cottage garden flowers

we moved house recently and EVERYTHING in the front garden was yellow. It's only a piece about 3 metres by 2 metres varying in height throughout. I quite like the up and down feature!
Anyway. i want to go cottage garden. I already have poppy, hollyhock, delphinium, foxglove, lupin and sweet william on my list. But what else?
I like hostas but would that be in keeping. Also azealeas?
We have a separate rose area so don't want to put roses in this particular bed.
Would prefer perennials over annuals too.
There is a forcythia (sp?) in the corner and i'd like to keep that for height.
Any ideas gratefully received

Julie

This is my first post on here so please be gentle!!:hehe:

 

Hi Julie, do a search online for herbaceous perennials...then stand back and marvel at the list you have available to choose from! Cottage gardening is my preferred sort of garden, but it takes a lot of work to make it appear 'natural'.

Decide what you like the look of, then take your pick. The garden centres are full of small perennials at the moment so there is no need to spend a fortune on larger plants as the smaller ones will look good in a year, two at the most.

For trouble free, I recommend Achillea (a red variety!), Lady's Mantle (it's yellow, but beautiful leaves), Penstemon (so many colours to decide on!), Rudbeckia (also yellow though!), Papaver (aka Oriental Poppies), Centaurea, Campanula, Day Lilies...and so many, many more. Unless you are prepared for a bit of hassle with slugs, avoid Delphiniums and Lupins as they love to eat them. And Hostas are best in pots as the slugs will devour them too!

 

Hi and welcome Julie. As SussexG says there are so many.

One of my interests is in plants that flower for a long time. Top of my list comes Salvia microphylla, which can flower for up to 6 months of the year. However its really a small shrub and not strictly cottage garden. But four that would fit your category are:-

Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian). Flowers for up 5 months. When the flowers finish in early July, cut it back by half and within three weeks it will be back in flower again.
Astrantia major (Masterwort). 'Roma' is lovely, but 'Hadspen Blood' and 'Buckland' flower for even longer.
hardy Geraniums. There are loads available, but some only flower for a short time. 'Patricia' and 'Rozanne' are both outstanding and very long flowered - in part because they are sterile hybrids.
Nepeta faassenii (catmint). 'Six Hills Giant' is often quoted as one of the best. I love it but it flops. Nepeta transcaucasica 'Blue Infinity' starts to flower later, but its the only catmint I have found that doesn't flop.