Vermont’s cool climate and distinctive seasons create an ideal backdrop for cottage gardens brimming with personality. Tall perennials are the backbone of these charming spaces, providing structure, vertical interest, and season-long beauty.
From my years tending gardens in the Green Mountain State, I’ve discovered that the right towering plants can transform an ordinary yard into a storybook cottage garden that withstands our challenging winters and celebrates our glorious summers.
1. Delphinium: The Cottage Garden Spire
Standing like blue sentinels at the back of my Vermont border, delphiniums create that quintessential cottage garden feel. Their towering spikes reach 5-6 feet in good years!
The cool Vermont summers help these temperamental beauties thrive longer than in southern gardens. I’ve found staking them early prevents heartbreak when summer storms roll through.
Nothing beats their true-blue color—a shade rarely found in the flower world. They’ve self-seeded in unexpected corners of my garden, creating delightful surprises each June.
2. Hollyhock’s Nostalgic Charm
Growing alongside Vermont farmhouses for generations, hollyhocks bring old-fashioned romance to any cottage garden. Their sturdy stalks often reach 7 feet tall in my northeastern garden, creating instant vertical drama.
Local bumblebees absolutely adore their open-faced blooms. Last summer, I counted five different bees visiting a single plant during one coffee break on my porch.
Technically biennials or short-lived perennials, they self-seed so reliably in Vermont gardens that they behave like perennials, returning year after year in slightly different spots.
3. Foxglove’s Speckled Spires
My Vermont garden wouldn’t feel complete without foxglove’s dramatic spires nodding in the breeze. The spotted throats of these bell-shaped flowers seem to tell stories about woodland fairies and secret gardens.
While technically biennial, they self-seed so prolifically in our Vermont soil that they create a perennial presence. Their 4-5 foot stalks emerge in unexpected places each year.
Foxgloves appreciate the dappled shade beneath my apple trees, creating bridges between sunny and shadier sections of the garden. Their woodland nature feels perfectly at home in Vermont’s landscape.
4. Lupine: Vermont’s Beloved Spikes
Few plants say ‘Vermont garden’ quite like lupines. Their distinctive palm-shaped leaves emerge early, followed by 3-4 foot flower spikes in blues, purples, and pinks that coincide perfectly with early summer in the Green Mountains.
After a rainstorm, water droplets collect on lupine leaves like tiny crystal balls. This simple garden magic never fails to stop me in my tracks during morning garden walks.
The classic children’s book ‘Miss Rumphius’ about the Lupine Lady could easily be set in Vermont. I’ve watched these beauties naturalize in meadow-style sections of my garden, just as they do along our roadsides.
5. Phlox Paniculata’s Fragrant Clouds
Summer evenings in my Vermont garden are perfumed by tall garden phlox. Their 3-4 foot clusters of star-shaped blooms create clouds of color that last for weeks during July and August.
My grandmother’s Vermont farmhouse always had these reliable bloomers, and cuttings from her original plants still grow in my garden today. There’s something deeply satisfying about this connection across generations.
Choosing mildew-resistant varieties has been key in our humid summer weather. ‘David’ and ‘Robert Poore’ have proven themselves worthy of prime spots in my garden beds, remaining clean and beautiful through the season.
6. Joe Pye Weed’s Majestic Height
Native to Vermont’s wet meadows, Joe Pye weed brings authentic local character to my cottage garden. Reaching an impressive 6-7 feet, its mauve flower clusters create a dreamy haze above other perennials in late summer.
Monarch butterflies make special trips to visit these plants in my garden each August. Their presence transforms an ordinary garden moment into something magical and memorable.
Despite its intimidating height, this gentle giant has never needed staking in my garden. Its strong stems handle Vermont’s summer thunderstorms with remarkable resilience, bending but rarely breaking.
7. Rudbeckia Laciniata’s Golden Towers
Known affectionately as ‘outhouse plant’ by old Vermont gardeners, this native Rudbeckia brings cheerful golden flowers atop impressive 6-7 foot stems. Unlike its shorter black-eyed Susan cousins, this giant creates a dramatic backdrop.
The lemon-yellow blooms appear just when the garden needs a second wind in late summer. They’ve become my signal that it’s time to start preserving garden harvests for winter.
Hummingbirds use the tall stems as perches in my garden, surveying their territory before darting off to nearby flowers. This unexpected wildlife benefit adds another dimension to this easy-care perennial.
8. Coneflower’s Statuesque Presence
Not all coneflowers reach impressive heights, but ‘Magnus’ and ‘Vintage Wine’ varieties stretch to nearly 4 feet in my Vermont garden. Their strong stems hold daisy-like blooms with distinctive central cones that persist into winter.
Goldfinches perform acrobatic feats to reach the seeds in late fall. Leaving the seedheads standing creates winter interest and provides food for these charming garden visitors.
Few perennials match coneflowers for durability in our challenging climate. After enduring -20°F winters, they emerge each spring without complaint, gradually expanding into impressive clumps that anchor my cottage garden design.
9. Monkshood’s Dramatic Blue Spires
Monkshood’s intense blue-purple hooded flowers appear on 4-5 foot stems just when most cottage gardens start fading. This late-season star performs beautifully in the partial shade of my north-facing Vermont garden bed.
The unusual helmet-shaped blooms always spark conversation among garden visitors. Their distinctive form adds architectural interest among more common daisy and cup-shaped flowers.
Despite containing toxic compounds (I always wear gloves when handling it), monkshood has been grown in Vermont gardens for generations. Its reliability and unique beauty outweigh the need for cautious handling.
10. Astilbe’s Feathery Plumes
The taller Astilbe varieties create 3-4 foot clouds of feathery flowers in my partly shaded Vermont garden corners. ‘Superba’ and ‘Purpurlanze’ varieties stand head and shoulders above their more common dwarf cousins.
Their plume-like blooms catch morning dew in the most enchanting way. Walking through the garden on summer mornings, these sparkling wands seem almost magical in the early light.
Few tall perennials perform as reliably in Vermont’s damper, shadier spots. When other plants struggle in these challenging conditions, Astilbe thrives, proving that cottage gardens can flourish beyond the sunny border.
11. Gooseneck Loosestrife’s Elegant Curves
Not to be confused with its invasive purple cousin, white gooseneck loosestrife creates gracefully arching 3-4 foot stems topped with pristine white flowers that resemble a flock of geese in flight.
After a Vermont thunderstorm, raindrops cling to the nodding white blooms, creating a glistening display. This simple moment of garden beauty makes the plant worth growing.
While vigorous in growth, it’s manageable in Vermont gardens with natural boundaries like walkways or walls. I’ve found it makes an excellent problem-solver for difficult spots where other perennials struggle to establish.
12. Helenium’s Late-Season Fireworks
Known as sneezeweed despite rarely causing allergies, Helenium varieties like ‘Mardi Gras’ and ‘Moerheim Beauty’ reach 4-5 feet in my Vermont garden. Their daisy-like blooms in rich autumn colors arrive just as summer flowers begin to fade.
The red-orange-yellow palette perfectly complements Vermont’s famous fall foliage. When planted with ornamental grasses, they create a spectacular autumnal display that extends the garden season.
Bees and butterflies flock to these late bloomers in my garden, providing essential late-season nourishment. This ecological benefit adds purpose beyond mere ornamental value, supporting pollinators preparing for winter.
13. Campanula Lactiflora’s Billowing Beauty
Milky bellflower creates clouds of star-shaped lavender-blue flowers on 4-foot stems in my Vermont garden. Unlike its shorter bellflower cousins, this variety adds significant height to the middle or back of cottage borders.
The name ‘lactiflora’ means milk-flowered, referring to the pale blue color that seems to float above neighboring plants. This ethereal quality adds a dreamy dimension to the garden in early summer.
After visiting gardens in England’s Lake District, I added this perennial to my Vermont garden, noting the similar climate conditions. It’s proven to be an inspired choice, returning reliably each year with minimal care.