A beautiful book to browse through with exquisite photography of gardens in both Europe and the United States. Gardens of historical importance, like Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackwell-West are included with modern day gardens. The highlight of the book is the photographs although a great deal of them are close-ups which do not necessarily reveal the architectural elements of the gardens.

This book has a specific focus - on cottage gardens. This serves as both a guide and a coffee table book. The book introduces the concept of the cottage garden through both Danish gardens and English gardens which take you into another world. One of timeless beauty. The history of cottage gardens is thoroughly explored with prominent names such as Margery Fish who is considered the last of the English garden ladies, painter and illustrator Helen Allingham, and Gertrude Jekyll who had a brilliant eye for shapes and colors. This then turns into a lovely guide that shows different examples through gorgeous photographs which make this the ideal coffee table book. A must-have!

Having a riotous cottage garden myself, this book offers so much information, with glorious pictures of famous cottage gardens. Delightful colors, interesting plants...Definitely food for thought...recommended reading.

The Cottage Garden is a well written and inspirational gardening guide to design and planning by Danish gardening expert Claus Dalby. Released 5th Sept 2023 by Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Beautifully photographed throughout, the author is meticulous about naming cultivars and providing exact names for the plants chosen. Many of the specific gardens have features which are pointed out and analyzed for readers to copy/modify for their own garden situations. The book also contains a surprising amount of history and minutiae about the gardeners responsible for the renaissance of the cottage garden aesthetic in Europe and the Americas.

The book doesn't have a table of contents, but there's an exhaustive cross-referenced index in the back of the book. It's mostly an inspirational guide and reference to plants to choose and techniques for building a cottage-y garden, whatever size the gardener has to work with.

Four stars. Beautiful and inspirational book.It would make a good selection for public library acquisition or home use.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Beautiful and inviting photographs fill THE COTTAGE GARDEN, an inspiring and wonderfully encouraging guide to creating a cottage garden for yourself. Claus Dalby shares his deep expertise with clear, concise prose, feeling like the garden guru I need when I'm facing the blank wide empty of potential. A truly gorgeous book I will return to many times over. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby is absolute perfection from the historical information to specific plants to creating one's own cottage garden. The photography invites to the ethereal and sublime, as close to fairy tale lands as one can possibly get. And the good news is, cottage gardens are achievable. I garden in climate zones 2a as well as 8b which are drastically different and each full of possibilities. Of course a 2a garden is far more limited but there are countless ideas in this book not just about plant combinations but also structures, meadows, insects, nostalgia, rooms and nooks and crannies. The words "spellbinding" and "enchanting" are made for books such as this.

Whether you are seeking the pure enjoyment of poring over superlative beauty or are dream of a cottage garden of your own, this book is for you. I love that anyone can enjoy salivating over the pages, whether a new gardener or an expert. If this does not inspire, nothing will. All that is required is curiosity and love for beautiful things.

My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this spectacular book. I already have ideas in mind for the 2024 season!

Dalby's work is gorgeous, as always! Looking forward to reading this one in a hard copy too, which feels like the best way to appreciate it.

This was just a lovely book. Even if you didn’t read any of the information and you just looked at all the garden pictures, you would enjoy this book. So pretty.

The Cottage Garden is filled with an abundance of beautiful photographs and a bevy of gardening knowledge. I loved reading this book!

A cottage garden has held a long-term fascination for me and has been an inspiration in the creation of our home’s garden. When I saw Claus Dalby had written this book, I couldn’t wait to read it…and read it in one go!

The visuals are gorgeous! The accompanying narrative is interesting and insightful! It is both fact-rich and inspiring! I wanted to rush to the garden shop and purchase the “missing” plants for our garden and complete the look!

At the same time, I felt I travelled gently around the world through these lovely gardens and met the fascinating creatives behind them through the interviews with the gardeners of these special places!

If you love gardens, don’t miss out on this delightful read! It is a five out of five on the enJOYment scale, and highly recommended!

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Quarto Publishing Group – Cool Springs Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"It's a haphazard approach to gardening in which empty spaces are banned."

Dalby's book is just lovely, brimming with stunning photographs of breathtaking gardens located in several countries. He delves into the history of the cottage garden, and provides valuable advice on creating your own colorful slice of paradise. This delightful book will serve as a source of inspiration during planting season, and a comforting reminder of better times to come during those long winter months.

I truly believe this is Claus Dalby's best book yet.

The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby is exquisite. All of his books are but this book is page after page of different lush European gardens that are inspiration after inspiration.

This book is mostly photos. There are approximately twenty-three gardens featured. The text I feel is just the right amount because this is really about inspiration for those who adore cottage gardens and boy does it deliver. Also, it is soothing for the soul.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Cool Springs Press for the opportunity to read and review The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby.

The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby is a photographic luxury tour of cottage-style flower gardens in the United States and abroad. Avid flower gardeners (as I am) and landscapers will study the chapters for techniques and ideas. Meanwhile, anyone fond of beautiful gardens will enjoy browsing, comparing, and learning. Gardens of recognizable authorities such as Vita Sackville-West and Tasha Tudor are among the glorious photos. This is a five-star reading experience!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing a temporary early digital copy for my reading and honest review.

This was so lovely! I love flowers so getting a chance to see into other people's gardens was a treat.

The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby -Chock Full of Inspiration and Ideas


If you are a gardener who is looking for inspiration and ideas to add to your own garden, you will want to read Claus Dalby’s newest book The Cottage Garden.

Claus covers the history of Danish gardens and the English cottage gardens. He introduces men and women who were influential in the style and design of cottage gardens. Best of all are the wonderful pictures that fill this book showing gardens from around the world, including England, Germany, Denmark, New England, and Sweden. I appreciate the detailed information that Claus shares about plants, varieties, and design elements in each garden. He highlights big and small gardens and has photographs from the four seasons.

The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby is an inspiration to any gardener. From style, to plants, to the exquisite beauty found on each page, readers will come away excited to try news plants and design in their own garden.

I highly recommend The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby. It would be a lovely gift for gardeners, and those who love the beauty found in creation. If you are looking for inspiration and help in your own garden, I encourage you read this book. It will be released on September 5, 2023. I look forward to get my own copy of this book.

I would like to thank Quarto Publishing Group, Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy of The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review
of this book.

I love the look of a cottage garden and the fact that you can plant every plant you want in it. It does take some planning as this book explains.

The garden photographs are delightful. They include not only lovely flowers and gardens but quaint houses, sheds, and out buildings. The yards are often filled with tools, implements, fences, and seating areas. All of these things add to the charm of the cottage gardens pictured.

The author shares with us gardens in places like Denmark, England, Germany and the US. What a wonderful armchair tour!

If you include this book in your gardening library, I guarantee that you will refer to it time and time again.

The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby is a beautifully written book for all keen gardeners.

The book initially covers the history of the cottage garden looking at Landscapers from the past from Gertrude Jekyll to Tasha Tudor. It then delves into an array of modern gardens inspired by the cottage garden theme.

I found this book very informative and the photography was amazing. You could spend hours lost in the gardens looking at the beautiful flowers they have photographed. The author gives some history of the gardens and tells you all about the different areas in them. He is obviously knowledgeable and very much loves gardens himself which comes across in the book.

A book you will go back to time and again for inspiration.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quatro Publishing for the ARC Copy. This review is my own opinion.

Absolutely one of my favorite books of the year! Spectacular photographs and descriptions of "cottage gardens" in many different countries. I (along with my wife) are avid gardeners. This book describes our theory and practices to a "T'. The style is perfectly described as "no formal lines, rigid rules, or perfect spacing in the cottage garden. Instead, the form is organic and purposefully unstructured". That's us! What some people we know call a "mess", we try to point out the well thought out theory and structure that we are using.
The author has really touched the two of us with this book. Knowing that there are others (many, and famous at that) who have cottage gardens reaffirms what we are doing.
This is an absolutely incredible book! Even if you don't like gardening, you will absolutely be enthralled with the photos in this book. I highly recommend it. In fact, we are pre-ordering several copies of the book ourselves. One (maybe two, because it will quickly become worn from reading and re-reading it), plus a couple of others for our gardening friends for Christmas gifts!

The Cottage Garden is a visual delight with hundreds of exquisite pictures of gardens all over Europe, Scandinavia, and the US. It's a rich collection of different flowers and plants, beautiful gardens with tons of information about the gardens and plants themselves, and interviews with some of the gardeners. This is a visual treat. It would be lovely to have as a centerpiece in your home, your living room, or your library!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review on the book!

Absolutely stunning photos of the most perfect flowers. I found it hard to put it down! Some great ideas and lots of useful information. I’ll definitely be buying this for gifts for Christmas!