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A romantic pollinator-friendly planting with fragrance and old-garden

The Cottage Garden Set

$32.00 Sold out

Full Sun · Zones 5–9 · 6 plants · ~35–45 sq ft at maturity

Romantic, loose, and full of life, the Cottage Garden Set brings together six native perennials and grasses chosen for their long season of beauty, soft movement, and deep connection to pollinators and garden history. From the spring bloom of Baptisia alba var. macrophylla to the late golden daisies of Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida, this collection creates the layered, story-rich abundance that defines a true cottage garden.

With nodding flowers, fragrant foliage, airy grass, and old-fashioned charm, this set offers a planting that feels both curated and delightfully unruly... the kind of garden that seems to have gathered itself naturally, yet blooms with intention from spring into fall.

Why This Set Works: A layered succession of bloom and texture

This collection was designed to create a long season of interest, with flowers and ornamental structure carrying the garden from spring into autumn:

  • April–May: Baptisia alba var. macrophylla
  • June–August: Allium cernuum
  • June–September: Pycnanthemum flexuosum
  • Summer season: Phlox carolina ssp. carolina ‘Kim’
  • July–October: Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida
  • Season-long structural interest: Bouteloua curtipendula

Together, that gives the set meaningful seasonal interest from April through October, with ornamental grass structure extending the planting’s beauty beyond peak bloom.

Pickup currently unavailable at Aiken Nursery

Why these plants belong together

Each plant contributes something essential to the whole:

  • Baptisia alba var. macrophylla begins the season with airy spring bloom and a strong, shrubby form that anchors the planting early.
  • Allium cernuum brings a relaxed, nodding elegance and a sense of old-world charm, while quietly carrying a rich North American cultural history.
  • Bouteloua curtipendula threads the composition together with motion, texture, and soft prairie color, giving the planting a natural rhythm.
  • Phlox carolina ‘Kim’ adds the classic flower power every cottage garden needs, with the added virtue of durability and disease resistance.
  • Pycnanthemum flexuosum contributes fragrance, pollinator value, and a slightly wild, herbal eccentricity that keeps the mix from feeling too polished.
  • Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida grounds the planting with a long season of warm color, carrying the garden beautifully into late summer and fall.

The result is a garden composition that feels full without being heavy, loose without being messy, and nostalgic without becoming overly sweet. It has the spirit of a cottage garden, but with the plant logic of a thoughtfully designed perennial border.

Set Details

INCLUDES
6 plants — one each of Baptisia, Allium, Bouteloua, Phlox, Pycnanthemum, and Rudbeckia
BEST FOR
Sunny borders, cottage gardens, and pollinator plantings in full sun to light shade
BLOOM SEASON
April – October, with ornamental grass structure carrying through winter
LIGHT
Full sun; tolerates light afternoon shade
HARDINESS ZONES
Zones 5 – 9
APPROXIMATE COVERAGE
35 – 45 sq ft at maturity · one set per planting area
PLANTING DIMENSIONS
5' × 7' or 4' × 10' — either gives each plant room to reach full size without crowding
HEIGHT RANGE
1 – 1.5 ft at the front edge · 3 – 5 ft toward the back · plant tallest species center or rear
DESIGN NOTE
Place Baptisia and Bouteloua toward the back or center. Let Allium and Phlox soften the front edge. Rudbeckia and Pycnanthemum fill naturally in between.
FURTHER READING
Read our design philosophy →

Plant Profiles

Allium cernuum

Old-World Charm, Native Roots

Allium cernuum

Nodding onion has been a garden companion for centuries, and its appeal hasn't dimmed.Allium cernuum carries slender stems that curve elegantly downward at the tip, suspending loose clusters of pink-lavender flowers above a tidy basal clump. Bees find it irresistible. It seeds quietly around the garden over time, appearing in unexpected places. Always welcome, never invasive. An old-world feeling from a thoroughly native plant.

Height 1-2 ft
Light Full sun to part shade
Bloom June–August
Wildlife Value Bees, butterflies
Shop separately
Baptisia alba var. macrophylla

The Season Opener

Baptisia alba var. macrophylla

One of the most architectural natives in the eastern flora, Baptisia alba var. macrophylla opens the cottage garden season with tall white flower spires rising from a dense, shrubby form that looks intentional from day one. Long-lived and deeply rooted, it takes a season or two to fully establish, but then it never needs your help again. The seed pods that follow the blooms are nearly as ornamental as the flowers, rattling gently through autumn like small maracas.

Height 3–5 ft
Light Full sun to part shade
Bloom April-May
Wildlife Value Specialist bees, butterflies
Bouteloua curtipendula

Prairie Light, Woven Through

Bouteloua curtipendula

Sideoats grama is the grass that makes a planting feel like it grew there on its own. Its distinctive seed heads, small flags hanging from arching stems, catch the afternoon light and move in the slightest breeze, threading a quality of soft animation through whatever grows around it. Native to the prairies and open woodlands of North America, it holds its form through winter when almost everything else has gone to ground, giving the garden structure even in its quietest months.

Height 1.5–2.5 ft
Light Full sun
Bloom July–September
Wildlife Value Birds (seed), structure habitat
Phlox carolina 'Kim'

The Classic, Improved

Phlox carolina 'Kim'

Carolina phlox has all the old-fashioned charm of its garden relatives — generous clusters of fragrant blooms, rich color, and a midsummer presence that feels genuinely lush — with the added advantage of considerably better disease resistance. 'Kim' is a particularly fine selection: dense, upright, and reliably floriferous. Its fragrance carries on warm evenings in a way that justifies planting it near a path or a sitting area. A cottage garden staple that earns its place every year.

Height 2–3 ft
Light Full sun to part shade
Bloom June–August
Wildlife Value Butterflies, hummingbirds
Pycnanthemum flexuosum

Wild, Fragrant, Indispensable

Pycnanthemum flexuosum

Appalachian mountain mint belongs to the same family as basil and oregano, and something of that lineage comes through in its intensely fragrant foliage... rub a leaf and the scent is surprisingly culinary, clean, and strong. In bloom it is an absolute frenzy of pollinator activity: bees, wasps, butterflies, and beneficial insects crowd its small white flowers from midsummer onward. Wilder in habit than some of its more widely cultivated cousins, it brings a welcome eccentricity to the border and the note that keeps the planting from feeling too tidy.

Height 2-3 ft
Light Full sun to part shade
Bloom June–September
Wildlife Value Bees, wasps, beneficial insects
Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida

The Long Finish

Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida

The straight species of orange coneflower — not a cultivar, not a selection, but the plant as it occurs naturally across the eastern United States — is arguably the most reliable and ecologically valuable member of the Rudbeckia genus. It spreads slowly by rhizome to form generous clumps, blooms for months without deadheading, and feeds the garden's bees and butterflies generously through the heat of summer into fall. The seed heads that remain through winter are taken eagerly by goldfinches. A foundational plant for any perennial border, and a particularly fine anchor for this one.

Height 2–3 ft
Light Full sun to part shade
Bloom July-October
Wildlife Value Bees, butterflies, birds (seed)
Frequently Asked Questions

How many plants are included?
This set includes six plants total, one of each variety listed.

How much space will one set cover?
At maturity, one set covers about 35–45 square feet.

Is this set good for pollinators?
Yes. This collection supports bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects across much of the growing season.

Will this look formal or loose?
It is designed to feel loose, layered, and romantic rather than rigid or symmetrical.

Can I plant this in part shade?
It can tolerate some light shade, but fuller sun will give the best bloom and strongest cottage-garden effect.

Will these plants come back every year?
Yes, this is a perennial-based collection in suitable growing zones.

What should I expect in the first season?

Plugs arrive small, and that is intentional. In the first season most plants will focus their energy on root development rather than dramatic top growth — some will stay modest and compact, others will surprise you. By midsummer you will see clear signs of establishment: new leaves, active growth, increasing spread. The second season is typically when a plug planting begins to show its real character.Baptisia, in particular, is a slow starter but one of the most rewarding plants in the set once it finds its footing.

Curated by Woodlanders

This set was assembled to capture the beauty of a classic cottage border: pollinator-friendly, story-rich, and full of movement from spring through fall.

Every plant in it was grown here at our nursery in Aiken, South Carolina — propagated, tended, and shipped by people who know these species not from a catalog description but from years of watching them grow. That knowledge shapes every selection we make, and it is what separates a Garden Set from a bundle.

We hope it finds its way into a garden that gives it room to become what it's capable of.

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Garden Set Resources

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