Expert Gardening Tips
Alan Titchmarsh, Mark Diacono, Charles Quest-Ritson, Isabella Bannerman and more of Country Life's expert columnists share their advice on what to do with your garden.
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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 LondonGeorge 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 spacesThis 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 agapanthusAgapanthus 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 gardenSince 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 endWhen 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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Five British gardens have a starring role on the New York Times's list of 25 must-see gardens — here are the ones they forgotMultiple British gardens have topped a New York Times list.
By Lotte Brundle 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 yearsThinking 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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Sarah Raven: The flowers I have that are flourishing superbly, despite the battering heatGardener and writer Sarah Raven on the flowers that won't wilt in the heat.
By Sarah Raven Last updated
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Alan Titchmarsh: I've tried every slug control known to man, and these are the only things that have ever worked for meAlan Titchmarsh is as charming, warming and friendly a man as anyone you'll ever meet. Unless, of course, you're a slug... in which case you'll awaken his ruthless side.
By Alan Titchmarsh Published
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Time for the 'Chelsea Chop': The garden job to do as the Chelsea Flower Show ends which will give you more, better, healthier flowers for the rest of the summerThe day the RHS Chelsea Flower Show ends isn't just a day in the gardener's calendar to start looking forward to next year — it's the ideal time for pruning and trimming, as John Hoyland explains.
By John Hoyland Published
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Testing times: Inside the RHS's Trials Garden at RHS WisleyNothing is so useful to the gardener as the plant trials that are quietly run by the RHS and judged by a specialist panel that publishes free reports available to all, suggests Charles Quest-Ritson.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Published
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Alan Titchmarsh: 'It’s all too easy to become swamped by the ‘to-do’ list, but give yourself a little time to savour the moment'Easter is a turning point in the calendar, says Alan Titchmarsh, a 'clarion call' to 'get out there and sow and plant'.
By Alan Titchmarsh Published
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Six of the best Clematis montanas that every garden needsClematis montana is easy to grow and look after, and is considered by some to be 'the most graceful and floriferous of all'.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Published
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Alan Titchmarsh: A foolproof guide to growing wisteriaIf you've been enviously eyeing the extraordinary wisteria on display across Britain and wondering how you can grow your own, help is at hand. Alan Titchmarsh shares his advice for growing this most glorious of horticultural spectacles.
By Alan Titchmarsh Last updated
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An expert guide to growing plants from seedAll you need to grow your own plants from seed is a pot, some compost, water and a sheltered place.
By John Hoyland Published
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'I'm the expert who wrote the RHS's guide to roses — here's why pruning them right now is almost certainly a terrible mistake'More roses die from over-pruning than any other cause so what’s the reasoning underpinning this horticultural habit? Charles Quest-Ritson, the garden expert who wrote the RHS Encyclopedia of Roses, takes a closer look.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Last updated
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Forsythia: The spring flower that's a ray of sunshine — and a foolproof option for novice gardenersForsythia are often sniffed at for being too brassy, but there is a lot more going for them, says Charles Quest-Ritson, although don’t plant them next to clashing pink-flowering currants.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Published
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How to make a gloomy city garden into a haven of colour and natureTiffany Daneff discovers how to transform a typically dark London back garden into a light-filled green haven that is always in use. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
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The daffodil full of 'simple, dotty charm' that's the most generous of all Narcissus speciesCharles Quest-Ritson looks at the endlessly cheerful hoop-petticoat daffodil, Narcissus bulbocodium.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Published
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Isabel Bannerman: The year’s first and most abundantly cheery, uplifting and undemanding of winter flowersCyclamen 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


