Wer braucht denn schon Frühblüher, wenn man gerade (zumindest in Süddeutschland) aus dem Fenster schaut. Die Welt, dick eingepackt in einer weißen Daunendecke, jedes Geräusch gedämpft und die Farben (die wenigen) leuchten besonders vor ihrer weißen Leinwand. Foto: Janina Laszlo Und natürlich war früher alles besser. Denn da – erzählt man sich – waren die Winter noch Winter und der Schnee blieb beharrlich monatelang. Dann versteckte er Matsch, trockenes Gras und altes Laub, schlicht alles, was ma...

Keine Frucht wird so sehr mit dem Weihnachten verknüpft wie der Apfel. Am Weihnachtsbaum - früher nannte man diesen auch den Fressbaum - hingen lauter Leckereien wie Äpfel, Datteln und Nüsse. Und nach der Weihnachtsfeier durfte dieser dann geplündert werden. Wichtig war, dass der Apfel im Dezember noch frisch und knackig aussah und natürlich musste er rot sein. Der wohl bekannteste Weihnachtsapfel dürfte der rote Cousinot gewesen sein. Abgelöst wurde der Apfel dann später durch die Weihnachtsk...

Mowing, hoeing, weeding, fertilizing – a garden can keep you wildly busy. Isn't it a shame when the very place you're supposed to go to for rest, relaxation and inspiration starts to occupy your daily to-do list – and even worse, when the work starts to feel too physically demanding. If all of this sounds familiar then it might be time to rethink what you're doing with your little patch of land. Photo: Syl Gervais I love gardening! For me, it's incredibly satisfying. And taking time out from ...

A good cottage gardens needs roses. Lots of roses. And for those of you who say: they have thorns. And diseases. And I just don't like roses. Side note, who doesn't like roses??? Message me immediately – we need to talk! Seriously though, there are loads of different types, some of them thornless and most of them exceedingly healthy. There's going to have to be one or two you like! I guess in some ways, that actually makes it more difficult to choose a rose though. I mean, there are over 30,0...

There's one thing I get asked all the time. That's aside from how to get rid of slugs and snails, which I'll have to write a whole article on one day. So, what do people always want to know about? Privacy screens that work in cottage gardens. Whether you're looking to block out on an unpleasant view, hide your garden from prying eyes or make things feel a bit cozier – screens offer a sense of security and even provide some protection against harsh weather conditions. But what kind of privacy sc...

When Natalie from the German blog Wildes Gartenherz (Wild Garden Heart) asked me if she could write a profile about this plant for My Cottage Garden, I was forced to take a closer look at it for the first time. And I ended up hugely impressed by both, the plant and the wonderful suggestion from a guest writer. And after reading it, I'm even more than merely 'impressed'. All I've been able to think about for last couple of days is where I'm going to find space in my garden to plant Gypsophila ...

I'm from Provence. At least on my mother's side. My French grandmother always used to make quince cheese (pâte de coing) in the fall. Although, I always think 'cheese' is a strange word to use. Quince candy is really more accurate. The quince cheese would be dried in the attic and served as one of the traditional 13 desserts at Christmas. Fortunately, my grandmother wrote all her recipes down in a little notebook and, as our quince tree spoiled us with a particularly generous harvest this year,...

They seem like they’d be a cottage garden staple, right? I can see why people think that. Delphiniums add an instant touch of enchantment and romance to any garden and are a great way to shake up an otherwise monotonous landscaping design. However, there are few plants that cause me so much misery (and from listening to your feedback and desperate pleas for help, I get the feeling that I'm not the only one). Delphiniums, these towering human-sized perennials, are apparently not as easy to gro...

My wonderful neighbor Christina has written a guest post about dream vs reality of living in the country. If this doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will. Just a note: the original version was of course in German but I hope my translation does it and her justice. Over to you, Christina. I live in the middle of nowhere. Because I want to. I love being immersed in nature. I love watching the flowers bloom and grow, seeing the seasons change and soaking up the sun, wind and rain. It's all so...

I just adore late summer. The vibrant colors and the harvest baskets full of glistening tomatoes, green and yellow zucchini or courgettes, if you're in Britain), juicy peaches and fragrant plums. It's summer's last hurrah. And amidst all this abundance, a flower starts to bloom that I look forward to seeing every year: the Japanese anemone. I know that people have different tastes, but I still struggle to understand why not everybody has her in their garden. She's stunningly beautiful, non-fu...