10 Top cottage or vintage garden plants
WE SHORTLIST THE CLASSIC COUNTRY-GARDEN FLOWERS AND PLANTSAND PICK OUT OUR FAVOURITE VARIETIES FOR CREATING
A NOSTALGIC FEEL
1. Vintage flowers: Roses
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| vintage flowers, cottage garden plants |
Why we love them. One of the oldest garden plants, first grown in monastic herbariums for medicinal and culinary uses, we are still seduced by their glorious scent and colour, and their flower shapes and textures. Regularly topping the chart of people's favourite flowers, there are roses for every place and purpose.
A good choice for... any country garden. Large old-fashioned shrub types in shades of crimson and dusky pink give substance to a mixed oorder Scrambling ramblers and climbers in cream or white look romantic
around a cottage door over a pergola or twined into an old fruit tree. For a classic vintage 1950s look, go for hybrid teas in pastel shades of lemon or mauve or vivid tangerine and shocking pink.
Our favourites... The old-fashioned shrub roses, such as 'Fantin-Latour', as ramblers and climbers. For disease-lree growing, look for the Alba group of roses and for scent try the Damasks and Gallicas. If you
have space grow a climbing variety, such as creamy white 'Rambling Rector', through a large tree. For picking, David Austin's English Roses are some of the best.
2. Vintage flowers: Sweet peas
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| vintage flowers, cottage garden plants |
Why we love them Quick and easy to grow, sweet peas are a cottage garden must. When I see sweet peas, I think of my grandparents garden and helping them cut the flowers for their house in those seemingly endless summer days of childhood,'says Neil Cook, Head Gardener at the National Trust's Hanbury Hall
in Worcestershire.The large, frilly Spencer types are the exhibition kind, while the smaller old fashioned ones have especially good scent.They all stem from native lathyrus from the southern Mediterranean. Sown annually, they flower and die by the end of the autumn.There is a vast choice of colours and 10 to 20 plants will give bunches every other day at peak flowering.
A good choice for... any garden.The plants can be grown to climb elegant structures in a more formal one. Sweet peas need a sunny open site and good soil, and attach themselves by tendrils as they climb. Grow plants up a cane framework and strings (tying in as they grow) or against netting between two poles. In a border use a hazel wigwam. For cutting, grow wherever you have space.
Our favourites... tend towards the most fragrant. For colour, buy named types.The historic variety Lathyrus odorotus 'Cupani' has small highly scented purple and magenta flowers. 'Midnight' has large, frilly maroon flowers, while a good red is'David Unwin'.'Royal Wedding' is a scented creamy white, lord Nelson' deep
blue and 'Charlie's Angel' a lovely mauve-blue.
3. Vintage flowers: Peonies
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| vintage flowers for your cottage garden plants. Peonies |
Why we love them Peonies are elegant and glamorous.They originated in Asia and were improved in France. They've always been a romantic and popular motif, whether on Chinese embroidery or fine bone china. There are singles, doubles, herbaceous and shrub types. All flower briefly but make up for it in substance.Their foliage is lovely too, especially in spring.'Every garden should have at least one,' says Claire Austin, who has sold peonies for over 27 years and is president of The Peony Society. These big, fabulously opulent flowers are easy to grow, long lived and trouble-free in mixed borders, on their own or for the cutting garden.'
A good choice for... any garden with space.'Many peonies are scented and, despite what everyone says, they do not mind being moved,' says Claire. Buy named varieties from a specialist and plant in good soil that doesn't dry out. It may take a few years to get an abundance of blooms but it will be worth the wait.
Our favourites... a classic sugar-pink double with a mild fragrance is Paeonio lactiflora 'Albert Crousse' and the old fragrant double white 'Duchesse de Nemours' is justifiably popular. In contrast to these two, try a single red such as 'Blaze' with its vivid, fiery petals and golden stamens.
4. Vintage flowers: Dephiniums
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| Delphinium 'Taplins' Treasure, vintage flowers for your cottage garden plants. |
Why we love them 'Delphiniums are key to any herbaceous perennial planting; says Gordon Baillee, Head Gardener at Arley Hall in Cheshire. They make the backbone to the double borders here.True blue flowers are quite rare which makes them very desirable -although the cream, white and pale dusky grey shades are beautiful, too. Delphiniums flower in early summer and work well with flowers in pink, apricot and yellow colours.
A good choice for... a classic look garden when mixed with other perennials. Gordon has advice for introducing new plants into a border. Plant up three or five small plants or plugs into a large pot and grow on into a clump big enough not to be swamped by the other established plants when planted out.'
Delphiniums are notoriously tasty to slugs and snails too, and many are eaten before maturing. Growing on in pots can avoid this. Go to a specialist grower for named varieties. It's sometimes good to buy delphiniums in flower if you want a specific shade or colour.
Our favourites... 'Ailsa' (above) is a pure white, while delphiniums from the Summer Skies Group are a clear pale blue, and those from the Black Knight Group have deep purple flowers with black eyes.
5. Vintage flowers: Foxgloves
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| Foxglove,vintage flowers for your cottage garden plants. |
Why we love them Foxgloves evoke shady glades and woodland walks. They probably appeared in cottage gardens hundreds of years ago, self-sown from the wild, and were allowed to stay.The pinky
purple native Digitalis purpurea is usually grown as a biennial from seed and varieties have been bred in shades of cream, apricot, lemon and softer pinks. Some have spotted throats to the flowers.
A good choice for... difficult garden areas with dry soil and even with deep shade.They are easy to grow in most situations but look lovely with old roses, in shady woodland borders or edging wild hedges. For a more modern look, plant them among tall, decorative grasses. Group plantings usually look better than spot planting. Grow your own from seed, sown one spring to flower the next year, or buy mature plants.
Our favourites... include the pinky apricot variety 'Sutton's Apricot' and the pure white Digitalis purpurea 'Albiflora' - both versions of the mauve native foxglove. The tall varieties with flowers facing in one direction are more graceful than the newer shorter hybrids with flowers all around the stem.'Pam's Choice' is a tall, dramatic white flowered foxglove with a purple throat.
6. Vintage flowers: Pinks
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| Pinks, 10 Top vintage flowers for your cottage garden |
Why we love them In medieval times, the flower buds of dianthus or pinks (known as gillyflowers then) were pickled and preserved to brighten dull, winter food. Some of the elaborately marked varieties are reminiscent of Elizabethan fashions - crimson damasks and velvets, slashed and interlined with silk.The term 'pink' describes the flowers' snipped edges, rather than their colour. Bees love them and their spicy, clove
scent carries on the air Pinks were once popular as underplanting in rose beds.
A good choice for... any country garden without a rabbit problem.They grow well in pots and are good planted in gravel gardens. They need super-sharp drainage and thrive in alkaline soils. A mass of silvery foliage and sumptuous flowers, buzzing with insects in the summer heat, is a delight Grow a tapestry of different varieties at the base of a south facing wall. Weekly watering is sufficient as over-watering may turn the foliage yellow. Plants can get straggly so trim them after flowering and take cuttings for new plants.
Our favourites... include old-fashioned types, such as Dianthus 'Brympton Red', 'Houndspool Cheryl' in dark red, and the highly scented white'Mrs Sinkins'. Modern miniatures are easy to grow - try 'Little Jock' with double pink flowers. Modern pinks from the last 30 years flower from May to autumn; the old-fashioned kinds for six weeks in June/July.
7. Vintage flowers: Hydrangeas
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| Vintage flowers: Hydrangeas |
Why we love them Many of us have childhood memories of summer seaside holidays, seeing mophead hydrangea flowers edging every garden wall and filling front gardens.These Hortensia varieties seem to
thrive in coastal locations and were a popular garden plant from the 1930s onwards. Pink-flowered varieties turn blue if grown on acid soil.There are few shrubs and flowers that bloom well in August so hydrangeas are
useful.They have a delightfully old-fashioned feel to them - and one plant will produce big, bold and plentiful blooms.
A good choice for... a shady border or edging a path or walkway They are happy in large containers, such as the classic wooden half-barrel. Areas of woodland look good underplanted with hydrangeas to add summer colour once spring shrubs have finished. A mix of pastel hydrangeas look lovely grown against
wooden buildings or fences painted in soft ice-cream shades, giving a very French feel.
Our favourites... include cool whites with a hint of green, such as the fabulous Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle', with heads almost too heavy for the plant. Or try an old white Hortensia variety, such as
K macrophylla 'Madame Emile Mouillere', 'Joseph Banks' in pale blue or 'Heinrich Seidel' with its deep red flowers that turn to bronze.
8. Vintage flowers: Honeysuckle
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| Honeysuckle. 10 Top vintage flowers for your cottage garden |
Why we love them Nothing evokes country lanes in summer more than the scent of honeysuckle.Twining through hedgerows and trees, the native variety has possibly the best scent but the many hybrids from the
species come a close second. Like many climbers, it loves its feet in shade and head in the sun. Country children used to pick the trumpet-shaped flowers and suck the nectar from their base. Plant where you'll get the scent and as a nectar plant for moths.
A good choice for... combining with a rose or clematis on a pergola, arch or arbour or planted in a wildlife hedge.The climbing loniceras can be trained against a wall or fence but look best grown with a partner as
their foliage is sparse. A few varieties have spectacular flowers but no scent.The huge golden-yellow flowers of Lonicera trogophylla and L tellmanniana are examples, but they are beautiful enough when used to lighten a dull space, as both are happy in shady positions.
Our favourites... include one of the earliest-flowering honeysuckles, L coprifolium and its hybrids - 'Anna Fletcher has lovely pale foliage and creamy-yellow flowers. L periclymenum 'Belgica' is summer flowering. Grow it with a dark red climbing rose or a pale blue clematis. Lonicera x americana has cream flowers, ageing to pink.
9. Vintage flowers: Hollyhocks
Why we love them Its rare now to see a real cottage garden, with cabbages and poppies, gooseberries and roses jumbled together with a path up the middle.The finishing touch was always hollyhocks against the cottage walls.They seem happy squeezed into difficult places, managing to grow tall and sturdy The singles are stylish and the glamorous, frilly doubles have flowers like pompons. Hollyhocks come in all colours, from soft pastel apricots and pinks to pure white or near black. You can grow them from seed.
A good choice for... planting against a wall or fence in a sunny dry position where they thrive and can reach 3 metres in height.They are perennial but are normally grown as biennials, being prone to rust disease. Grow from seed or buy plants. Hollyhocks may self-sow if you leave the seed heads on.They may need staking in exposed sites.
Our favourites... Seed is often sold in mixed colours which can be irritating. 'Chater's Double Mixed' has peony-like blooms in a bright colour range. Single 'Zanzibar' comes in softer mixed shades.
Single 'Nigra' is fashionable at the moment and has a near-black sheen. The species A/ceo rugosa is a shorter plant with lemon flowers.
10. Vintage flowers: Annuals
Why we love them Flowers grown from a packet of seeds have an irresistible charm. It's a little bit of gardening magic that never fails to please. Hardy annuals, such as cornflowers, love-in-a-mist and poppies
have been country cottage garden flowers for years, grown among a patchwork of fruit and veg, shrubs and perennials.They were seen in grander houses too, but restricted to the walled kitchen garden, edging paths
or grown for picking. Many of these annuals are promiscuous seeders so are likely to reappear for many years.
A good choice for... modern-day gravel plantings or as a part of a flower 'meadow' mix, with or without grasses. All the hardy annuals can be sown in the late summer or early autumn to overwinter as small
seedlings.They will then flower very early the following summer. If sown in spring once the soil has warmed up, they will flower later in the summer from July onwards depending on the variety and the conditions.
Our favourites... include the beautiful classic, dark blue cornflower Centaurea cyonus "Blue Diadem' or try the almost black 'Black Ball'. Plant alongside love-in-a-mist Nigella hispanica. An old and trusted love-in-a-mist is semi-double, bright blue N. damascena 'Miss Jekyll'. And, for an unusual variety, look for N. papulosa 'African Bride' with its white flowers with deep black centres, followed by spidery seed pods.
FEATURE JANE NEWDICK
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