Your inspiration pic is really pretty! Lady's Mantle and Stachys love the sun and heat so go for it! They look great with roses in those colors. I also have St. planted in front of MW (and almost everything else.) I need to get some more LM now that my neighbors have cut down their oak that was shading its prior planting. It didn't like that at all. A couple other plants to consider are Sweet William and Monarda P.S. Don't let the flowers on St. grow too big or the plant seems to die out in the center. Bees LOVE this plant!

Wonderful suggestions, thank you! And I'm thrilled to hear that Lady's Mantle can withstand both heat and sun, as I was reading various things on the web about it not liking much of either. Are you saying that bees love stachys? If so, that's great news, as we have a small apiary on our balcony and I'm always looking for pollinator-friendly plants.

Hi Jen! Does Lady’s Mantle take full sun in your climate? I’m in So California, so here it’s definitely a shade plant(maybe morning sun). I’m probably no help to you, since I’m in such a different climate, but I do have a cottage style garden. I have a few suggestions that should be alright for your area as well as mine. How about Dianthus? It does great in full sun, and there are kinds that will bloom spring to summer or early fall, with deadheading. They do like good drainage and alkaline soil. They come in lots of colors, heights, and bloom times. I’m pretty happy SO FAR, with my new ‘American Pie’ Dianthus. The tag says just ‘American Pie’, but it looks like ‘Peach Pie’ that I see online. It’s supposed to bloom all summer. It’s also not very peachy, it’s white with a very light pinkish ring. Here’s a picture.

It’s really bright out right now. The above picture has some sun glare.

There’s lots of others I use that you could use, too. Verbascum is easy and I really like the ‘Southern Charm’ and ‘Violetta’ varieties. Salvias are wonderful and come in all sorts. Echinacea, Scabiosa(need to check the Zone on that one), hardy geraniums like ‘Rozanne’, ‘Brookside’, or Johnson’s Blue’ are invaluable for tying everything together. In my climate they need part to mostly shade. You could probably get away with way more sun.

I have more suggestions, but that’s a start. Someone’s texting me up a storm, so I better see what’s up:) I’ll check back later to make sure you got some help and suggestions from folks in your general area:) Have fun! Lisa

Hi Lisa! Thank you so much - these ideas are fantastic, and your photos are just lovely. I actually have some Dianthus growing in an adjacent bed, planted as an annual or so I thought, but it appears to be a perennial in my zone. I've also been heavily considering hardy geraniums - would like to use these to underplant, but am not sure how limited my space will be given the 4ft depth of my bed. What are your thoughts on the far right, partly shaded portion of the bed? I'm struggling with what to do in that area and finding something that plays nicely, both soil-wise and color-wise, with the other plants I'm considering. Thanks again :)

How shaded is partly shaded? If it gets 3-4 hours of sun, you might be able to plant a hybrid musk, Marie Pavie, or a once-blooming rose like Great Maiden's Blush (some Albas and Damasks are relatively shade tolerant but none of them are going to love it if the area is full shade). It would be lovely to see a hybrid musk trained up a lattice just to the right of your Queen of Sweden...

If it's too much sun for the LM, plant it on the shadier part of the bed. Sweet William is a type of dianthus, FWIW. Any dianthus should do well under your conditions, I just adore Sweet Williams and like to see them planted! : ) Not all dianthus are perennial for me, but SW persists year to year. My hardy G. seems fickle, but others have great luck with this. I have loamy clay. P.S. I AM saying the bees love Stachys!

Hardy geraniums come in different colours, heights & bloom period. I grow Rozanne, very long blooming & its' pretty blue colour complements my pink, red & cream coloured roses.I bought several new ones last year including Orion which is supposed to be better than Rozanne(I can't imagine that)! I also like campanulas & erigerons, also long blooming & pretty colours too.

K S recommended the rose, Marie Pavie. I couldn't agree more. It grows and blooms with ease. Marie's fragrance is identical to Rose Milk hand lotion to my nose. Give it a try. You won't be sorry.

Moses

Yay! It sounds like you’re getting great suggestions and plant lists from gardeners who are in climates much more similar to your own than mine. I’ll drone on anyway.

I would think a hardy geranium would work all through your bed, kind of tying everything else together. You might get a few less blooms on the shadier side, but mine are in shade and bloom fine. Of course, that’s So CA shade. I hesitate to give too much advice because of that very fact. I’m so eager to help, but I’m in such a different climate. Whatever I advise or suggest, please listen to anyone local who might disagree with me:) It won’t hurt my feelings one bit. So......Vap, Mr. Moses, K S, Smithdale, and any future contributors, PLEASE correct me if I’m giving Jen advice that’s incorrect for her climate. I really only know about my own, and sometimes I can be a little over eager to help:)

So, moving right along....I might use some Digitalis,(foxgloves) for vertical statements on the right hand side, where it’s shaded. They come in many colors and heights. There are some newer sterile hybrids that will bloom all through summer and into the fall instead of just once. I forget the names of them, but ironically remember they were bred by Charles Valin. The regular foxgloves (purpurea) are lovely, as well. I enjoy ‘Snow Thimble’, ‘Apricot’ and ‘Dalmatian Peach’ especially. They are generally biennial, so it would be best to sow seeds two years in row, or plants and seeds together so you have blooms every spring or early summer. These are not sterile, so they will self sow each year. This brings me to one more suggestion,(for now:)

Seeds! While you’re waiting for all your roses and perennials to grow to size and fill in the space, throw out some pretty and easy annual seeds. Some of them are so quick to germinate and begin to bloom. They can really make a big impact for very little effort and money in a short amount of time. Start checking out the seeds now. Some like to be sown while it’s still cool out, while others need the soil to warm up, first. I don’t know how long it takes for the soil to get warm enough for things like tomatoes, zucchini, and watermelon at your place, but when you see those all those plants being offered at your nurseries and big box stores, you know you’re safe to plant the warm temperature annual flower seeds. You know the sort, the real heat lovers like cosmos, coleus, and zinnias. They’re quick, easy, and recently they’ve come out with some neat colors, forms, and heights. There’s plenty of easy and fast annual seeds to chose from. Don’t overlook them, because they’re just annuals. They’re your chance to try something new every season, and to help ALWAYS have something blooming. I’ll be back if I think of more plant ideas, unless my suggestions are way off. If I’m giving bad advice for your climate, then I hope someone tells me (gently please:), and I’ll just read along and learn with you. Either way, it will be lots of fun. I need to get a few things done before dark, but I’ve already thought of more suggestions. So, I’ll probably be back later tonight. Lisa

I tried both but I for me Salvia Caradonna repeats faster than May Night and I like the purple stems. I also really like geranium Rozanne. Catmint walkers low is nice filler, but an even lower ground cover is Artemisia silver mound.

Hellebores provide nice winter/ early spring interest.

Lavender, germander, rosemary, artemisia Powis Castle and thread leaf coreopsis will provide a nice texture contrast to the pretty cottage flowers. Stoke's aster blooms a long time and comes in both a lavender-blue and white; it does need to be dead headed tho.

So many great suggestions here, I love them all! I would add, give delphiniums a try - they may or may not do well with you (I find I have good luck with them if I plant them with a big handful of lime) but to me they are the essence of cottage garden. Foxgloves too - something about those tall spires. My other main suggestion is try Dame's violets! They are biennial, but if they are happy, they'll self-sow and be in your garden, delightfully, forever! They spring up all over the place and fill in gaps with the most lovely lavender purple flowers. Totally care free, too!

Hi everyone! Apologies for just responding now - I was traveling all day yesterday and finally have had some downtime to go through all the comments. I'm blown away by the suggestions (and all of the support!).

K S - I never even considered a third rose for that spot, how silly of me! lol I've actually had "Darlow's Enigma" and "Ballerina" on the brain and am wondering if this would be a good spot for either of them...though my word, "Marie Pavie" is simply gorgeous. Is MP pretty vigorous, as well? Ah! The decisions!

Moses - What great advice. I have doing my best to look at bloom times, but it helps to know where (and when) to concentrate my efforts. And thank you for such a comprehensive list! I'm realizing that I'm probably going to need to expand into other beds at this rate, as planting all of the flowers is way easier than actually making a decision ;)

vaporvac - Good call re: LM, and my mom always had Sweet William planted in her garden, so it brings back some very fond memories indeed :) I may give hardy geraniums a try, but I'll keep what you said in mind about them being finicky, as we have predominantly clay soil here, as well (admittedly, the previous owners had planted some hardy geraniums in the front yard and I pulled them a few years back thinking they were weeds as they looked kind of leggy/sickly - could kick myself now for that one - though perhaps that had to do more with the fact of where they were planted as opposed to what they were planted in). We're picking up our packages of bees next weekend, so I will be sure to plant some Stachys close by!

smithdale - I'm thinking hardy geraniums are going to make the cut. They're just too quintessentially "cottage" to pass up. I'll be curious to hear how "Orion" fares, as I've heard extremely positive things about "Rozanne", but had never known about "Orion" until you mentioned it. I'll definitely have to look into it!

Lisa - Seeds, indeed!! I hadn't even thought about seeds, probably because most of the ones I've planted in the past never seemed to sprout :/ Perhaps it's time to give it another go? I love the look of cosmos and it would be very nice to have something to look forward to as I'm waiting for the larger plants to establish themselves.

totoro - I love the look of salvia! Based on your experience, is the major difference between May Night and Caradonna the speed of the repeat or are there other differences (e.g., color, height), as well?

barbarag - I just looked at images of Stoke's aster - oh my goodness! I've never seen them before and absolutely love them. I especially like how the bud almost resembles a thistle before the flower fully blooms. I'm totally okay with dead-heading (I actually kind of like it - gives me something to do when I need a break from work), but is there anything else I should know about them? Are they relatively fuss-free otherwise?

frances - I believe I have one delphinium randomly growing in a different part of the garden, though it's definitely in more part, almost full shade. Are they happier in sunlight and do they bloom for a relatively long time? I feel like I need some more vertical interest - maybe on the left-hand side of the bed - and delphiniums might just do the trick!

Thanks again all! Headed back to PowerPoint this weekend to do some revisions to my mockup :)

Your picture of Munstead wood is too small, it will get bigger than that

lbd, Marie Pavie is much smaller than Darlow's Enigma, so consider that with regard to your design. You'd probably have to manage Darlow's Enigma quite a bit to get it into the space, by either training it upward against the wall, or espaliering it sideways... I'm not sure how it would take to that, and either way it would need a lot of pruning. It is probably going to want to hang over the edge of the planting by quite a bit. Marie Pavie, as Moses said, above, is a really great rose (though often overlooked in favor of flashier specimens). It blooms often, is healthy, and doesn't get huge. It has a nice fragrance, which does waft a bit. However, the height you would get from Darlow's Enigma, if you trained it against the wall somehow, could look really nice as a contrast to the left side of the bed. I have not grown that rose myself (though I have grown roses too large for their spaces! oops!) so maybe someone who has could comment on the feasibility of that idea. It seems like it would take a lot of work. I've no experience with Ballerina, but FYI Felicia is pretty, fragrant, and I have seen some wonderful images of her trained up an archway in a garden in the UK -- someone who used to post on the antique roses forum posted pictures of that glorious sight from his garden -- worth tracking down if you have the time.

How about a handful of big aliums? Give an added vertical element, roots won't crown out other plants, and those big lilac colored globes floating above the roses can be really beautiful.

Campanulas of various sorts and foxgloves also seem to like my clay. One not mentioned for sun going to slight shade is Browallia! It's a very pretty blue goes with pinks beautifully. In zone7 I would think you could grow many of the Hybrid Musks. I have quite a few and getting more.So far I'm quite happy with Belinda, but it might be too bright for this colour scheme. What about Sally Holmes, Penelope or Prosperity?

Salvia Caradonna is different from other salvia in that the stems are purple rather than green.

My Betty Corning gets at least 8 feet tall, in poor rocky dry soil, and is not something that would look good topped. Just something to add to your planning.

K S - How well (and how high) does Marie Pavie climb? I really like your idea of putting something in that right-hand side of the bed that can trail up the brick (and maybe up and over to the left). Even if she doesn't climb, I've added her to my buy-list as she just seems too good to pass up. I'm already getting short on real estate for this bed, so perhaps Darlow's Enigma would be better suited for a different part of the house. I don't mind keeping the area tidy, but also don't want to feel like I'm battling a monster every season either!

ebharvey1 - I'm a huge fan of aliums! I just wish they bloomed longer than they do. There's nothing out there quite like them :)

vaporvac - I have many part-shade beds throughout my yard, so Browallia would be a welcome addition of color there. Have you had experience with it in the past? Also, thank you for your recommendation of the hybrid musks! I particularly like the look of Sally Holmes. Question - can all hybrid musks be trained to climb? And what separates them from "regular" shrub roses. Being a newbie to roses has me finding out just how little I know about them!

totoro - Thanks for the clarification! I never noticed that before.

noseometer - I was just in Albuquerque this week for work and was amazed at some of the plants folks were growing in their yards - wisteria in full bloom and dozens of gorgeous purple irises just to name a few. Fortunately/unfortunately I've already planted Betty Corning, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I've seen photographs of her growing on lower fences, so am hoping that she'll "top out" once she figures out she has no place left to climb :/ if not, I'll have to start scouting for some taller walls!

Look at some of the purple-foliaged upright Sedums, and Asters, maybe a Montauk Daisy, Korean Chrysanthemums, some of the full-sun Heuchera in foliage colors you like, etc. and you'll have color lasting through Autumn.

:-)

~Christopher

Delaware Cottager,

I've grown both Marie Pavie and Darlow's Enigma in my past, before I went modern, big fragrant roses.

Marie Pavie is a rather uniform bushy rose bush, almost tailored looking, with abundant 2.25" fragrant blooms in clusters. They nod a bit, but not annoyingly so. In your zone it will get about 30" x 30" if grafted. On its own roots, about 24" x 24". It is a well behaved rose bush. First to bloom in spring, and last in the fall.

Now Darlow's Enigma is a bird of a different color. It can be grown as a climber getting 10' across on a 4' fence with no difficulty. It is also very adaptable, one of the most versatile of roses.

It can be grown as a big 4-5'x 4-5' centerpiece bush. You will need room for It that way...best not in a mixed bed, but as a stand alone bush. It does very well on an obelisk, and on a 6-7' pole as a pillar rose. Grown this way, some heavier pruning in spring will keep it well in bounds. Grown on a standard, fanned, 6' tall, 3' wide garden trellis (very cliche, but also very cottage looking), it will shine. Its narrowish, pointed leaved foliage is almost miniature, matching it's lovely semi-double 1.25" clustered, strongly scented blooms.

Another remarkable thing is that both Marie Pavie and Darlow's Enigma are almost bullet proof....no winter protection needed, and just about black spot immune.

Do you think I have a strong affection for these two roses? You're right!

Moses

Lots of great ideas, here. I’m taking notes, myself! I think some cosmos would be great in there. They come in so many different heights, colors and forms now, too. I tried the ‘Xanthos’ variety last year, and loved them. They’re just 2’tall, and the softest pale yellow with a white eye. You can’t find an easier flower to start from seed than cosmos, IMO. I just scratch up the soil with a rake, sprinkle the seeds, and walk on them to make good contact. As long as the soil has warmed sufficiently and you keep them moist, they pop up in a few days. I also like the ‘Double Click’ cosmos.

Smithdale, I meant to show you what geranium ‘Orion’ looked like, but forgot until now. I’m just about too late, because the flash went off when I took the last few pictures. I don’t know if I like ‘Orion’ better than ‘Rozanne’, but it’s a good bloomer. ‘Orion’ forms more of a mound than many of the other hardy geraniums. It still trails, but the foliage makes a dome shape. I took a few pictures while I was out watering my pots. They’re not the best, but it should give you a glimpse of what to expect:)

Here’s an interesting Dianthus I noticed while watering. It was from seed, and it’s name escapes me ATM. Sorry, my hand was shaky. Lisa

Lisa......... Thanks for the photos of Orion, it does seem to have a different habit to Rozanne but I've never met a hardy geranium I didn't love, Last year (year2) my Rozanne climbed through Bonica, a happy pairing not of my design. Some of them I love more for their foliage but you certainly cannot fault Rozanne's bloom time, mine was still going in mid November not as lustily of course.

Hi lbd, I was really unclear, but Moses clarified on my behalf. Marie Pavie was a rose I suggested because it is lovely and does OK in locations with quite a bit of shade (not full shade of course). Mine grows in a shady spot, and seems happy. It is a very nice plant, but definitely not a climber.

Hybrid musks also have a reputation for tolerating some shade, which is why I mentioned them. Someone mentioned Penelope: she is beautiful! I'd love to grow both Penelope and Cornelia. At the moment I grow Felicia, and have seen her trained as a climber in pictures. (I tried to find the picture I mentioned, and this is as close as I can get -- I think the pink rose on the slightly pointed arch in this photo album is Felicia, if I remember from the other photo I saw (which is now gone) https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/1559923/added-a-few?n=14

My Felicia is not in a shady spot, so I can't comment on her shade tolerance.

P.S. it sounds like, if you have the energy, you could do something beautiful with Darlow's Enigma, based on what Moses reports.