Here are my suggestions for weatherproof cottage garden flowers
We’ve had strong winds and hailstorms in this small sheltered London garden for a few days now. Many plants and flowers are standing tall unscathed by the weather. It’s definitely worth thinking about how weatherproof plants are when you choose what to plant.
Tulips
The Ballerina variety are fantastic for lasting well in a pot or in the border. They are tall, strong and last for weeks.
Wonderful Tulip Ballerina
These below are Temple of Beauty
Tulip Temple of Beauty
Here below are the wonderful two varieties Menton and Dordogne which not only look great together but last for weeks and are untouched by terrible weather here in the border. For me they look better where they are rather than in a pot. Just my choice.
Tulips Menton and Dordogne
I first saw this mixture at Gravetye – they plants thousands of tulips every year and their display is world famous.
Parrot tulips can be ruined by a bit of rain. Here are Amazing Parrot standing tall while Apricot Parrot are looking a bit droopy.
Parrot tulips have heavy heads and can droop but still survive.
Weatherproof plants
Bleeding Heart is doing brilliantly. Used to be called Dicentra, now it’s something else. It’s in the red pot and spreads out in a light and airy fashion. The only snag is that it completely disappears from late summer to the next spring so you’re looking at an empty pot trying to remember what, if anything, is in it.
I have on occasion stared at, waited and nurtured a pot only to find that there was nothing in it at all. Hmmmm.
Bleeding Heart looks wonderful bursting out of a big pot
Who would imagine these spindley Muscari would be unbeaten by hailstones?
Muscari survived the rain very well
Tulip Orange Emperor had been in the muscari pot too. They were great through April but the rain finished them off so I pulled them out.
Tulip Orange Emperor were early to flower, looked great and were then spoiled by heavy rain
If I see bad weather coming I can always cut a few flowers for a vase where at least they can last a few days longer. I wrote about that here How to have cut flowers from your small garden
Weatherproof daffodils
Narcissus Thalia are still flowering which seems a bit odd in May but everything is later this year.
Narcissus Thalia, pure white and a late flowerer
I’ve also got some Sealing Wax and Sweetness still flowering
My jumble of daffodils for cutting for indoors
And some Pipit variety in this pot with muscari
Pipit narcissus and muscari in a pot
Species tulips
And here are the tiny thin-stemmed species tulips looking delicate in a pot. Some last better than others but I wouldn’t be without them as they are just lovely to grow.
Tulip clusiana, a species tulip
That’s enough for now. There are other cottage plants doing their thing in my garden regardless of wind and rain. That’s for next time.
So thank goodness for sturdy weatherproof cottage garden flowers
but the joy of the cottage garden style is that even where things have been flattened and battered and sat on by foxes and eaten by squirrels, it doesn’t show in the general jumble of greenery.
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