The Modern Cottage Garden

June 15, 2020
Loades, editor of The Alpine Gardener, inspires with this delightful exploration of the process of creating a “modern cottage garden.” After explaining how he defines this term, as a combination of the traditional English cottage garden and the more naturalistic “New Perennial Movement,” Loades dispenses extensive instructions on assembling attractive arrays of plants for backyards as well as smaller spaces, such as a “selection of mixed containers” on a patio. He then goes through the seasons, telling readers what to expect at every stage, such as that the “cottage garden’s star performers... have a habit of peaking in early summer.” He wraps up with a list of 50 essential plants (including dainty cyclamen coum and the salvia Hot Lips, which “starts flowering in summer and continues through until the first frost”). Gorgeous, full-page color photos of gardens designed using Loades’s approach will propel readers to the nearest plant nursery. Wry aphorisms (“It’s not just death and taxes that are inevitable. A lot of frustrated gardeners would add slugs to this saying too”) charmingly punctuate the how-to. Herbophiles will find it impossible not to get drawn into Loades’s blossoming world.

August 1, 2020
Former editor of BBC Gardeners' World and Garden News, Loades captures here the essence of cottage gardening, which is focused on inspiration rather than order, and encourages readers in its modern interpretation. He provides those new to the cottage garden a history lesson that frames his philosophy for garden design, based on plant size and color and emphasizing experimentation over rules. Through garden visits, readers learn the basics, with lush and bright photos that provide a glimpse into the mature cottage garden. This title is also packed with helpful resources to create lively randomness, including a season-by-season guide, advice for cottage container gardening, and an extensive plant glossary. With Loades' guidance, avid and beginning gardeners will feel comfortable designing and choosing the plant heroes of their cottage garden.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)