Gardens
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300 years old, 40ft tall, 30ft wide: The world’s largest yew hedge has just received its annual trim
August is hedge-trimming season on the Bathurst Estate, in Cirencester.
By Florence Allen Last updated
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The curious incident of the vanishing glasshouses: Country Life's photographs are all that remains of these awe-inspiring structures
The ‘winter garden’ and the ‘terraced grounds of exquisite beauty’ were two of Cherkley Court’s featured attractions. They were advertised for sale in Country Life in 1910 — and then they vanished.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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Eat up your daylilies: The underappreciated east Asian flower that's a marvel in the kitchen
Mark Diacono was at first suspicious of cutting the stem of a gorgeous red daylily, until he realised how delicious they are.
By Mark Diacono Published
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'Knoll offers a masterclass in the adaptability of grass': The Dorset garden that went from tourist attraction to specialist nursery
Tilly Ware visits Knoll Gardens in Dorset, which offers a masterclass in grasses and how to make your garden stay beautiful for longer.
By Tilly Ware Published
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'Each one is like a coral reef in an agricultural desert': One man's mission to rewild the swimming pool
At a fraction of the cost of a traditional pool, David Pagan Butler’s pioneering organic alternative has a global fanbase and he’s on a mission to share his knowledge.
By Flora Watkins Published
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The grass isn’t always greener on the other side: Five alternatives to lawn, from fleshy sedums to aromatic thyme
No Mow May and similar initiatives want to inspire gardeners to replace their lawns with pollinator-friendly alternatives — but knowing where to start and what to do is an off-putting minefield.
By Rosie Paterson Published
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What everyone's talking about this week: It's time to follow in the footsteps of King’s College, Cambridge, and kiss the lawnmower goodbye
Week in, week out, Will Hosie rounds up the hottest topics on everyone's lips, in London and beyond.
By Will Hosie Published
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The rose that flowers 'from October to summer', and the man who used it to light up a beautiful corner of London
George Plumptre pays tribute to the late Roger Phillips, whose seminal book on trees has been updated almost 50 years after its initial publication.
By George Plumptre Published
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Isabel Bannerman: Gardens fade in the heat of high-summer, but it's still possible to plant pockets of joy in shaded spaces
This is traditionally the time of powdery daisies caked in sun, but our writer craves a 'spritz' more likely found among shade-loving plants in damp-holding places.
By Isabel Bannerman Published
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Plant once, enjoy for decades: Alan Titchmarsh on the wonder that is the agapanthus
Agapanthus has a special place in Alan Titchmarsh's heart.
By Alan Titchmarsh Published
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'I blitzed it. Nothing survived. If you have one bit of surviving bindweed, you will have it forever’: A peek in to the ruthless world of the gravel garden
Since they appeared in the 1990s, gravel gardens have grown in popularity, especially in recent years. What are the keys for success? Non Morris asks some of Britain's top experts in the field, from the brutal work needed to get started through to the plants that only work 'if you get rid of soil entirely'.
By Non Morris Published
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Why a love of gardening will get us all in the end
When it comes to gardening, resistance is futile — especially if you're British — so it's best to give into it and get on with it.
By James Alexander-Sinclair Published
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A lush, 'tropical' garden in Devon where bananas and ginger grow happily alongside the staples of an English country garden
Steep inclines and rocky outcrops are nothing to the owners of this coastal garden, which is filled with plants-many from the southern hemisphere-that thrive in such conditions, finds Caroline Donald.
By Caroline Donald Published
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25 design books that will transform your ideas, as recommended by Britain's leading interior and garden designers
Giles Kime spoke to some of the best designers and gardeners to get their recommendations on the books that constantly prove a source of inspiration in their work.
By Giles Kime Published
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Five British gardens have a starring role on the New York Times's list of 25 must-see gardens — here are the ones they forgot
Multiple British gardens have topped a New York Times list.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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Don't judge a plant by its smell: Why 'the little stinkers of the natural world' are just doing their job
Reminiscent of love and with an unmistakable odour of death, the little stinkers of the natural world might incite repulsion, but they are only doing their job, pleads Ian Morton
By Ian Morton Published
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The garden created by a forgotten genius of the 1920s, rescued from 'a sorry state of neglect to a level of quality it has not known for over 50 years'
George Dillistone’s original Arts-and-Crafts design at Knowle House, East Sussex, has been lovingly restored and updated with contemporary planting. George Plumptre tells more; photography by Clive Nichols.
By George Plumptre Published
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Alan Titchmarsh: My garden is as pretty as I've ever known it, thanks to an idea I've rediscovered after 50 years
Thinking about an article he wrote almost half a century ago prompted Alan Titchmarsh to get sowing — and he's now reaping summer loveliness.
By Alan Titchmarsh Published
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The Hollywood garden designers who turned their hand to a magical corner of Somerset
Caisson House's fifteen abandoned locks were part of the draw for Amanda and Phil Honey, who have created this astonishing garden in the grounds of the former headquarters of the Somersetshire Coal Canal Company just outside Bath. Caroline Donald discovers more; photography by Jason Ingram.
By Caroline Donald Published
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Sarah Raven: The flowers I have that are flourishing superbly, despite the battering heat
Gardener and writer Sarah Raven on the flowers that won't wilt in the heat.
By Sarah Raven Last updated
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The 'Rose Labyrinth' of Coughton Court, where 200 varieties come together in this world-renowned garden in Warwickshire
Val Bourne finds the award-winning roses flourishing at Coughton Court in Warwickshire, where the historic garden is now in the hands of the latest in many generations of the same family. Photography by Clive Nichols.
By Val Bourne Published