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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Alan Titchmarsh: The neat planting trick which means I almost never have to do any weedingAlan 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.
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The ultimate joy of winter gardening? Heading for sunnier spots knowing that your garden won't suffer from your absenceCharles Quest-Ritson shares his Mediterranean winter dreams.
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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.
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Country Life's top 10 gardens articles of 2024From the gardens of A-listers and crazed plant hunters to tips on compost, we covered it all in 2024.
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Mark Diacono: How to grow savory both summer and winterThe 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.
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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 themGarden 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.
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Alan Titchmarsh: Terracotta has been used for flowerpots for 2,500 years — and it's still by far the best thing to pot your plants inPlastic pots might have conquered the industry — but look after terracotta pots and they'll last for lifetimes. Literally.
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'That first taste, six months later, was a quiet revelation': Mark Diacono on how he was inspired to grow his own vegetablesOur grow-your-own expert Mark Diacono looks back on the early days of his growing, and how things he'd never heard of such as salsify and scorzonera found a place in his heart. And his garden, of course.
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Asters: what they are, which ones to try and how to grow themThese late blooming plants 'promise future spring', making them essential for any garden.
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Charles Quest-Ritson: Winter buddlejas, and the plant that might just cover the VAT on your children's school feesCharles Quest-Ritson on the buddlejas that help see him through the winter — and the plant breeding idea that could help you grow a small fortune.
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The best bulbs to plant in your gardens, pots and pathways to guarantee floods of colour next SpringThe anticipation of cheerful spring bulbs can keep the gardener going through the dull winter months. John Hoyland advises on what to plant for every situation, from gravel to orchards, sun, shade or in pots.
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Alan Titchmarsh's Compost conundrumsNo, it's not the name of a new quiz show featuring our columnist as host (although that *would* be a hit, surely) but instead it's Alan Titchmarsh on the increasingly tricky issue of getting the right kind of compost for the right kind of planting.
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'A garden should be the cosiest of places, but with some element of awe, menace, and glimpses of the wider landscape'Isabel Bannerman shares her thoughts on making a garden that makes people feel at home.
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Alan Titchmarsh: The best flower shows in Britain show exactly where RHS Chelsea gets it wrongThe Chelsea Flower Show might be the most famous in the world — but does it offer the best experience for visitors? Alan Titchmarsh suggests a few others where you might have an even better time.
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Charles Quest-Ritson: 'Gardens of supreme botanical importance are being degraded by new owners and changing priorities'What's in a label? More than you might think, says Charles Quest-Ritson.
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The beautiful perfumed fruit that's easy to grow, needs almost no attention, and makes a magnificent Christmas liqueurEasy to manage and extremely versatile to use, quinces should be a staple in any garden says our grow-your-own expert Mark Diacono.
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If you sow seeds in June, you might just be putting down bird seed... but it's worth the risk if you love fresh summer saladsOur grow-your-own expert Mark Diacono suggests a string of ideas for what you can plant as summer kicks in.
