Best of Both Gardens

Greg Loades’ book outlines how to fuse the elements of a traditional and new-age landscape for the perfect modern cottage garden.

“Peace on earth, can it be? In our gardens, yes,” affirms Greg Loades.

An author and editor who has spent his career writing about and caring for plants, Loades knows the world of horticulture and gardening constantly evolves, but new iterations of “classic” gardens don’t have to eschew the whimsy of an old-fashioned cottage garden.

In his book The Modern Cottage Garden: A Fresh Approach to a Classic Style, Loades describes the characteristics and path to a current yet cottage-esque landscape, assuring green thumbs everywhere that various styles can live in harmony. The modern cottage garden combines the best elements of traditional and new gardening techniques, embracing spontaneity and nostalgia by incorporating both organic growth and orderly planting.

|ABOVE LEFT| Using plants that flower across multiple seasons is the best return on investment for your garden. This sweet-scented Princess Anne shrub rose blooms through much of autumn next to the upright flower stems of which will provide beauty and structure through winter. |ABOVE MIDDLE| While intense colors are sparse in modern cottage gardens, these red achilleas provide a striking pop of color among the wispy grasses and yellow satin flowers. |OPPOSITE| Traditional roses like Lady of Shalott planted in front of a brick wall add old-fashioned charm to your garden. Pairing roses with tall perennials, like echinacea, supplies this garden with height and intrigue.