Gardens
Gardens
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The real language of flowers, or how to decode your Valentine's day bouquet
On Valentine's Day, Martin Fone takes a look at the true meaning behind flowers, decoding what each individual bloom says about the receiver - or the sender.
By Martin Fone Last updated
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'I followed a lorry for miles just so I could ask the driver if I could buy his pot': How Beth Tarling put together her dream terracotta pot collection
Ordinary terracotta flowerpots have been made in their millions and yet, as collector Beth Tarling tells Tiffany Daneff, there is very little on record about them. Photographs by Mark Bolton.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
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Isabel Bannerman: The year’s first and most abundantly cheery, uplifting and undemanding of winter flowers
Cyclamen coum is one of the plants that lights up our gardens at this time of year.
By Isabel Bannerman Published
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The winter vegetable that's 'the prince of accompaniments to a joint of meat'
Steven Desmond on the joy of parsnips.
By Steven Desmond Published
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Totally tropical Tresco: The English country garden that brings the tropics to the British Isles
A warm reception awaits visitors to Tresco Abbey Garden — the home of Robert and Lucy Dorrien-Smith — where the year-round temperate climate has created an extraordinarily colourful garden–even in winter. Tiffany Daneff reports, with photography by Clive Nichols.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
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'There seems to be little sympathy, understanding or respect for the kind of work that goes on in the world’s leading horticultural charity': Alan Titchmarsh calls for RHS Wisley compensation
The RHS estimates that it will lose £11 million from ongoing roadworks on Junction 10 of the M25 — enough to fund 15 NHS wellbeing gardens.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Alan Titchmarsh: The neat planting trick which means I almost never have to do any weeding
Alan Titchmarsh yields to no-one in his striving for garden perfectionism — and he's helped in his task by a cunning strategy that helps him avoid weeding almost completely.
By Alan Titchmarsh Published
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The ultimate joy of winter gardening? Heading for sunnier spots knowing that your garden won't suffer from your absence
Charles Quest-Ritson shares his Mediterranean winter dreams.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Published
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Taste explosions: How to grow micro leaves that pack a serious punch
Small in size and quick to mature, these seedlings of coriander, rocket, radish and more are bursting with flavour that belies their size.
By Mark Diacono Published
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Villa Frere: The centuries-old garden created by an English diplomat, reclaimed by Nature, and now once again restored by Man
Rubble and ruin were all that remained of the early-19th-century Villa Frere and its gardens, planted by the English diplomat John Hookham Frere, until a group of dedicated volunteers came to its rescue. Josephine Tyndale-Biscoe tells the story of the gardens of Villa Frere in Pietà, Malta.
By Country Life Published
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Alan Titchmarsh: 'A stately pile in my part of Hampshire has been on the market for years — but one buyer didn't even make it to the door before getting back in his helicopter'
Silence is golden — and more readily accessible at this time of year than any other, says Alan Titchmarsh.
By Alan Titchmarsh Published
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Country Life's top 10 gardens articles of 2024
From the gardens of A-listers and crazed plant hunters to tips on compost, we covered it all in 2024.
By Toby Keel Published
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Charles Quest-Ritson: Walnuts are one of the gardener's greatest pleasures — but you'll have to be ready for the squirrels
Once you are hooked by walnuts and want to grow more varieties, you find an extraordinary amount of choice. Charles Quest-Ritson explains more.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Published
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The special magic of a frozen garden in winter
Waking up to discover the garden transformed by a short, sharp hoar frost is a magical experience. Tiffany Daneff looks at how to make the most of it, and shares five of the best to visit over the holiday period.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
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Mark Diacono: How to grow savory both summer and winter
The grow-your-own gardening expert on summer savory and winter savory, and making sure that whenever you can't enjoy one, you'll be able to call on the other.
By Mark Diacono Published
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The trees with fruits so sweet and delectable that badgers have been known to batter their way through iron gates to get to them
Garden designer and writer Isabel Bannerman doesn't normally advocate taking plants from one house to another — but her mulberry tree has been with her for years.
By Isabel Bannerman Published
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Rip it up and start again: RHS Wisley's daring reinvention of one of its most famous plantings
Piet Oudolf, father of the New Perennial Movement, has dug up his famous double borders at the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley in Surrey and transformed them. John Hoyland takes a look, with photographs by Clive Nichols.
By John Hoyland Published