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The garden at Mount St John: Tom Stuart-Smith's contemporary pleasure groundThe starting point for making the magnificent garden at Mount St John in North Yorkshire — home of Chris and Jill Blundell — was its awe-inspiring views, writes Kendra Wilson. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
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What tulips should you plant this autumn? Alan Titchmarsh, Isabella Bannerman and 10 more of Britain's best gardeners and writers give their answerOverwhelmed by the mass of tulip bulbs on offer? Friends and contributors of Country Life tell us which tulips they will be planting for next spring.
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If you Focus, you too can be inspired by the wit and wisdom of leading experts in the world of designThis month, events at Focus/26 and beyond will offer an opportunity to see new launches — and pick up some expert tips and tricks.
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How Kew planted an American prairie in the heart of SussexSwathes of American prairie plants are being trialled at Kew Wakehurst in an effort to search for drought-tolerant species for our gardens. Charles Quest-Ritson reports. Photographs by Mimi Connolly.
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A slice of heaven for fruit lovers: One of the world's greatest apple displays is about to take place in DevonEuropom — one of the great celebrations of the fruit grown across Europe — will be taking place this year at RHS Rosemoor. Charles Quest-Ritson can't wait.
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Where vanity meets art: Before the selfie, there was the mirrorAn indicator of wealth, a tool of either flirtation or restraint and ‘one of the most powerful ways to shape a space’, a grand mirror reflects far more than a pretty face.
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Beautiful, impressive, mature: The high-summer splendour of Cedar HouseNew collections of trees and shrubs, colourful herbaceous plantings and dedication to its development have transformed the six acres of the garden and arboretum at Cedar House in Wasperton, home of David and Sandra Burbidge. Charles Quest-Ritson paid a visit to a place that has become a major showpiece; photography by Clive Nichols.
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Reader event: Reinventing the country house at DaylesfordPresented by Daylesford
Next month, leading experts in architecture, interior design, stonework and cabinetry will share the secret of creating a country house suited to life in the 21st century at Daylesford’s Heritage Barn.
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Restraint, repetition and 'an unflinching critical eye': The keys to the garden at Craichlaw HouseRestraint, repetition and refinement of planting over three decades have created the spectacular garden at Craichlaw House, Kirkcowan — home of Andrew and Mary Gladstone. Kirsty Fergusson reports; photography by Andrea Jones.
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Cuttings not cakes: The sublime story of the Secret Orchard NurseryArthur Parkinson visits a favourite plant nursery in Derbyshire, which has gained a reputation for the quality and range of its plants.
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African Kuba cloth is the antithesis of our increasingly digital and mechanised worldThe intricate textures and graphic quality of Kuba cloth are the antithesis to modern homogeneity.
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Bountiful, blowsy and scented: The gravity-defying walled garden at the Palace of Bishop AucklandThe gardens of the Palace of Bishop Auckland, Co Durham — home of Jonathan and Jane Ruffer — have undergone extensive garden restoration and creation work overseen by Pip Morrison. Mary Keen paid a visit to one of its highlights: the steeply-sloped walled garden, returned to full production since 2024. Photographs by Andrea Jones.
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A summer of prickles and rashes, splinters, scrapes and scratches, a season of stings: Nature is biting backJason Goodwin reflects on a summer of bites, pricks and stings.
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How this apartment in the historic heart of London went from underwhelming white box to somewhere with comfort, character and sense of placeCarefully conceived joinery and a collection of artwork and ceramics have transformed this London pied-à-terre.
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The Somerset house that brought 'jungle gardening' to the EnglishEast Lambrook Manor in Somerset — home of Andrew and Alison Johnson — where Margery Fish’s exuberant ‘jungle gardening’ style took shape, is flourishing once again under new custodianship. Charles Quest-Ritson paid a visit; photography by Jonathan Buckley.
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The French Capability Brown meets English-style design in this German gardenA jewel in Germany’s crown: there’s more than a hint of the fairy tale about Schloss Dyck in the Rhineland.
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How to introduce colour and comfort to a traditional farmhouseBryony Richardson talks to Arabella Youens about her recent project in the Channel Islands.
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'Stately, spacious and much more enjoyable': The RHS garden show that outdoes ChelseaA visit to RHS Badminton left Mary Keen impressed.
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The 300-year-old bookcases in a Devon castle that's been in the same family for 600 yearsJohn Goodall talks to the 19th Earl of Devon, Charlie Courtenay, about one of the greatest treasures at Powderham Castle.
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'We cracked the padlock and found a mountainful of asbestos, so that wasn't ideal': The secret spaces in our finest country housesSecret spaces in country houses continue to thrill and spook us in equal measure.
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'Mystery, subtle magic, and strange, elusive charm which must be felt but cannot wholly be understood': The exquisite Italianate gardens of Renishaw HallRenishaw Hall in Derbyshire is one of the earliest and finest gardens to appear in Country Life. The Anglo-Italian landscape created by Sir George Sitwell — and now home of Alexandra Sitwell and her husband, Rick Hayward — continues to enthral visitors with its elusive charms over a century later. Main photography by Clive Nichols.
