🌿 The Best Herbs for a Cottage Garden

Part 2 of 8 in My “Rooted in Charm” Series

Photo by Ella de Kross on Unsplash

Let’s dive into my favored herbs for a cottage garden!

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Herbs are the beating heart of the cottage garden. They offer fragrance, flavor, medicine, pollinator support, and a sense of timelessness. In this second installment of our Rooted in Charm series, we explore the essential herbs that no traditional—or modern—cottage garden should be without.

These herbs are drawn from tradition, confirmed by modern use, and celebrated in Cottage Gardens by Claire Masset. Let’s plant with purpose—and joy.

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The cottage garden is more than a style—it’s a living memory of the way people used to grow food, make medicine, and surround themselves with beauty. Herbs formed the backbone of these spaces: practical, fragrant, and stunning in their quiet ways.

This second article in our Rooted in Charm series introduces a carefully curated set of herbs drawn from tradition. All are aligned with a cooler, softer palette—excluding hot reds, oranges, and harsh yellows to maintain your tranquil garden mood. In fact, that color rule becomes our first tenet.

Let’s meet the key players.

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🌿 The Cottage Garden Herb Roster (A–Z)

1. Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)

• Use: Tea, pollinators, symbolic

• Growth: Upright, fragrant; choose pale or purple forms

• Tip: Keep to cool-toned cultivars; attracts hummingbirds and bees

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2. Borage (Borago officinalis)

• Use: Edible blue flowers, cucumber-flavored leaves

• Growth: Self-sowing annual, sprawling

• Tip: Let it bloom among strawberries or near stone walls for softness

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3. Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

• Use: Tea, calming remedy, lawn alternative

• Growth: Low mat-former

• Tip: Perfect for path edges or planting between stepping stones

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4. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)

• Use: Culinary, edging, pollinators

• Growth: Upright clump with purple flower globes

• Tip: Companion plant for roses and carrots; a visual treat in bloom

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5. Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

• Use: Seed oil, pollinator magnet

• Growth: Tall biennial

• Tip: Plant toward the back; look for pale yellow or cream cultivars

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6. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

• Use: Edible fronds and seeds, swallowtail host

• Growth: Tall and airy

• Tip: Adds architectural interest—don’t plant near dill to avoid crossing

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7. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)

• Use: Traditional remedy for headaches

• Growth: Clumping with white daisy-like flowers

• Tip: Use white or pale forms to maintain your color palette

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8. Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)

• Use: Tea, aromatic, bee plant

• Growth: Compact and upright

• Tip: Use sparingly—strong scent and flavor; lovely blue spikes

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9. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

• Use: Drying, fragrance, pollinators

• Growth: Rounded mounds

• Tip: Choose ‘Hidcote’ or ‘Munstead’ for color harmony and hardy structure

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10. Mint (Mentha spp.)

• Use: Tea, garnish, cooling agent

• Growth: Spreads aggressively

• Tip: Contain in a sunk pot or stone-bordered niche

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11. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

• Use: Culinary, memory herb

• Growth: Woody perennial in warm zones; pot grown in cold climates

• Tip: Position near the house for scent and easy harvesting

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12. Sage (Salvia officinalis)

• Use: Cooking, symbolic, bees

• Growth: Shrubby, silvery foliage

• Tip: Let flower to draw in pollinators—blooms in purple and pale blue

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13. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

• Use: Culinary, groundcover, antiseptic

• Growth: Low mat-forming

• Tip: Tuck into wall crevices or let trail over stones for classic effect

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🧺 Bonus Tip: Combine for Utility and Beauty

Group herbs in threes—low, mid, tall—for a layered herb border. Interplant with cottage favorites like violas, and strawberries. Let some herbs bloom: they’re as good for the bees as they are for you.

Layer Suggested Herbs…

Ground layer —> Thyme, Chamomile, Chives, Feverfew

Mid-border —> Borage, Lavender, Sage, Hyssop

Back-border / tall —> Bee Balm, Fennel, Evening Primrose, Rosemary

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🐝 Coming Next:

Building the Bones: Paths, Borders, and Garden Structures – A guide to shaping your garden with stone, wood, and rustic charm.

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Until next time…

I am…

Phil Wilson…

And, here’s to living an Herbal Lifestyle With You!