ByKim Waldorf Gardening, Home + Garden

3 Gorgeous Pillar Plants for the Non-Expert Gardener

I love the cottage garden look and ever since we built our Cottage in the Mitten, I’ve strived to add plants that will achieve just that. For years, I thought I had to be a master gardener to achieve a lush landscape, but by trial and error I’ve learned that the secret lies in the choosing the right pillar plants. In my Michgan garden, I’ve traded the high-maintenance drama for three reliable, gorgeous perennials and they have been more than I could have hoped for. Today, I’m sharing the “big three” that I believe every non-expert gardener should have in their yard.

Pinterest Pin graphic titled '3 Pillar Plants for the Non-Expert Gardener' featuring a collage of purple phlox, blue hydrangeas, and a pink peony. A guide to low-maintenance perennials for a Michigan cottage garden by Cottage in the Mitten.

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I’m Kim, and I’m a self-taught gardener with plenty of failed experiments, and a deep love for watching things grow. I’ve learned everything through trial, error, and 30+ years of getting my hands dirty in Michigan soil. I share what’s actually worked in my garden so you can skip some of the mistakes and get straight to the growing!

A lush Nantucket Blue hydrangea bush featuring large pink mophead flowers. This photo demonstrates how alkaline soil can turn traditionally blue hydrangea blooms into a vibrant pink in a Michigan garden. One of the 3 pillar plants for Cottage in the Mitten.

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What is a pillar plant?

A pillar plant is a reliable, long-lived perennial that provides the back-bone and structure of your garden. These are the plants you can count on to return year after year. They act as an anchor for your smaller plants.

Why I Chose These Three Low-Maintenance Perennials

When I look out into my yard, or should I say my gardens, I want to feel happy and inspired, not exhausted. I am a trial and error gardener and for years I planted things that required constant maintenance and sometimes I just couldn’t keep up. I love roses and still have a few, but they are tempermental and require expertise that I haven’t mastered. However, I keep trying with hopes of someday finding the perfect key! Eventually, I realized that a successful cottage garden isn’t about how much work you put in, but about choosing the pillar plants that can hold their own.

“I love my garden, and I love working in it. To potter with green growing things, watching each day to see the dear, new sprouts come up, is like taking a hand in creation, I think. Just now my garden is like faith – the substance of things hoped for.”
~ Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne’s House of Dreams

Peonies: The Romantic Early Bloomer

When I was a little girl, our yard was full of peony plants. I loved the big blooms and their beautiful colors. I remember my mom cutting them, bringing them in to showcase and enjoying them inside. They were a plant I always knew I’d want in my own yard someday.

A vibrant pink double peony flower in full bloom against lush green foliage and dark mulch. A classic example of a perennial pillar plant for a Michigan cottage garden.

Peonies bring a sense of old-fashion romance and a wonderful fragrance that feels like a true Mitten Moment to me. They bloom in the spring and unfortunately the beauty of the flowers are short-lived. Peonies put on a spectacular show for a couple of weeks and then, just like that, they’re done for the season. Even though the blooming time is short, I think they are totally worth it. For those few weeks, you can admire them outside or bring the blooms into your home to enjoy. Plus their deep green foliage stays pretty all season long, providing a wonderful backdrop for my other garden plants and flowers.

My favorite peony tip

Peony blooms are heavy and your plant can flop over, especially after a good rain. I recommend putting a simple peony ring in place mid-April so stay beautiful and upright all season long.

Green peony shoots growing through a metal support ring in a mulched garden bed. A essential spring gardening tip for supporting heavy peony blooms in a cottage garden.

Hydrangeas: The Showstopping Anchor

If the garden had a centerpiece it would be the hydrangea! Their big beautiful blooms scream summer and there’s nothing prettier in a vase. They provide big impact with very little effort.

Freshly clipped pink hydrangeas in a white ceramic pitcher sitting on a wooden tray. A beautiful example of using cottage garden flowers to decorate a home interior with natural, seasonal blooms.

In my own garden, I love the classic charm of the Nantucket Blue, which adds that iconic pop of color to the landscape. While I’ve grown the dependable Annabelle hydrangeas in the past, I’m also lucky enough to have a wonderful neighbor who lets me clip a few of her Limelights when I need a larger, dramatic arrangement!

A close-up of lavender and light purple hydrangea blooms growing alongside a brick wall. This photo illustrates the mid-range color shift in Nantucket Blue hydrangeas caused by soil pH levels in a home garden.
A close-up of a white Limelight hydrangea bloom with a hint of blush pink. This cone-shaped panicle hydrangea is a hardy, low-maintenance pillar plant perfect for Michigan cottage gardens and late-summer color.
Large, vibrant pink hydrangea mophead blooms growing in a Michigan garden. This photo features healthy Nantucket Blue hydrangea clusters against a classic red brick wall, showcasing the impact of alkaline soil on flower color.

One of the most magical things about certain varieties like the Nantucket Blue is their ability to change color based on the acidic levels in your soil. The more acid you have the bluer your flowers will be. For those of us in Michigan, you can actually find soil acidifiers at the local garden center if you have your heart set on that true blue cottage color!

For the non-expert gardener, hydrangeas are a dream come true. They fill up a garden bed quickly and provide you with gorgeous blooms all season long. Hydrangeas make your garden beds look professionally landscaped, too!

Before you dig your hole, take a quick peek at your hydrangea’s plant tag. Sunlight times can vary per variety and you want to ensure your plant is getting the exact amount it needs to bloom its best!

Vibrant blue Nantucket Blue hydrangea flowers blooming in a Michigan cottage garden. This photo showcases healthy mophead blooms alongside new buds and green foliage in a professionally mulched garden bed.

Kim’s Quick Tip

If you want those big healthy blooms year after year, remember to feed your hydrangeas twice annually. I use Holly-tone to keep my soil happy. I fertilize once in the spring (mid-late April) and once at Halloween. It’s an easy schedule to remember and you’ll be so glad you did!

Pholx: Summer’s Second Act

Peonies are the spring showstopper and phlox definitely comes through as the hero to the mid-to-late summer. Here in Michigan, many other plants begin to fade in the August heat, but phlox stands tall, offering clusters of beautiful color and a bonus of a sweet fragrance.

Phlox is one of the most low-maintenance plants I own. It doesn’t require any fancy pruning or constant attention. It simply shows up, year after year, ready to put on a pretty show! I also love the fact that they can be divided and transplanted. It’s the easiest way to spread that beautiful purple color to a new corner of your yard and the best way to get free plants! I currently have some phlox plants that were dug up from my son and daughter-in-law’s yard. They had an abundance and I was happy to take them off their hands!

You may be asking when is the best time to divide phlox. In Michigan, the best time to do this is early spring just as the new green shoots are starting to peek out of the ground. You can also divide your plants in early fall after they have finished blooming. Spring is usually easier because the plant is smaller and easier to handle.

A vibrant green phlox plant emerging from dark mulch in an early spring garden. This healthy perennial is at the perfect stage for dividing and transplanting in a Michigan landscape.

Phlox 4-Step Process

  • Dig it up! – Use a sharp spade or shovel and dig around the entire clump. Make sure you dig about six inches away from the stem, to keep the root ball intact. Then lift the whole thing out of the ground.
  • Slice and dice – Use your spade or garden knife to slice the clump into multiple sections. Make sure each section has a good set of roots and at least 3-4 green shoots.
  • The “hole” truth – Dig a hole in the desired section of your garden. Since you are moving part of the phlox throw in a handful of compost to give it some fresh nutrients.
  • Water, water, water – Once you have transplanted, give your phlox a good soaking. They may look a little sad for a couple of days, but no worry! Phlox is tough and it will bounce back quickly.
Hand holding a lush heart-shaped bouquet of blue, pink, and purple hydrangeas, showing the range of colors created by soil acidity. The vibrant blooms are gathered in an amber glass vase, perfect for a cozy kitchen table arrangement in the Mitten.

Your Pillar Plant Cheat Sheet – FAQ

In Michigan, the best time to plant these perennials is in the late spring or in the early fall. This allows the roots to become established before the hot heat of summer or the deep freeze of winter.

Don’t reach for the bug spray! The ants are actually attracted to the sweet nectar the peonies produce. Be advised that the ants do not hurt the plant. Once you clip them to bring indoors, just turn them upside down and give them a gentle shake or a quick rinse.

Yes! Once the main clusters of flowers fade and turn brown, simply snip the flower head off right above the next set of leaves. Not only does this keep the plant looking tidy and prevent it from getting ‘leggy,’ but it often encourages the phlox to produce a second, smaller flush of blooms.

Depending on the variety you have, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is pruning your hydrangeas in the fall or early spring. In fact, this was a mistake I made when I first starting growing them. Many varieties grow on “old wood”, which is a fancy way of saying the stems from last year. If you cut them back to the ground in the fall, you are literally cutting off next summer’s flowers! To be safe, if you don’t know what kind of hydrangea you have, I recommend waiting until the plant is fully leafed out. That way you can see exactly which stems are actually dead and which ones are waiting to bloom.

Ready to Plant Your Own Low-Maintenance Legacy?

Take it from me, creating a pretty garden doesn’t have to be a full-time job. By focusing on low-maintenance perennials like peonies, hydrangeas, and phlox, you are building a cottage garden that practically takes care of itself. These pillar plants provide the structure and seasonal color every Michigan gardener dreams of, without the high-maintenance stress. You want to enjoy the summer months, right? If you’re just starting out or have planted many times before and your looking to simplify your yard, I hope these three favorites help you find more joy and less work in your outdoor space this season!

Happy planting!

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I'm Kim, the creator behind Cottage in the Mitten, a Michigan lifestyle blog where cozy living meets creative inspiration. I share home decorating ideas, DIY projects, and tips for finding beauty in the everyday, all with a warm cup of tea in hand.

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5 Comments

  3. I love all Your articles and the fact You are in Michigan. I am looking for more sites like yours with empty nesting and making Our homes be where I am now. Do You know of any other sites like this with people from Michigan? thank You

    Reply

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