There’s nothing more beautiful than a country cottage garden – all of those gorgeous varieties that offer an untamed look that our pollinators adore too.
The best bit is that some varieties self-seed. ‘Self-seeding cottage garden flowers are brilliant because they do half the work for you and help fill borders for free,’ says Julian Palphramand, head of plants at British Garden Centres. ‘Some will settle in happily and come back year after year, while others will gently move around the garden and surprise you in new spots.’
If you’re on a budget and want to embrace these wonderful flowers, then read on to find out which self-seeding flower varieties should be top of your list.
1. Foxgloves
There’s not much more quintessentially cottage garden than the foxglove, with its stunning spires of flowers that tower over other varieties; it looks wonderful against stone cottage walls.
‘Whilst most foxgloves are biennials, producing roots and foliage in their first year and flowers in their second year, once these plants start to self-seed you will naturally create the illusion of blooms every year from then on,’ says Lucie Bradley, gardening and greenhouse expert at Easy Garden Irrigation.
According to Lucie, a single foxglove can produce up to two million minuscule, dust-like seeds once their distinctive tubular, bell-shaped blooms have faded. ‘When they finish flowering from July onwards, their seed pods form, dry and crack open in late August or early September to scatter their seeds, which are light enough for the wind to naturally disperse them around your garden borders,’ shares Lucie.
There are quite a few different colours to choose from; we love the colour of this Suttons Apricot foxglove, currently £5.99 for a one-litre pot from Gardening Express.
For a more classic look, consider the Dalmatian Mixed variety, which comes in pots or as plug plants, from £7.99, Thompson & Morgan.
2. Forget-me-knots
‘For shadier spots, I’d look at forget-me-nots,’ suggests Liam Cleary, gardening expert at the Old Railway Line Garden Centre. ‘They’re brilliant at filling awkward gaps beneath shrubs or around trees, and because they self-seed so freely, you end up with carpets of blue each spring with very little effort.’
Richard Barker, horticultural expert at LBS Horticulture, agrees, ‘Most varieties of forget-me-not are biennial, so they will self-seed. Although seedlings can be pulled up and replanted, you can collect seeds from the plant. When the seed pods turn brown, gently snip them off the stems and place them into a paper bag. Shake the bag to separate the seeds from the chaff, and then store them until ready for planting.’
You can buy forget-me-knots, and we love Amazon’s Forget Me Knot Myosotis alpine mix; you get six large plug plants for £14.99.
3. Nigella
Nigella, sometimes called ‘love-in-a-mist ‘, produces seeds that can be collected easily from the seed pods.
Richard explains, ‘When the pods turn brown and papery, this indicates that the seeds are ripe and ready to collect. Alternatively, you can leave the seed pods on the plant, and they will eventually dry out and split open to scatter seeds across your garden. However, it is best to collect seeds yourself because the plant can develop a long taproot, which makes it harder to move them once established.’
The sky blue variety of Nigella is perhaps the most well-known. Crocus sell Miss Jekyll seeds, three packets for £6; they’re an easy-to-grow variety and great for beginner gardeners. We also love the pastel pink version, Miss Jekyll Rose, 1000 seeds for £1.69, Amazon; they will flower from July to approximately September and love full sun.
4. Lupins
Lupins are a hardy perennial that, once established, is low maintenance. They come in a great selection of colours too.
‘Their pea-like flowers are a rich source of pollen, which makes them great pollinator magnets with their tall spires,’ says Lucie. ‘With long tap roots making then drought tolerant and prolific self-seeders, they will naturally populate your garden, forming gorgeous, free-flowing spaces of colour in May and June, and repeat flowering in August if you have the chance to cut back the spires once faded.’
Lucie recommends the West Country varieties for their robustness; Persian Slipper is one that has blue flowers, £12.99 for a 9cm pot, Crocus, and the bi-coloured Tequila Flame, £27.99 for three established plants, Amazon.
5. Calendula
Calendula is one of those useful plants that has healing properties – it’s anti-inflammatory and soothes and heals skin; you can often find it in creams to heal minor wounds.
As a plant, it loves full sun and can do well in poor soil, so it’s rather forgiving and easy to grow.
‘Calendula is one I’d recommend to almost anyone as a self-seeder,’ says Liam. ‘It flowers for months, the pollinators love it, and it’s incredibly generous when it comes to self-seeding. You will likely find fresh seedlings popping up the following spring without you having to put in any effort whatsoever.’
It’s mostly known for its yellowy orange flower heads that are rather daisy-like; you can buy 100 seeds for £2.79 of the English marigold variety from Crocus. For a mix of orange and yellow colours, have a look at Amazon’s Calypso mixed mini plug plants; you get 20 for £15.99.
Cottage garden shopping essentials
Stainless Steel Hand Dibber Seed Sowing Tool with Handle
Use this nicely made dibber for seed sowing and planting. It has a comfortable T-shaped handle, and the stainless steel will penetrate hard ground effortlessly.
Spear & Jackson 4552BF Traditional Stainless Steel Border Fork
A border fork is a lightweight, narrower version of a standard gardening fork. This makes it better for working established cottage-style beds and small gardens.
Large Heavy Duty Herbaceous Plant Support Ring, 79 x 50cm
Made in the UK from solid steel rod with strong welds, this support is ideal for those heavier, taller stems. It will rust naturally over time and really suits a cottage-style garden.
These self-seeding plants will give you so much joy in your cottage garden over the coming years. Invest in them now, and they’ll bring you colour and free flowers to boot.
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