15 Plants Perfect For An English Cottage Garden

Visions of Victory Gardens and Mary Poppins may dance in your head when you think about what constitutes a proper English cottage garden. But what distinguishes the garden of a loyal subject of the crown from an otherwise well-tended plot of ground is composition. Thought goes into every decision and guides every execution from planting to pruning and beyond. That's because when these cottages first came into use hundreds of years ago, they were the household's supermarket — not only containing herbs and foodstuffs but with domesticated livestock wandering the premises too.

Everywhere you look in one of these gardens, according to The Middle-sized Garden, nature is given primacy, with daily nudges from a constant gardener. The most picturesque will contain a lawn, divided by one or more paths, the obligatory roses accompanied by flowers of the season, topiary, and man-made objects like trellises, rose arches, and the occasional pond or gazebo.

But the less idyllic and more realistic cottage garden creates an environment that is at once rustic and almost haphazard, an anything-goes hodgepodge of the edible and the floral. In other words, there's no expense spared — at least in terms of manpower — to make an English cottage garden appear absolutely effortless, even if the truth is something else entirely.

If you're thinking of incorporating some ideas from the classic English cottage garden or even considering creating one of your own, here's a list of 15 plants you could expect to find while strolling the grounds.

English Peas (Pisum sativum) add luster you can eat. Because their tough pods are undigestible for humans, they must be shelled — which many regard as a zen activity akin to gardening. The Wandering Chopsticks chefs will tell you they're central to English cottage pie recipes. These are actually the same peas most often shelled and packaged frozen for sale in supermarkets — and they'll continue to grow by smaller increments until you harvest them. 

Bloom Season: Harvest-ready 55-80 days from planting

USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 11

Growing Conditions: Sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Loamy

Size: Bushy, prunable

Dwarf cherry trees (Prunus fruticosa) are an eye-popping addition to any garden since UK cottages typically combine edibles with florals. Gurney's reports that these trees are renowned for their deep luscious color, high levels of sugar, and overall hardiness. And bonus: they're cold-resistant and generate more fruit (the flesh-to-pit ratio) than most cherries. 

Bloom Season: March through early April

USDA Growing Zones: 2 through 7

Growing Conditions: Sunny, with circulating air

Soil Type: Typically moist, well-draining

Size: 5 to 8 feet high

Rhubarb (scientific name Rheum rhabarbarum) is a vegetable, not a fruit. It's also not naturally sweet but tart. In fact, the redder they are, the more tart they become. Originally, rhubarb was valued for its success as a laxative and its ability to relieve intestinal gas. It's also noted for its vitamin A content, which combats free radicals, according to Web MD. 

Bloom Season: Spring

USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8

Growing Conditions: Partial to full sunshine

Soil Type: depends on the variety 

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall — and wide, as well

Kale (Brassica oleracea) is without question one of the most nutritious foods you can grow. On the table, it's great in salads and is loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. You can also make kale chips with recipes like this one from allrecipes. In your yard, say the experts at Almanac, kale is robust enough to withstand frost and snow.

Bloom Season: Variety dependent

USDA Growing Zones: 7 through 9

Growing Conditions: Partial to full sunshine

Soil Type: Neutral to slightly alkaline

Size: 1 to 2 feet

Damsons (Prunus insititia) are purplish-blue drupes so similar to plums that it's hard to distinguish which is which. The authorities at Arbor Day say the biggest difference is in damsons' more tart flavor. For unknown reasons, damsons have not caught on globally as plums have. They remain —not exclusively, but primarily — in Great Britain. 

Bloom Season: August through early fall

USDA Growing Zones: 5 through 7

Growing Conditions: Full sunshine

Soil Type: Loamy, well-draining soil that could be mildly alkaline to mildly acidic

Size: 20 feet, half that if you've selected a dwarf variety

Turnips (Brassica rapa subspecies rapa) have been feeding humanity since the Romans ruled Europe. Often, they're thought of as related to beets or potatoes since they're often cooked in similar ways, but the truth is they're more closely related to radishes, and they're all part of the mustard family. According to New World Encyclopedia, there are now more varieties than ever. 

Bloom Season: Harvest depends on growing conditions

USDA Growing Zones: 9 and 10

Growing Conditions: Full sunshine

Soil Type: Slightly acidic to neutral

Size: 12 to 15 inches tall

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is, as the horticulturists at Gardener's Path say, among the most cherished of rustic plants for any garden. It's a signature ingredient of innumerable Italian dishes since it's imbued with notes of anise and clove, according to NYBG. There are other relatives worth trying, too, including purple basil (which blooms in pink flowers), lemon, cinnamon, lime, and a minty African blue basil — many of which are used in Thai recipes. 

Bloom Season: Summer

USDA Growing Zones: 10 and 11

Growing Conditions: Full sunshine

Soil Type: Neutral to slightly acidic

Size: 12 to 24 inches tall