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Beautiful, rewarding, unpronounceable: Chaenomeles, the spectacular shrub that grows happily in gardens where azaleas will never bloom
So many new types of Japanese flowering quince are now available that they have been the subject of a four-year trial by the RHS. Charles Quest-Ritson picks his favourites; just don't ask him to say their names out loud.
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What is everyone talking about this week: Rewilding starts in your own back garden — even in the city
If you were to string all of Britain's gardens together, they would cover a space larger than Devon. That's why we need to rewild them.
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English country gardens once dotted the French Riviera. Now the last of them is about to slip away forever
Charles Quest-Ritson laments the final closure of the English Edwardian garden at Le Clos.
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Three plants to grow in 2026 that are as delicious as they are pretty, from Siberian chives to 'Turkish warty cabbage'
Our grow-your-own expert Mark Diacono has sound advice for those feeling adventurous in the garden in 2026.
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Seeing the centuries old specimens of Carl Linnaeus in a new light
Safely stored in a dark vault in London, the dried specimens of Carl Linnaeus's 18th-century herbarium have been revealed in their true colours.
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Alan Titchmarsh: Everything you think you know about ivy is probably wrong
The oft-maligned ivy is no parasite, says Alan Titchmarsh: it's a plant that does little harm and much good.
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The railway station gardens that bring a touch of bucolic bliss to an ordinary train ride
Gently tended by devoted staff, the railway station garden has become a rural idyll in its own right, says Andrew Martin.
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The Convent Garden of Il Redentore: A Venice masterpiece that's finally opened its gates after 450 years of total privacy
The recent exemplary restoration by Paolo Pejrone of the 16th-century monastic gardens is not to be missed, writes Tim Richardson. Photographs by Nicolò Tacconi/Orto Giardino del Redentore.
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Helmingham Hall: The ancient garden at a medieval hall where the drawbridge is still pulled up every night
Half a millennium of careful tending at Helmingham Hall in Suffolk — home of Ed and Sophie Tollemache — has given this garden a rare magic, most noticeable in the depths of winter. Tilly Ware paid a visit; photography by Clive Nichols.
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The plants to give for Christmas which will keep flowering for years
John Massey of Ashwood Nurseries grows thousands of Christmas plants each year — making him one of our Christmas heroes. Here are his tips for the best ones to give.
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Dragonflies, flowers, dogs and lobsters: The 17th century nature brought back to life by the paintings of Alexander Marshal
Alexander Marshal — this country’s first major botanical painter — deserves to be better known, writes Tiffany Daneff, after seeing his luminous originals in the Royal Collection.
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How to create spectacular arrangements for your Christmas table
Candles, crabapples and a Champagne bucket are all your need to transform your Christmas table, says Amy Merrick. Just don't mention cut flowers.
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The greatest flowers make the greatest art
A search for still-life subjects led Kate Friend to some of the greatest gardens and gardeners in the country
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There are a billion microbes in a teaspoon of soil. Leaving the leaves to Nature feeds and nourishes them
Leaf blowers aren't just futile and polluting — they're actively bad for the health of your garden, not to mention your mental wellbeing. Time to reach for the rake, says Isabel Bannerman.
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Country Life's luxury editor's Christmas gift ideas for the home and garden
Our luxury editor's round up of the best Christmas presents for house and garden proud mothers, fathers, siblings, partners and friends.
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What trees taught me about perfect planting — Alan Titchmarsh
Sense and patience is key to growing healthy trees, as a certain Mr Mackenzie showed a young Alan Titchmarsh
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When it comes to making the perfect garden tool, the past has all the answers
Mary Keen visits Garden & Wood, the mecca for dedicated gardeners who prefer using tools made in the 1940s
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'A dream of Nirvana... almost too good to be true': The sweet peas of Easton Walled Gardens, and how you can replicate their success at home
Ursula Cholmeley, who has spent 25 years restoring Easton Walled Gardens, recommends sowing sweet peas now for stronger plants that will better withstand the weather.
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How to choose the perfect rose this bare root season
Looks can be deceiving: bare root roses are hardier and more sustainable than potted ones, says Tabi Jackson Gee, who moved to a cottage in Wiltshire and went about finding the perfect plant. You just need patience.
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The trees that are as fine to eat as they are to look at
Mark Diacono doesn't grow many trees for the sake of the bounty they provide — but these are the notable exceptions.
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Bothered by brambles and snagged by sow thistles, but what is the point of all this thorny microaggression?
Nature’s spiky deterrents — thorns, spines and prickles — may be quick to catch us out, but they can also prove to be a useful ally.
