Gardens
Britain's best gardens, and advice on how to transform your own with seasonal advice from leading gardeners & Country Life experts.
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'It was like going on a blind date... over a few glasses of wine our friendship was sealed and by three in the morning we had a plan': The creation of a spectacular Moroccan garden
Scrubby farmland near Marrakech has been transformed into an exceptional garden with views of the snow-capped Atlas mountains. discovers Kirsty Fergusson discovers the gardens of Riad Nouria, home of Lexi and Helena Oswald. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Kirsty Fergusson Last updated
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Alan Titchmarsh: I'm always asked about 'creating a sensory garden', and my answer is always the same
From the chirruping of the birds to the sweeping of a broom, Alan Titchmarsh shares the sounds that all our gardens have in common.
By Alan Titchmarsh Published
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The gardeners' gardens: Alan Titchmarsh, Mary Keen, Clive Nichols and more on the places they have on their 2026 hitlists
Which gardens are Country Life contributors most looking forward to visiting this year? We asked them for the where and why.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
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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.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Published
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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.
By Will Hosie Published
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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.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Published
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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.
By Mark Diacono Published
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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.
By Christopher Stocks Published
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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.
By Andrew Martin Published
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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.
By Tim Richardson Published
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Country Life's top 10 garden stories of 2025, from Alan Titchmarsh's hardy annuals to David Beckham's Cotswolds paradise
We look back at the most-read architecture stories on the Country Life website in 2025.
By Toby Keel Published
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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.
By Tilly Ware Published
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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.
By Jane Wheatley Published
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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.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
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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.
By Amy Merrick Published
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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
By Tiffany Daneff Published
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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.
By Isabel Bannerman Published
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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
By Alan Titchmarsh Last updated
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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
By Mary Keen Published
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Exclusive: The King's remarkable resurrection of the gardens and parkland at Sandringham
The King took over the running of the 21,000-acre Sandringham estate in 2017 — and in the last three years has transformed it beyond recognition.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Last updated
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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.
By Ursula Cholmeley Published


