Flower Gardens

» Cottage_Garden - Welcome to my Flower Gardens! :)

Hi Michelle! Welcome! This is a great question.
I have a special place in my heart for cottage gardens and have grown and written about them extensively.

But, I had to do a little looking around because I have never gardened in south Florida. What an amazing climate to garden in!!

I did find some plant lists for south Florida and selected a few for full sun locations. There are a surprising number of plants that are widely grown in cottage gardens that should also grow for you. You'll have to treat some as cool season plants (meaning plant them in the fall so they bloom in the cooler months) and some may need frequent replacement, but they should grow for you.

I also found some nifty plants that will grow for you in Florida that will not grow in colder climates, but would be terrific in a cottage garden. The list gets really long for such a small space. But choices are good, right?!

Annuals

dahlia
digitalis (foxglove)
hollyhock
marguerite daisy
nicotiana
pansy/viola
snapdragon
sweet williams
strawflower
thunbergia (vine) Check before planting as I believe this plant may be considered invasive in FLorida.
Verbenas of all kinds (V. bonariensis is a great one for a cottage garden)

Perennials
Hemerocallis (daylilies, look for repeat bloomers)
Gaillardia
Gaura
Helianthus
Asclepias
Sedum
Tithonia
Salvia

Then add, since you are in Florida:
Limonium (perennial statice)
Amaryllis
Rain lilies
Dietes (African iris)
Lantana
Hibiscus sinensis
Ruellia
Pentas
Mandevilla on a trellis

and any other plant you admire! Personally I would have an angel's trumpet (Brugmansia), and probably a dwarf banana with pretty foliage, and I'd prolly try to stick in a little kumquat tree or something but that is just me. YOu may have some other plant you absolutely love and have to have.

Cottage gardens are really personal gardens. You might have memento plants that remind you of a person or place or experience, passalong plants from friends or relatives, home propagated plants that you grow yourself, and maybe one or two "fancy" plants you covet.

In such a small space you will need to be smart about how you use the square footage. A keyhole pattern, where you walk in from only one side, will give the most growing space. Basically, beds on three sides about three feet deep. A center aisle for access. Add a birdbath or little bench or birdhouse on a post for height and year round focus point. And maybe a tiny water feature to attract birds -- could be a simple little burbling jug with pebbles.

You'll find over time that certain plants thrive for you while others fade away or may even refuse to grow outright. Learn from that and fine tune as you go. You may even want to improve and enrich the soil in some areas and leave it basically as native soil in other spots in the garden; you may identify naturally wetter or drier spots in it as well. These can help you narrow down your plant choices.

Cottage gardens usually included herbs and edible plants so you could certainly add ornamental peppers or okra or anything else you enjoy looking at. Scented geraniums and basil and lemon grass might be good additions, too.

Since it is by your front door, you may want to add a short little picket fence or somesuch to help frame it and contain its exuberance ... flowers spilling out always look cottagey.

Here are links to the lists I found -- they have some helpful information on growing, too.

Annuals for Florida from University of Florida

and

Perennials for South Florida also from Univ. of Florida

I hope this helps - try to see the plants growing somewhere if you can, this really helps me decide if I "like" it enough to "want" it or not. (Actually I like anything that is blooming so sometimes that makes it harder.)

I noticed you mentioned natives, I am out of time this evening to check into natives for you. But, keep in mind they need to be suited to your location in addition to being native. Pennyroyal if it is a mint will need damp soil and in your climate may need some shade, for instance.

Several of the others you listed are ctually included in the lists I found. So definitely there is a place for them -- just make sure you love them all whatever you pick. It is your garden! And you can always rearrange them later if you need to.

-- posted by Cottage_Garden