English Cottage Gardening: For American Gardeners, Revised Edition

Thanks to the extraordinary photographs and gardening wisdom in this classic book, the elegant intimacy of the English cottage garden is a practical possibility for amateur gardeners in diverse regions of the United States. The author has analyzed the aesthetic and horticultural elements in ten representative cottage gardens--eight in England and two in the United States. Her spectacular photographs render the look and atmosphere of these gardens, while her text focuses on easily grown, readily available plants that are adaptable to a wide variety of climatic and soil conditions.

In the back of the book--completely updated for this new edition--may be found specific horticultural information on a wide variety of cottage garden plants commonly available in the United States, glossaries of Latin and common names, and a list of sources for old rose varieties. The gardens in this beautiful book are not those of the great estates of England, manicured by staffs of professional gardeners. They are, instead, labors of love on the part of individual homeowners, many of whom started with bleak, rubble-strewn lots and went on to create the enchanted settings pictured here.

The author, Margaret Hensel , January 8, 2000: How my book came about and what it is about. One of the questions I am most frequently asked when I lecture or give garden workshops is, "How did you happen to write a book on cottage gardening?" To answer that question I relate the story from the first few pages of "English Cottage Gardening for American June morning, on the way to photograph the Gardens at Sissinghusrt Castle, I happened to drive through the small village of Benover, in Kent.

On the lefthand side of the road I spotted the most wonderful thatched cottage with hollyhocks and cascades of red and yellow roses surrounding the windows and the wild, picturesque tangle of old-fashioned perennials either side of the path leading to the front door.

I stopped the car and asked the white-haired man trimming roses for permission to take some photographs. He cheerfully gave his consent. I then spent the rest of the afternoon walking up and down the path taking photographs and studying the selection and placement of flowers, and-to my surprise- identifying a good many that were hardy from USDA Zone 4 to Zones 8 and 9.

Later that afternoon, the couple who owned the cottage invited me to tea. Seated beneath an old apple tree, they talked about their garden. Each plant had a story. Some were gifts from friends and neighbors, others had been purchased at tiny roadside stands, or grown from seed. Over the years, the couple had tried many different plants, some successes, others utter failures. But it was apparent that every experience had become a part of the richness of their life together."

That evening I thought about that cottage garden and compared it in my heart and mind to the large, famous gardens that I had been photographing. Here, I thought was something charming and accessible and wonderfully welcoming; a garden style that could easily be translated into the small gardens and front yeards of urban and suburban America.

During the next eight years, for part of each year I travelled throughout England visiting and photographing hundreds of cottage gardens and talking with the gardeners who created them. During that time I discovered each cottage garden was as unique as the gardener who created it. Some were delightful fantasies with whimsical topiary, others offered beautiful yet practical solutions to common design problems.

But as different as they were, these gardens had certain things in common. A cottage garden,I discovered, is intimate and welcoming and helps create an intimate link between the house and its surroundings. A cottage garden is informal and full of flowers, with plants spilling over walks, arbors and each other.

I saw many of the same plants used again and again. But each cottage gardener used them in his or her own way. One gardener might use catmint ( Nepeta) beneath roses as a groundcover, while another gardener used catmint as an edging for a perennial border. As a result, certain key perennials run like a theme throughout my book.

Many of these key cottage plants are also featured in the Cultural Chart at the end of the book. Compiled with the help of Gary Koller of the Arnold Arboretum, the chart features over 70 perennials and includes information on cultural requirements, design uses and plants for dry conditions.

Throughout my book I also explore the stylistic elements that characterize a cottage garden and how to create the look and feel of a cottage garden.

I am really excited about the latest edition of my book. I hope readers, from beginning gardeners to professional designers, will enjoy using the new index and the updated source material in the 4th edition of "English Cottage Gardening for American GArdeners."

About the Author: Margaret Hensel is an accomplished garden designer, photographer, and writer whose articles and photographs have been published in numerous magazines. She lives in western Massachusetts.

Read all about "English Cottage Gardening: For American Gardeners, Revised Edition"