This competition has now closed but thank you to all those who took part. All the winners have been drawn & contacted. Congratulations to our 5 winners who each won a fantastic bundle of cottage garden seeds from the selection below.
While you wait for our next competition, be sure to check out our fantastic flower seeds selection below – perfect for starting your very own cottage garden!
Aquilegia ‘Pretty Bonnets Mix’
Aquilegia ‘Pretty Bonnets Mix’ is a free-flowering cottage garden favourite that blooms from spring to summer. Similar in shape to old-fashioned bonnets, pretty two-tone flowers top the tall stems. Plant aquilegia in the middle of a cottage border alongside daffodil and tulip bulbs. The clump-forming foliage will cover the spent bulbs in late spring, while the bright jewel shades and spiky flower spurs provide colour and interest.
Sow your aquilegia seeds indoors this March ready to plant out in late spring. The full impact of this hardy perennial will reveal itself the following year. ‘Pretty Bonnets Mix’ reaches a height of 90cm and a spread of 60cm when mature.
Delphinium ‘Delight Mix’
The tall, ruffled spires of Delphinium ‘Delight Mix’ are covered in large, double blooms that range from pale cream to dark purple. Plant these hardy perennials at the back of a mixed cottage garden border for structure and height. Bees love them!
Sow delphinium seeds under glass from January to March for flowers in August and September. If you direct sow some of the seeds between May and July, you’ll get an even earlier display the following year, starting in June. Delphinium ‘Delight Mix’ reaches a height of 150cm.
Foxglove ‘Pam’s Split’
The striking colour of Foxglove ‘Pam’s Split’ brings a fresh twist to a classic cottage garden favourite. Prolific white and magenta blooms cascade down tall majestic main stems. Loved by pollinators, these flowers are a great way to attract plenty of beneficial insects to the garden.
Sow foxglove seeds under cover from mid-January through to June. The biennial seedlings will produce clumps of foliage the same year, and flower next May to July. Foxglove ‘Pam’s Split’ grows to 140cm tall.
Astrantia
Sow Astrantia seeds for a full 12 weeks of summer blooms. Adding a unique fireworks display to your cottage garden border, these delicately pink-veined and silver flowers burst out of clumps of acid green foliage. Thriving in the front of borders and containers alike, astrantia provides good value, long-lasting flower power to every corner of your outside space.
Sow your astrantia seeds indoors from January to March ready to harden off and plant out in spring. Alternatively, direct sow small outside pots in August or September to flower the following spring. Reaching a height of 40-60cm, plant 60cm apart.
Lupin ‘Russell Mix’
Lupin ‘Russell Mix’ is a unique hardy perennial that was awarded a Gold Medal by the RHS in 1937 and is still just as popular today! Unusual shades of yellow, orange and crimson blooms sit beautifully alongside the more classic blues and purples.
Lupins have lovely feathery foliage that looks great in the middle of your border. The gentle leaves and soft, brush-like flower spikes bring a nostalgic feel to your cottage garden, looking especially lovely when combined with tall whippy flowers.
Sow your lupin seeds indoors between March and June, or direct sow outdoors for flowers between May and July the following year. Mature lupins reach a height of 90cm.
Hollyhock ‘Chater’s Mix’
Image: Alamy Stock Photo
It’s hard to imagine a cottage garden without Hollyhock ‘Chater’s Mix’. Producing flowers all summer long, this reliable variety is loved for its large, ruffled, double-petalled flowers ranging from burgundy and hot pink, through to peach and pure white. Reaching stately heights of 180cm, hollyhocks look their best at the back of a border where the eye-catching blooms are held aloft by strong stems. And as a hardy perennial, hollyhock ‘Chaters Mix’ returns year after year, getting better with age. Simply sow your seeds indoors between April and June, or direct sow outside in May and June to enjoy flowers next summer.
Sowing perennial flower seeds is a satisfying and cost-effective way to fill your beds, borders and containers with colour. If you’ve missed the boat or prefer more instant results, take a look at our collection of cottage garden plants for more inspiration.
Last Updated on November 8, 2024 by Suttons Horticultural Team
I always buy Sutton’s seeds, really good quality.
great looking and smelling flowers to brighten up garden
I would love to win this prize to finish my garden off nicely.
Would love to win this great prize.
I would love to win this blooming great prize!
Why don’t you try to win a garden full of Suttons cottage garden plants using Suttons seeds
Fantastic prize,my garden would look amazing full of lots of colour
The Sutton seeds and the beautiful flowers would look fantastic in my garden.
what a great array of flowers