies will be OK even in a bit of shade so long as you keep them to the front, Grasses all types, shapes and colours, you should pop into your library/book store to look at pictures of beds and borders as they will give you wonderful coloured pictures of mature borders and layouts, take a note book along or borrow the book from library. Cottage gardening very rarely has a mixture of shrubs and flowering plants growing side by side unless it is things like roses etc as shrubs soon outgrow the perennials and then you cant really enjoy them over the years, so maybe the book suggestion will help fix your mind on the look you really want to end up with as there are hundreds of plants to suit you position, one tip to keep in mind for cottage gardening is, when you plant your flowering perennials, always plant the same plants in groups of 3-5or 7 as one single plant is lost among the next one to it, for height you could plant sweat peas on an obelisk to give you some height as you dont want everything growing the same , another great plant for cottage is the large poppy, these come in several colours now too, and you want a good splash or outrageous colour to help pick out the paler colours or they will be lost against the background of the house, good luck WeeNel.
meiow Raleigh, NC April 7, 2008 1:16 PM	Thank you so much for your replies! I'm having a ball looking up all these plants. :D plantfreak78, I'm sure I'll be visiting soon! I'll be sure to update with pictures in a couple of months. :D
velveteena Seattle, WA April 10, 2008 10:46 PM	Hi, Cat. Just a peep from the other side of the country. You don't have that much space in my opinion, but it sounds like you love the color of flowers. I'd definitely add a hydrangea or two over by the wooded area, unless that's used for football or something. Tons of varieties, but I like the old traditional types the best. You can easily find info on controlling color of bloom by controlling pH with epsom salts, etc. So you end up with white, purple, blue or pink in varying hues. Yes, they can get huge, but that leaves you tons of flowers for cutting fearlessly for the house (July 4th if white and blue) and drying for wreaths. The fresh blooms you take inside will often grow roots as well (start your own nursery or Mothers' Day gifts). The more you cut this back at the end of bloom time (in freeze areas the blooms stay on to protect the plant), the more gorgeous flowers you'll get next season. Were I you, I would get some lovely hanging baskets to inject color into your little patio area. Likely there are a few spots that catch enough sun for petunias, geraniums and the like. Fuschias like shade and can easily be over-wintered in your area. You can get hanging ones, but there are tree forms as well if you train/prune them that way. I have HARDY fuschias that are big, prolific shrubs---again, for your wooded area. Not overly fussy about the conditions, and need NO CARE at all unless they get too big. Then prune them back. They won't care. Blooms on the latter aren't big, but the shrub flows in the romantic manner of the Cottage Garden. I invite you to do a little container gardening so that you won't be stuck into anything during the off season. Do you have a little area isolated enough to "hide" things until their turn comes around? The point is well taken that you will need some tall things at the back of the beds. Some raised planters (Do you know a "handy" man? Or woman, for that matter?) at the back could help you out there. Some of the old faithfuls got that way because they are cheap and easy and COLORFUL. I don't think you're a brand-new gardener, but by all means, experiment with the tons of pony packs they sell everywhere, even the supermarket. Don't be scared to rip out things that die or disappoint. That's the fun of it. Experiment! Hostas will love your shade---use lots of slug bait, if pets permit. I like mine in pots so I can shift them around. Lots of varieties here, too. Some more bluish, which I find appealing, and some with deep ridges, which add interest. Impatiens love shade, many colors, and you can pinch and make your own starts just by putting in water on your window sill. Cat, this is the time of year when we gardeners get all excited. Everything springs into bloom, but BEWARE. The good old summertime can be bleak. Be certain that lots of the things you purchase specify that they are summer bloomers, NOT just spring. I almost got sucked in today by a heavenly little perennial flower that smelled divine. But, although perennial is what we want lots of, spring only is not. Dusty Miller is that frilly white plant you see as filler in beds, and also in cut flower arrangements. Cheap, easy, perennial, and even has a bonus of small yellow flowers. Some people remove the flowers, though, out of personal preference. Don't forget ferns. You may even have some growing wild on your land that could be transplanted. It's such a great texture. Try to get an evergreen variety if there are some that thrive in your area. Cat, sorry to go on so, but this can all be so overwhelming. Take a few notes with you when you go to the nursery, maybe attempt a little sketch, then go to the garden store and look for bargains! A true gardener can be frugal, because Nature is abundant. Best wishes.
allanme79 Columbia, MO (Zone 5b) April 11, 2008 6:07 PM	When I think of Cottage I think of Coneflower's but I am not a landscaper.
TLM04 Harrison, NY April 11, 2008 7:23 PM	Im not sure if you were including this in your post but I think that some vines going around the arched door way would also add an interesting feel to that area! Just an idea!!
missingrosie Hillsborough, NC April 17, 2008 10:06 PM	Cat - you may enjoy this garden since it is in your geographic area. If you go to the site and look at the garden map - it will take you to garden areas that are shady (Rita's specialty) and also show garden areas with varying amounts of shade and sun. It will give photos of the flowers and how / where planted and what they do (spread, height, etc.). There is another open house in June if you want to get up close and personal in the garden --but the April Open House was really the best time to see the shady gardens. [HYPERLINK@www.ritasgarden.net]
flowerjen central, NJ (Zone 6b) April 17, 2008 10:25 PM	You can register to get free garden plans on Better Homes and Gardens [HYPERLINK@www.bhg.com] Check this one out.

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