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"English Country Gardens" Are Everywhere Right Now. These Are the 9 Best Plants to Grow.
You’ll feel like you’re stepping into a storybook.
Here in the United States, we have no shortage of beautiful gardens. But there’s something undeniably enchanting about a classic English garden. Think cascades of roses and ivy climbing over stately stone statues that look like a scene right out of The Secret Garden, Pride and Prejudice, or Bridgerton. Set against the rolling English countryside, these gardens have a way of instantly transporting the imagination.
Known for their “overflowing flower beds” and “winding paths,” as Mirela Bajic, senior garden designer at London’s House Designer, puts it, she adds that English country gardens evoke “a wonderful sense of calm and encourage exploring and discovering.”
“Entering such a garden can be just like entering a childhood storybook,” she reflects. These gardens also showcase a bit of a wild, untamed, anything-but-perfect look.
“It's soft and generous with no sense of it being too neat, too structured, and there are
layers of color and texture, all adding to a sense of depth that pulls you in,” says Angelene Padilla, lead SEO and social media manager at Tennessee’s Bloomfield Farms. “It's romantic without being too romantic, and there's always something blooming, buzzing, and catching the light.”
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But how do English country gardens differ from other British gardens? As Laura Janney, CEO of The Inspired Garden Masterclass, explains, “The English country garden has the structure (and bones) of an English garden, the charm of a cottage garden, but with more intention by planting in a perfectly imperfect way.”
If you have a hidden hollow in your backyard that’s just begging for an English country garden, read on for the just-right blooms to include.
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Roses
“Roses are the very essence of an English country garden, and no other plant does so better,” says Padilla. She also says that you’ll enjoy repeat blooms all summer, and they look particularly fetching when grown over a fence or arching over a pathway. As Bajic puts it, roses “define” an English country garden.
Varieties to grow: David Austin, Gertrude Jekyll, Olivia Rose Austin, The Generous Gardener, Desdemona, Munstead Wood
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Delphiniums
Bajic says that delphiniums are an ideal way to add height to an English country garden and offer “a stunning backdrop for softer cottage garden flowers.”
Padilla further says that they “look great with roses and are perfect for filling the middle and back of a border, which nothing else can compete with.”
Varieties to grow: Black Knight, Magic Fountains Sky Blue, Guardian Blue, Pacific Giants, Aurora White, Clevedon Beauty
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Foxgloves
“Foxglove brings a wildness and height that feels completely at home in this style, and there is something so magical about the way they tower over everything else,” Padilla observes. Another benefit? Bajic says that foxgloves “self-seed freely,” which can help gardens develop an established, natural look over time.
Varieties to grow: Dalmatian Purple, Camelot Rose, Sutton’s Apricot, Snow Thimble, Excelsior Hybrids
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Yarrow
Appearing in a variety of beautiful hues, these soft flowers “lend a gorgeous and striking texture in a garden,” Janney says. “So dreamy, its airiness will easily bring that English cottage vibe.”
Varieties to grow: Vintage Series
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Catmint
Janney says that this particular plant has “light, dusty-green foliage growing in soft spikes filled with tiny purple blooms, which makes a perfect plant for the border. The rounded mounds help give structure to the garden as well as make you think of the countryside with that meadow feel.”
Varieties to grow: Whispurr Blue, Cat’s Pajamas
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Hydrangeas
Large, overflowing, and showing off saturated colors, you can’t go wrong with classic hydrangeas in an English country garden. According to Bajic, their “large flower heads bring softness and elegance to borders.”
Varieties to grow: Annabelle, Limelight, Little Lime, Endless Summer, Vanille Fraise
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Russian Sage
Russian sage “provides a beautiful backdrop for all of the more bold and dramatic flowers with its soft, delicate blooms,” Janney says. “Even its silver green foliage is lovely when the plant is not in bloom.”
Varieties to grow: Blue Jean Baby, Denim ‘n Lace
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Coneflowers
“Such a hardy flower, and I love the bold texture and the pop of color it brings,” Janney says of coneflowers. “We especially love using coneflowers with double blooms to lend a romantic touch. Not only a prolific bloomer, but the dried seed heads give beautiful winter interest and food for the wildlife.”
Varieties to grow: Raspberry Truffle, Sombrero Adobe Soft Orange, Pow Wow Wildberry
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Lavender
Lavender is such a staple of English gardens that it makes perfect sense to grow it whenever possible. With a calming fragrance that will waft through the air and provide pops of purple, Padilla calls lavender “a necessary addition to the sensory aspects of an English country garden.”
Varieties to grow: Hidcote, Grosso, Munstead, Phenomenal, Imperial Gem, Little Lady
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