If you’ve been dreaming of a whimsical, relaxed landscape — that also welcomes bees, butterflies and birds — this may be your ideal garden style.
Cottagecore gardens are created with a harmony between nature and nostalgia, blending wild beauty with a bit of structured charm.
If you’re dreaming of a garden that welcomes bees, butterflies and birds while embracing a whimsical, relaxed aesthetic, incorporating native and heat-tolerant perennials is the perfect approach.
Here’s how you can create a dreamy, nature-filled escape in your own backyard.
What is cottagecore?
A subculture that embraces the simplicity and tranquility of rural life, cottagecore takes its influences from romanticism and the arts and crafts movement. It merges British-style cottages, floral aesthetics and handcrafted elements with a modern twist. The idyllic lifestyle it promotes has long been portrayed in literature, with works like “Peter Rabbit,” “The Secret Garden,” and “Anne of Green Gables” capturing its essence.
In recent years, cottagecore has evolved into an internet-driven subculture, gaining immense popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. As people turned to hobbies like baking, painting and gardening while staying home, the movement became a comforting escape — a way to slow down, reconnect with nature and immerse in a pastoral dream.
The aesthetic didn’t just influence lifestyle choices. It flourished in media, with video games, music and films such as Little Women reinforcing its appeal. These creative expressions helped propel cottagecore into mainstream popularity, solidifying it as more than just a fleeting trend but a lifestyle embraced by many.
Foundations of a cottagecore garden
At the heart of a cottagecore garden lies an unstructured, free-flowing design. Unlike formal landscapes, this style thrives on layered textures, soft edges and plants that grow naturally together. Think trailing rosemary cascading over stone walls, silver ponyfoot weaving through flower beds, and plumbago creating a misty cloud of blue blooms. These elements help create a sense of enchantment, where the lines between cultivated and wild blur beautifully.
Small perennials for layers and color
Cottage gardens also embrace a dynamic mix of colors and shapes. Damianita’s golden-yellow blooms add a cheerful contrast to Texas rock rose’s delicate pink blossoms, while Mexican skullcap provides a soft purple haze that fills gaps flawlessly. These perennials create a lush, layered look without constant upkeep.
Creating depth with vining perennials
For softness and movement, trailing rosemary and silver ponyfoot work beautifully along paths, stone borders and trellises. Their cascading foliage gently blurs the edges between different plantings, reinforcing the wild-yet-intentional aesthetic of cottagecore gardens.
Adding structural beauty with large perennials
For height and drama, consider cenizo (Texas sage) with its silvery leaves that shimmer after rain, or kidneywood, whose delicate foliage and fragrant white flowers draw pollinators with ease. These plants add a natural rhythm to the garden, ensuring visual interest throughout the seasons.
Pollinators and their favorite blooms
A true cottagecore garden hums with life, attracting butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Butterfly milkweed bursts with bright orange flowers, feeding monarchs on their migration path. Scarlet sage’s fiery spikes become a favorite stop for hummingbirds, while mealy cup sage’s violet-blue blooms buzz with bees all season long. By planting a variety of nectar-rich flowers, your garden becomes a thriving, self-sustaining pollinator paradise.
Cottagecore gardening in Texas: thriving in heat
While cottagecore gardens are known for their lush, romantic appeal, keeping them vibrant in Texas heat requires mindful planning. Opting for drought-tolerant native perennials ensures your garden remains whimsical without excessive upkeep. Texas mountain laurel and cenizo (Texas sage) thrive in intense sun, offering bursts of lavender or grape-scented blooms. Meanwhile, damianita and butterfly milkweed provide resilience, bringing cheerful colors even in dry conditions.
Encouraging a self-sustaining garden
To maintain the cottagecore charm with minimal intervention, allow self-seeding plants like four nerve daisy and zexmenia to flourish naturally. Leave wild patches for pollinators while embracing wooly stemodia and frogfruit as cascading fillers to soften walkways.
By blending resilient perennials with thoughtful maintenance, your cottagecore garden will stay enchanting while effortlessly adapting to Texas’s unique climate.
Final touches for a storybook garden
In a cottagecore garden, unexpected delights emerge at every turn. A meandering path lined with soft foliage, a hidden nook framed by flowering vines, or even a seat surrounded by hummingbird friendly blooms will transform your space into a sanctuary of gentle charm. By embracing the natural beauty of heat-tolerant perennials, you not only create an enchanting landscape but also support the ecosystem around you.
Immerse yourself in the cottagecore garden experience with our WaterSaver coupons and ‘Plant by Numbers’ guide, featuring drought-tolerant native plants perfect for cultivating your own idyllic retreat.
Rylee Jacobs is an intern in SAWS Conservation.
