This is a review of two books on cottage gardens. Both books are describing roughly the same thing but there is a long history behind cottage gardens and many definitions. Generally, a cottage garden is a style of gardening in the British Isles on small holdings. Usually it is a diversified garden in a rural setting. The Cottage Garden by C. Lloyd & R Bird 1999 The introduction describes the history of cottage gardens from their early subsistence roots to todays affluence. This is interesting because i'm more interested in the older low technology approaches. Todays gardens are more organized and are not as good at recycling local materials. It has become easy to add materials from a garden supply store. The rest of the book describes todays cottage garden. Everything thing from plans and plants to buildings. Fruit, flowers, and vegetables are all part of a cottage garden. For me this functional garden style is very attractive and the inclusion of bees and animals creates a mini ecosystem. The ecological aspects of cottage gardens is probably a gift from their early roots and a nostalgic stubbornness of some people. In any case this is a good book. The Cottage Water Systems Max Burns , 1999 Cottage water systems are slightly different from what what is popular here in the US. This book talks about grey water treatment, out houses, composting toilets, and wells. The techniques and ideas are more ecological than the US equivalent but not up to Permaculture standards. In several places i felt plants could be used more effectively to clean the water and materials recycled better. Still, this is another good book. I send some information about these books to a friend and he responded that the following book is by far the best reference on cottage gardens. I've not read it. History of English Countryside Oliver Rackham I may have that title wrong, but the author is correct. ---- jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.xprt.net/~jko underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape to leave ecopath: unsubscribe ecopath -> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
