Thanks everyone, I'm sure these lists are going to be of help to others as well as myself. It's really nice seeing what everybody is growing, different zones different plants, some I can't grow in the ground but some I can grow in a container for a punch of color then put in the greenhouse for winter protection. From all the contributions Nell has done a survey of what the top 12 plants for a cottage garden are, the ones with the most votes seem to be the favorites, this will be a big help to anyone starting out with a blank slate. It also helps those of us that are still looking for good choices to add to our cottage gardens. If anyone thinks of more to add to this list feel free to do so. I have got some of the plants mentioned above, I'll be selecting more from these lists to add to my garden. I'll post a picture if and when it looks half decent. Annette

i have mint all over the place, and i must say i really like it. when it runs over to somewhere i don't want it, i just yank it up. as long as i stay on top of the situation it doesn't get too out of hand. i have mint co-habitating with: irises asiatic lilies (i think the lilies are winning this battle!) red fairy rose bushes lemon balm hostas false lupine my red fairy roses actually won the battle against the catnip and spearmint this year. i was disappointed, because i really liked the way the mints intermingled with the roses last year. :) jiggreen

Wow, that's a lot of plants! I don't have a list of what I'm growing in my little gardens -- sometimes it takes me a couple of weeks in the spring to realize that that weird looking weed in the corner is something I've had for years. I just assume that more plants than not will grow in this area! One of the more unusual plants I grow is agapanthus. Not a particularly hardy variety, this was simply a florists' plant my mother gave me four years ago. But it's come up reliably every year for the past three seasons in Central Ohio. It's planted against a south-facing brick wall with excellent drainage, and apparently doesn't realize it's not in zone 8+ anymore! One of my mother's more spectacular plants is a 15 year old calamondin orange that arrived as a little "get-well" houseplant. It spends the winter on the unheated glassed in back porch in Cincinnati, and now stands over 6' tall in the pot, and is nearly 4' around. It always has flowers and fruit on it, and we've picked 200 ripe fruits at one time.

Here's my list - Doreen. Flowers Chinese houses [collinsia heterophylla] Columbine – red [canadensis] Cosmos – orange English daisy Hibiscus [hardy] – Cherry red/Luna pink/Luna white Hosta – yellow edge [lg.] Love lies bleeding Marigold – short mix Milkwood - pink Million gold Pepper, Ornamental [hot - capsicum annum] Phlox [hardy] – white,pink & lavender mix w/ bicolors Rudbeckia - Autumn Sun [r.herbstonne] Rudbeckia triloba [prairie coneflower] Sunflower – Italian white/Multi-brown & yellow Vegetables & herbs Broccoli – Calabrese green sprouting Carrot – Nantes coreless Catnip Chicory – Blue southishe Dill Lettuce – Buttercrunch Peas – Sugar snap/Little marvel Pepper , bell – yellow/orange Pumpkin – Jack O'Lantern Radish – early Scarlet globe Thyme Tomato [heirloom] – Black Krim/Solar Flare/Hillbilly/Yellow cherry/Great white beefsteak/Beauty king/Pineapple/Paul Robeson/Striped German Turnip – Purple top white globe Vines Morning glory - mix [includes Milky Way, Grandpa Ott, ivy-leaf blue, Crimson rambler and various others] /Grandpa Ott/Orange Noah Pea vine – white butterfly Trumpet vine – orange/red Trees/Shrubs Hydrangea - white [Annabelle] Rose of Sharon – single pink w/dark eye