Interior design trends come and go, but garden trends tend to be less ephemeral. These wider reaching movements in planting tend to indicate shifts in how we view sustainability and outdoor space as a whole. The maximalist borders trend is the perfect example of this, and Yellowstone actress Kelly Reilly's garden embodies the look.
Reilly shared her beautiful modern cottage garden in an Instagram post stating: 'Got to see my garden again for a minute . All the peonies are here and the climbing hydrangeas have climbed.' The image shows a lively space covered in purple and green. The distinction between house and garden is completely blurred by layers of plants. It's stunning, inviting, and perfectly on trend.
Thomas Rutter, master gardener and content editor on the gardens team at H&G states: 'Kelly Reilly's garden borders perfectly capture the trend for maximalist borders, which we expect to be a big focus for gardeners and garden designers in 2025. More is more, so cramming as many perennials, shrubs and bulbs into borders helps to achieve a look that is bountiful and generous.'
A modern cottage garden, similar to Kelly Reilly's
Digitalis x 'Camelot Cream', or commonly known as the Camelot cream foxglove, will add visual appeal & vertical structure to your garden borders. Creamy rose-pink blooms are held high on sturdy stems.
Patty's plum poppy, Papaver 'Patty's Plum', is a gorgeous crepe-papery blossom with ruffle delicate petals and a fringed array of pinkish purple stamen in the center of each deep rose pink to plum-colored blossom.
This penstemon puts on a terrific display of deep rose color. Penstemon x 'Deep Rose' bears spikes of tubular flowers that hummingbirds adore, feeding on the nectar in these nodding blooms as they wave in the breeze.
In addition to its obvious beauty, Reilly's garden has clear environmental benefits. Rutter states: 'As you can see, Reilly has opted to create a modern cottage garden, full of purple alliums, pale pink peonies and vibrant foxglove spires. This border is undeniably joyous and will prove popular not only with garden visitors but pollinators too.'
What's the secret to nailing the maximalist borders look in your own garden? 'Reilly cleverly opts to combine shrubs with tall perennial flowers that help to add interest at different levels in the borders,' says Rutter. He recommends: 'One tip I would advise is interplanting perennials and shrubs with late-summer annuals to extend your floral display. Think cosmos blooms or colorful zinnia, which will replace the allium and foxglove flowers that tend to fade towards mid-summer. Foxglove seeds are available to buy from Walmart.'
Beautiful flowers will always elevate an outdoor space, and the more there are the stronger the look will be. An abundance of flowers alternating heights with greenery is always a good idea, as demonstrated by Kelly Reilly.
