Will these California natives look good in a cottage garden?

13 years ago

I want to create a traditional English garden/cottage garden look in my Southern California home. However, I'd like to use a good amount of California native plants -- they're good for our native bees, birds, butterflies, water supply and other factors. What do you think about trying to acheive a cottage garden look with some of these plants? Mixed with some traditional English garden plants, will I still get that cottage garden feel? Are there some of these that you would not use?

Western Bleeding Heart

Checker Bloom

California Wild Rose

California Primrose

Silver Bush Lupine

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Comments (3)

hosenemesis
13 years ago
Your choices are perfect for a cottage garden in California. I would grow the roses in the background where they can go wild.

Here are a few other plants that I think work well in my garden:

Hummingbird Sage (part shade, smells heavenly)
Monkey flower (short-lived, but a luscious apricot color and lots of flowers)
Annual clarkia (check out both elegant clarkia and godetia/farewell to spring)
Annual larkspur
Baby Blue Eyes Nemesia
California poppy
Matilija poppy (needs a massive amount of space)
St. Catherine's Lace (ditto- very pretty, but BIG)
Mexican Elderberry (so pretty, so huge)
Oregon/California Grape

Native plants that I did not like in my garden:
California fucshia (spelling? too few flowers)
Cleveland Sage (too big and dusty-looking for the spot)
Tidytips (too leggy and sparse)

Plants I always wanted and never had the space for:
Garrya elliptica Silktassel plant- gorgeous. Very difficult to find and it is a slow grower.
Ceanothus (perfect for a cottage garden)
Globe Gilia (so pretty! Love the blue.)

Your garden will be spectacular. Do a search for jkom here on the cottage garden to see what she has done with her yard. You can also do a search for wanda on the California gardening forum to see a really spectacular native cottage- style garden.

Renee

Here is a link that might be useful: Las Pilitas Nursery
flora_uk
13 years ago
Your 'California Wild Rose' is indistinguishable to my eye from an English wild rose, Rosa canina - so it would be perfect for a cottage feel. Lupin, mallow and Dicentra species are all classic cottage plants. The main thing for a cottagey feel in my view is to stick to unspoiled plants in decent sized groupings, not a jumble of mega-flowered, neon-coloured, dwarfed, hybrid specimens. I'd say go for it.
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christinela
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you so much Renee and Flora UK. Great suggestions! I will visit the California gardening forum. Thanks for the other plant ideas, Reneee.

Flora, that makes perfect sense about keeping with plants that look like classics rather that newer specimens. We visited England (Cumbria, Cotswolds) this summer and I loved the gardens everywhere, and how the plants just gracefully flow together. Near me, there is a tendency for gardens to look overly landscaped for my taste. I love that delicate but abundant cottage look!