A COTTAGE GARDEN’S
OLD-FASHIONED MIX OF
VEGETABLES, HERBS, AND
BOISTEROUS BLOOMS
CREATES TIMELESS
APPEAL.
written and styled by MARTY ROSS
photos ROB CARDILLO
Inspiration came easy for Linda and
Joe Hertzler. The allure of the
traditional cottage gardens at Colonial
Williamsburg, just a short walk away
from the couple’s Virginia home,
proved irresistible. The Hertzlers had
to have their own.
Step one was to establish the
framework for a cottage garden’s
exuberant mix of plants. Bluestone
paths define a grid of flower and
vegetable beds and provide a path to
Linda and Joe’s Colonial-style home.
The stones, some cut in neat rectangles
and others freeform, speak to the
dichotomy of a cottage garden: at once
well-mannered and riotous.
Low-slung, white-painted picket
fences, another hallmark of the cottage
garden, add a second layer of definition
to the gardens’ grid. Inside their
boundaries, red-brick paths complete
the hardscaping by outlining beds.
The plantings themselves follow the
traditional cottage formula: a lively
84
AUGUST 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
