Cottage Gardens & Zone 8 Perennials

Perennials Prone to Mildew

• Bee balm (Monarda didyma) is traditional in cottage gardens not only for the beautiful flowers but as a useful herb, too. In addition, bees feed on the plants; bee-attracting plants are usually included in cottage gardens that have a beehive. Hardy in Zone 3 through Zone 8, bee balm is unfortunately susceptible to powdery mildew. In humid areas, always choose newer mildew-resistant cultivars such as Jacob Kline or Colrain Red, or be prepared to spray regularly with a fungicide. Summer or garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) is another traditional perennial that falls victim to powdery mildew. As with bee balm, site these plants where they'll get good air circulation, and choose mildew-resistant cultivars such as David or Eva Cullum.

Problems With Heat

• Two traditional cottage garden perennials that struggle in Zone 8's climate are lupines (Lupinus hybrids) and delphinium (Delphinium spp.). Both plants do poorly south of Zone 6, often badly enough that they won't make it through the winter even with protection, while in areas with cooler summers they're hardy to Zone 2 or Zone 3. Don't despair. You can achieve much the same look by using annual versions of both plants. Substitute annual larkspur (Consolida) for delphiniums and annual types of lupine for the perennial lupines. Seeds of both plants are offered in garden centers in the spring and are easy to grow.

Perennials That Thrive in Zone 8

• Cottage gardening isn't always a struggle, though. Many traditional cottage perennials thrive in Zone 8's climate. No cottage garden would be complete without hollyhocks (Alcea rosea), which love the heat and long summers in Zone 8 and often seed themselves throughout the garden. Baby's breath (Gypsophila), asters (Aster) and yarrow (Achillea spp.) all thrive in sunny areas. Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), foxgloves (Digitalis spp.) and perennial geraniums (Geranium spp.) all grow well in shady corners and under shrubs.

A Few Pointers

• American gardeners sometimes forget that England's growing season is much shorter than ours, causing plants such as lilies, roses and asters to bloom all at the same time there, whereas here, their bloom times are weeks or months apart. This gives the English cottage garden a lushness that's hard to duplicate in America. Including lots of fast-blooming annuals in your garden fills in the gaps between perennial bloom periods. Another thing to remember is that cottage gardens are typically very small gardens, so plants are planted closely together in order to make good use of space. You can do the same here, but be prepared to thin spreading plants such as bee balm every year or two. You'll also need to take good care of your soil, side-dressing plants with compost or other organic material yearly for maximum growth.