Look back to the old traditions of cottage gardening, particularly as it has developed in Australia, and draw from those early, simple models ideas about how we can interpret the tradition today, bearing in mind the need for water-wise gardening and the huge range of new plants currently available. Much of the material in this book, gleaned from 19th century nursery catalogues and books, shows just how many of today's familiar garden plants are in fact already long term doers that are the starting point for developing a palette of hardy plants well-suited to warm, dry climates.
The information will be as useful to those restoring a genuine 19th century cottage and garden as it will to those seeking to create the feel and look of a cottage garden within the raw freshness of a new housing estate or inner city renewal development.
Cottage gardening may seem rather at odds with the general sense of moving into the future yet the need for a small, intimate, personalised domestic environment is still with us. The further we move towards the brave new world of on-line communications, the chip and remote-controlled-everything, the more we seem to rely on maintaining a sense of identity and individuality within our lives, most easily achieved through the creative process.
As a means of expressing that creativity, gardening is becoming one avenue by which diversity, imagination and control can be given free reign. Cottage gardening presents us with plenty of opportunities to explore a wide range of plants and to use them in many varied ways to make pleasing gardens that are uniquely our own.
