The Green Pages: ENGLISH COTTAGE GARDENING for American Gardeners (Printed Media, Books, Magazines)

This is not only a well written book, it is a beautiful book... chock full of excellent ideas for any gardener inclined toward the "cottage" style. The photos are lush images of what can be done with this relaxed form of landscape gardening.
Even if you are not interested in purchasing this book you should consider borrowing it through an inter-library loan... and reading the one chapter that gives rise to this review.
In the chapter titled "Yew Tree Cottage" you will get to hear the story of Jean Sinfield and her rented garden. Jean and her husband bought a small fixer-upper cottage in 1956 next to a piece of land belonging to the pub next door. "A jungle of brambles and nettles, the vacant lot had been used as a dumping ground for everything from tires to old refrigerators."
Jean asked the pub owner if she could create a garden in the vacant lot and he, thinking her crazy, rented it to her for one pound a year.
The chapter faithfully takes you through the 30 years she spent creating the garden of her dreams... on rented land. The photographs will simply bowl you over.
That's all I'm going to tell you... other than to say the rest of the book is really good too.

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