Katie Rushworth brand identity
Katie Rushworth brand identity

My Journal

Cottage Garden Border Plants

I am often asked about my favourite cottage garden border plants. The truth is, almost any plant can be used in a border – just make sure you provide them with the correct growing conditions and they will thrive! In this blog, I’ve created a small set of border plants that not only work really well together, but will look amazing in a cottage garden.

Osteospermum

Also known as ‘African Daisies’. They are a tender perennial and will come back year after year, as long as they are protected from extreme winter conditions. Their blooms will last well into Autumn if you keep on top of pruning and remove spent flowers as soon as you see them. I find that these look best when positioned at the front of a sunny border amongst taller grasses.

Verbena Bonariensis

Flowering from July, this plant is an ideal addition for anyone who wants to welcome butterflies into their garden. Closely followed by the buddleja plant, the Verbena bonariensis is like a butterfly magnet! They are a perennial plant that will welcome a spring pruning once you begin to see their green shoots popping through. This plant isn’t overly fussy on soil conditions and will do well in most gardens provided you keep the soil moist and don’t let it dry out. A real triple threat plant as it brings height, colour AND scent to your summer borders!

Echinacea Purpurea

I love all echinacea’s but there’s something about the pink varieties that always end up in my basket when I visit the garden centre! They are an extremely hardy perennial that will reward you with stunning pink blooms year after year. Echinacea’s prefer well drained soil so keep your plant away from clay and thick ground. Echinacea’s are natures gift that keep on giving right through to the following season as you can admire their quirky seed heads throughout the winter before you prune in spring.

English Lavender

I particularly love English lavender in a border, they are a quintessential cottage garden plant and a bee lovers’ favourite. English lavender looks lovely at the front of a border and brings wonderful textures and scents to your garden. I often find myself cutting some fresh lavender sprigs and putting them into a vase beside my bed or in a bathroom. Many studies have shown that lavender oil can help improve your quality of sleep and is a great, natural method to help you relax – plus
it smells great too so it’s really easy to enjoy the benefits of fresh lavender!

Japanese Anemones

Japanese anemones will thrive in shady conditions. These tall plants look great positioned at the back of borders as they grow between 3 – 5 feet tall! They tend to spread wildly so dividing larger clumps every few years is often recommended upkeep. I love making a handpicked posy on a summer afternoon with these flowers as they’re really pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Borders are a great way to bring height, colours and textures to any garden and allow you to be really creative with your plant choices. There are no rules when it comes to adding borders to your outdoor space just be creative and get plating!

Happy borders = Happy gardeners!

Katie x

Katie's expertise is transforming clients' gardens with their video calls and garden visits...

My consultation with Katie was superb! Katie's focused and erudite knowledge really helped me transform my garden into something I would truly be proud to show off. Katie went into great depth and was very patient with my questions, guiding me through the process and enabling me to understand her thinking. I could not praise Katie enough, and would truly recommend her to anyone who is keen to breathe some new life into their garden!  

Shazia

I am absolutely delighted with Katie’s design service and feel that it was money very well spent. Katie came up with something that we would never have thought of but still feel is totally achievable. She completely fulfilled every point on the brief I had written and was so prompt with all of the follow-up information, including a helpful sketch and list of suitable planting. Katie has totally exceeded my expectations of what I thought could be achieved in a 30-minute call!

Claire

It was really great having a consultation with Katie. I really enjoyed it and she is so knowledgeable, advising me some ideas that are going to transform our garden. I'm so grateful. I've never known where to start and now I have a way forward. After I've finished my back garden I'm going to get a second consultation for the front. Thanks so much.

Anonymous

I would not hesitate to recommend Katie's Gardening Consultation via Zoom. Her knowledge of plants & garden design has helped enormously in my deciding what to do with the Garden.
Katie has given great advice & recommendations for making the garden perfect for us. 

Sandra

My zoom consult with Katie far exceeded my expectations!  She clearly took the time to assess my garden before our call and presented a brilliant plan for my garden as well as provided lots of tips for the planting.  I was even able to show her some additional problem areas in my garden during the consult and she offered practical advice that was really helpful and allowed me to envision what my garden can become with a little confidence and willingness to plant and design more boldly! I can’t say enough positive things about the consult. I highly recommend! 

Kyla in Southwest Idaho, USA

We were looking for some fresh ideas to rejuvenate an old garden. Katie has an easy-going and friendly approach which is underpinned by her extensive knowledge. She quickly aligned herself to our thought process and understood what we are trying to achieve. 
She made a number of innovative suggestions that challenged our preconceptions and we feel that we now have a plan to move forward.

N & P Cannon

Katie helped us see our dream garden where we couldn’t, taking time to understand our thoughts and favourite parts of the garden.
Katie was great fun to be around and has provided us with a beautiful plan for our garden which we will enjoy for a long time to come.

Anonymous

Without any exaggeration, the Katie Rushworth Garden Maker is the Best Investment I have ever made. My garden was stuck in the past and I had no idea how to transform it. I never dreamt in my wildest dreams, that I would be lucky enough for Katie Rushworth (personally) to work her magical garden design, with her professionalism and knowledge to transform my garden. She cuts no corners, you get far more than you could ever pay for, she works really hard to deliver the right garden for you and on top of all that she is a very nice person!

Roger in Stourbridge

Katie must be a mindreader because the scheme she created for us was just perfect; great variety, textures and all very much in the Japanese theme we had dreamed of. It was so helpful and also really enjoyable to be able to spend the day planting with her and learn lots of useful tips for maintenance and beyond. We can’t wait to watch it grow and change with the seasons.

Ruth in York

Working with Katie has been fantastic and worth every penny, she has helped me create two beautiful areas in my garden. It now looks fantastic!

Fiona in Holmfirth

Katie has been incredibly helpful as we set about transforming our front & back gardens, and we have learnt so much in a short space of time. We didn’t want someone to just do it all for us – we wanted to be hands-on but with some guidance & encouragement, and Katie’s mentoring has been perfect for that. She is very easy to work with, great fun – and she’s certainly done her share of digging & planting too!

Andrew & Susan in Baildon

Katie really knows her plants, where they are happiest. She understood our needs and wants and simply delivered. Great knowledge, great advice and taught this old dog a few new tricks giving me the confidence to take my own garden planning to the next level.

Tricia & Ian in East Hardwick

Katie Rushworth is a passionate and knowledgeable gardener whose enthusiasm is infectious. She has a great eye for design and is also good at explaining things. Oh, and she’s not at all afraid to get her hands dirty!

Alan Titchmarsh