New Look

Cinead McTernan contemplates the latest twist on this timeless style, and considers the contemporary cottage garden

In recent years, the beautifully romantic cottage garden style has had something of a transformation. A twist on the traditional, if you will. Garden writer Lia Leendertz reported the emergence of this new style in The Guardian back in 2010 when the award-winning designer, Tom Stuart-Smith, alongside various others, presented their version of the classic planting style in their RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens. Lia described this new style as “Appearing all over the show like a rather charming rash… a more naturalistic and cohesive version of cottage garden planting, held firmly in place by strong, structural lines and killer topiary.”