At Lineage Design Co., we believe the best gardens tell a story—layered with English cottage garden plants, vintage garden planters, and the enduring charm of old-world garden accessories. Whether you’re working with a city courtyard or countryside border, these plants bring timeless romance and natural elegance to any outdoor space.

With scalloped leaves that hold rain-like upside umbrellas and chartreuse blooms that glow at dusk, Lady’s Mantle spills over edges and borders like soft green lace. It is perfect beside antique garden pottery or to soften the edge of a weathered stone step.

Essential to the English cottage garden, hydrangeas bring volume, color, and texture. Their blooms—first vivid, then ghostly and dried—sit beautifully behind antique garden urns and planters, where their weight and scale feel perfectly balanced. Underplant them with blousy plants like hardy geraniums, ferns, or hostas for a complete look. 

No plant better embodies this aesthetic. Train climbing roses along stone walls or iron fencing, and let shrub varieties tumble into walkways. Deep crimson, soft blush, and creamy whites pair well with English garden statues and wrought iron benches aged by weather.

These upright bloomers add grandeur without stiffness. In cobalt, lilac, or white, they rise like spires from overflowing beds. They are especially elegant when planted behind rustic garden antiques like reclaimed trellises or vintage wire fencing.

Where wildness thrives, boxwood brings a quiet frame. Define garden rooms or anchor corners with clipped hedging—boxwood provides a backdrop for planting and contrasts with antique cast iron garden furniture or sculptural elements.

Velvety and dramatic peonies thrive on contrast—plant them near stone, gravel, or low metalwork. They echo the softness of weathered textiles and pair well with Victorian garden furniture beneath climbing vines.

Foxgloves add vertical movement and visual rhythm. While beautiful, they’re toxic—hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) or verbascum (Mullein) make a gentler, bee-friendly alternative without sacrificing the height. All three will rise beautifully from behind a bench or peeking out around antique garden ornaments.

Fuzzy, silvered leaves catch the light and soften stonework. Let them spill into paths or cluster at the base of garden sculpture antiques, where they provide softness to iron and stone.

Fragrant, low-maintenance, and loved by pollinators, lavender is a cottage garden cornerstone. Plant beside vintage garden tools leaning against a shed or use to line a path winding past a vintage garden planter filled with herbs.

Let it climb a pergola or drape over an entryway. This climbing vine’s cascading blooms turn a simple space into something cinematic. Use with care. If Wisteria is invasive where you live, clematis offers a more manageable but equally lush alternative, especially in smaller gardens.

Allow self-seeders like Lady’s Mantle or Hollyhocks to take root where they wish. Even lavender has self-seeded in our garden! Tuck small plants into crevices of stone stairs or between gravel to soften the hardscape.

Use height, tone, and bloom time to create evolving views. Let bold hues (like delphinium or peony) play against airier textures, soft greens, or silvers.

Skip polished finishes. Let stone gather moss, brass patina with age, and planters crack softly with the seasons. This is where the real character lives.

Tuck seating into dappled shade or among tall plantings. To turn a corner into a room, surround a bench or bistro set with antique garden pottery or a sculptural garden feature.