English Cottage Herb Garden

Mountain Valley Growers USDA Certified Organic Herb, Perennial and Vegetable Plants

Utility blended with beauty. Cottage gardens started out as a practical means to a necessary end. In France, they were called Un jardin potager. In Early American history, they were called Kitchen Gardens. During World War II, they were called Victory Gardens.

But, it is the image of the quaint English thatched cottage with a riot of colorful flowers just outside the front door that is most often associated with the term Cottage Gardening.

	Cottage gardens were first defined as land that was worked by the owner. Fresh fruits and vegetables were often miles away. Thus, these little postage stamp gardens were originally planted with utilitarian plants like fruit trees and vegetables. Sometimes the lowly herb was included, almost as an afterthought. These herbs were often more of a medical necessity than the seasoning to make a grand meal. As life progressed and access to fresh produce and modern medicines improved, these gardens started to include more flowers. Today, the image of a cottage garden conjures up copious amounts of fabulous flowers flowing around the garden gate and spilling over the arbor. Many old timer plants are free seeders and produce babies for the next year in great quantity. These can be moved or left depending on your desire and energy level! The six flowers/herbs below are carefree and perfect to get your own cottage garden up and growing. They will survive the winter in zone 5 and up.
	ENGLISH LAVENDER, CATMINT, CINDERELLA ROSE, BLACK EYED SUSAN, FEVERFEW AND VERONICA

	English Lavender: (Lavandula angustifolia) Fragrant, beautiful, edible and easy to care for, English Lavenders look good planted in mass, singly as a focal point., or, as in this garden, with other plants of complimentary colors and textures. Lavenders like good drainage and full sun. In humid climates, consider planting them in mounds or raised beds and leave air space between it and its neighbor. Lavender wands may be harvested anytime, but the best quality buds are harvested when the flowers have opened about a third of the way down the stalk. By the second fall, English Lavenders need to be pruned back into the leaves. Shaping the plant at this time will produce a tidy bloomer in the spring. Never cut back into wood that shows no leaves. The plant may or may not force new growth. Lavender can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen. A simple recipe is to make Lavender sugar by taking several lavender wands and covering with sugar for a week. Keep tightly closed and use for tea or coffee. See below for our book suggestion to learn more about Lavenders.

	Ornamental Nepeta---Catmint: (Nepeta grandiflora) Not to be confused with its feline pleasing cousin, catnip, Catmint is a beautiful ornamental plant with a fragrance reminiscent of cinnamon stick. A herbaceous perennial, the new growth of Catmint is some of the first to show itself in the spring. With spires of purplish blue flowers in late spring and again in early fall, this is a prime nectar source for butterflies. When the first flush of flowering is through in the spring, cut the plant back almost to the ground.

	Cinderella Micro Miniature Rose: (Rosa cv.) Romantic roses spilling over and around the garden in their carefree way provide mind's image that is often associated with Cottage Gardens. However, many of our modern gardens are smaller which makes the miniature rose the perfect choice. This rose blooms early in spring and keeps on blooming its perfectly petite pale pink blooms right up until frost. Since Cinderella can grow to three feet and blooms so prolifically, it provides a lot of focus in the garden which is what cottage gardening is all about.
	Black-Eyed Susan: (Rudbeckia hirta) Hardy to zone 3, Black-Eyed Susan blooms great masses of yellow petal wonders. As a cut flower, they last a week or more in the vase. As a dried flower, their black center cone adds and interesting dimension to wreaths and bouquets. Bloom starts late spring and ends at frost. Cutting them back in mid summer helps to promote autumn bloom. Leave some flowers to go to seed and your garden will have more Black Eyed Susans the next spring.

	Feverfew: (Tanacetum parthenium) Masses of white daisies on plants that readily fill in whatever spot they can find makes Feverfew one of the thriftiest for the garden. Bouquets of flowers can be taken in the house throughout the summer. Rejuvenate the plant mid to late summer by cutting back to about six inches or where new growth is coming up from the ground. Leave some flowers to set seeds for the next spring if you want loads of feverfew plants.

	Veronica: (Veronica spicata) Veronicas are straight spikes of pure color. A good choice for the front of the garden, Veronica is a carefree long lived herbaceous perennial. Cutting the spikes back almost to the ground after the first bloom, will encourage a second bloom in the fall.
	Additional Cottage Herb Garden Plants: Achillea, Echinacea, Eryngium, Fennel, Digitalis, Gaillardia, Gypsophylla, Lovage, Mullein, Parsley, Rudbeckia, and just about any other flowering plant or culinary herb! BOOKS TO READ ON THIS SUBJECT: RODALE'S ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS by Ellen Phillips LANDSCAPING WITH HERBS by James Adams THE COTTAGE GARDEN by Twigs Way CREATING A COTTAGE GARDEN IN NORTH AMERICA by Stephen Westcott-Gratton HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH HERB GARDEN by Kay N. Sanecki ROSEMARY VEREY'S GOOD PLANTING PLANS by Rosemary Verey THE LAVENDER GARDEN by Robert Kourik Excellent information on varieties of Lavender and cooking with Lavender THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBAL MEDICINE by Andrew Chevalier Hands on information for using Lavender and Feverfew medicinally HERBAL TREASURES by Phyllis Shaudys Extensive crafting information for everything from Lavender wands to Lavender sachet.

English Cottage Herb Garden Six Pack
Add a Kitchen Herb Garden to these flowering herbs and you will be close to the original concept of the English Cottage Garden.

Save by purchasing our English Cottage Herb Garden Kit! Receive The English Cottage Herb Garden Six Pack and the book Vegetables, Herbs and Fruits for one low price!

Or, if you have a lot of space to grace, try our Thirty-Six Pack Economical English Cottage Garden Assortment, a mix of flowers and culinary herbs in the true tradition of English Cottage Gardening. $59.40.

Please note that we make substitutions in Herb Gardens when something is out of stock.

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