[left: At Connecticut's mid-19th century Roseland Cottage the V-shaped bed of annuals, bordered by boxwood shrubs, gives a bit of the popular Victorian garden style.] Eighteenth century England initiated the natural or picturesque view of the landscape, with its signature…
At Chatsworth, the classic English garden with a blend of both natural and symmetrical design, you see this straight hedgerow, fronted by a statue. Edward Kemp, the 19th century English garden designer, trained at the classic garden Chatsworth under Joseph…
There is a fascination in America with the English cottage garden. As I was reading about the history of English cottage gardens, I discovered the garden might be more a myth than a reality. E. Hobsbawn and T. Ranger in…
This cottage-style garden pathway shows plants leaning over toward the walkway, which Hensel describes as an important characteristic of the English cottage garden. Americans love the English cottage garden. Margaret Hensel in her book English Cottage Gardening says, “Over the years I…
Last year I did a Master Plan for a home landscape in Maine. The owner, after seeing my drawing, said, “Oh, it has an English cottage garden feeling about it.” Just what is the English cottage garden? American landscape designer Margaret…