What does your dream cottage garden look like? Does it have a rustic arch that supports climbing roses, clematis, or honeysuckle? Are the flower beds informal plantings of colorful annuals, perennials, and herbs? Do you envision neat rows of vegetables? While an idyllic cottage garden is still as appealing today as it was 200 years ago, it can now be interpreted in many different ways and adapted to suit personal tastes as well as local conditions. Best of all, this fantastic refuge is easily attainable and requires relatively little care. This is the comforting and soothing haven we all yearn for -- an oasis of calm that we would dearly like to escape to. The romantic garden is filled with softly curved beds and borders, and sweetly scented, shapely plants. The dominant feature is two circular lawns that represent wedding bands, one of the most beloved symbols of the eternal cycle of love. A more formal approach brings order and symmetry to your property with tightly clipped yews and precise plantings -- a sharp contrast to the blurred boundaries of hedgerows, beds, and paths that are the hallmark of the rural garden. Other designs focus on climate as their theme. If you live in a dry area, for example, there are attractive plants that prefer sun and tolerate drought conditions while also providing the look you love.

Cottage gardens have never been more versatile than right now. Book jacket.