Historic paintings and a lively text make this little book a really good introduction to the development of cottage gardens in Britain. Paintings by artists like Helen Allingham, which are not over idealised, give us a sense of how nineteenth and early twentieth century cottage gardens really looked.

Twigs Way explains the origins of the cottage garden in its value as source of both food and flowers and considers its place in the moral landscape of Victorian England as well as the everyday lives of the people who made them. She then brings us to date with glimpses of how cottage garden style influences the design of today’s gardens.

• Historic paintings give a contemporary idea of Victorian cottage garden style
• Lively overview of cottage garden development

The Cottage Garden by Twigs Way is published by Shire Publications