Our favorite secret garden flowers
What Are the Best Flowers to Create a Romantic Secret Garden?
When people think of a secret garden, they are usually dreaming of cottage garden style plantings—loose graceful branches spilling over the border, tall spires of foxgloves, hollyhocks, and larkspur, with vining flowers making their way over trellises and arbors.
In this blog series, we'll share our favorite cottage garden flowers and our best tips to keep them happy and healthy all season.
Planning Your Cottage Garden Blooms
Knowing what flowers will be blooming at the same time in your garden comes with time and experimentation. Don't overthink it, just get started! Talk to the folks at your local garden center and you'll find flowers and plants specifically selected to thrive in your growing zone. We always prefer our independent garden centers over the big box stores for this. This is where you'll find true 'plant people' who love to talk about flowers and help you get started. Plus, they have lots of great tips specific to your growing zone because they hear feedback constantly from other gardeners in your area.
Remember, any plant can be moved to a new location if it's not thriving or it's not filling the space like you expected. Most gardeners are constantly moving plants, rearranging and tweaking things, just like you might rearrange furniture! The most important thing is to just get your hands in the soil and get started.
A wildflower-inspired bouquet from our early summer cottage garden in New Jersey zone 7
Easy Early Summer Flowers
In our garden, we love these reliable early summer bloomers to get the secret garden vibes started:
- Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist) - Delicate blue blooms with feathery foliage
- Zinnias - Start indoors and transplant out as soon as you're frost-free for continuous color
- Ammi Majus (Queen Anne's Lace) - Airy white flowers perfect for cutting
- Cosmos - Easy-care repeat bloomers that attract pollinators
- Snapdragons - Vertical interest with charming dragon-mouth flowers. For us, many will go to seed and return year after year.
- Bells of Ireland - Unique green spires that add texture and height and have a delicious lime scent
Ready to Create Your Dream Cottage Garden?
Whether you're just starting out or looking to transform an existing space into a romantic secret garden, our garden coaching services can help you bring your vision to life. We'll work with you to select the perfect plants for your zone, design a layout that creates year-round interest, and share expert tips to keep your cottage garden thriving.
Contact us today to learn more about our personalized garden coaching and start planning your secret garden sanctuary.
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