Cottage and cut flower gardens are wild and informal. Pretty much anything goes as long is it’s green and flowers at some point. Plants (mostly perennials) are selected for their flowering frequency and vase life. True monarch and butterfly friendly gardens are designed this way to contain maximum number of larvae food plants per square foot. Staking is usually required unless your okay with the truely wild look. General maintenance involves periodic weed/invasive plant control and mowing everything down in late winter or early spring. We recommend leaving all the debris as a finely chopped up mulch to help allow your perennials to re-seed.