Courtyard gardens - Toby Musgrave

There is perhaps no style of garden more emotive and evocative than the cottage garden. Imbued with a sense of romance, idealised by writers and painters and so alluring to garden makers all over the world, it has been fashionable for nearly two centuries.

But today we often think the cottage garden as outdated, old fashioned; a relic of a by-gone age. Nothing could be further from the truth. With the hustle and bustle of today’s frantic lifestyle, the cottage garden has never been more appropriate. It is the distillation of the essence of what a garden should be – it is a place of beauty, repose and tranquillity. It enables us to get back in touch with the soil, to enjoy the hugely rewarding, but simple pleasures of sowing seed and taking cuttings; of caring for plants and watching them grow and thrive; of harvesting and eating home grown produce. And when the work is done, we can relax in a beautiful, sweetly scented floral retreat.

Including a number of beautiful designs and lavish photography throughout, Toby Musgrave’s guidebook to tranquillity will inspire you to create a garden that is as practical as it is beautiful.