Finest gardens to visit
The finest gardens in Britain, Ireland and beyond.
-
Eythrope's extraordinary snowdrops, and more winter treasures galoreNowhere else can gardeners see rare named snowdrops growing in such measureless drifts as in the Rothschilds’ private garden at Eythrope in Buckinghamshire, finds Mary Keen. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Mary Keen Published
-
Morton Hall: The magnificent garden that gives an illusion of effortlessness amid the silent winter airAll looks peaceful at Morton Hall, Worcestershire, but key tasks will be tackled in winter to ensure that, come spring, the garden is ready to burst into life, says Tiffany Daneff. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
Gordon Castle named Historic Houses Garden of the Year 2021Gordon Castle has become the first Scottish garden ever to win Historic Houses' prestigious Garden of the Year award.
By Toby Keel Published
-
The gardens at East Ruston: 'It's not simply good, it is a dose of pure joy'Every area of this lush and exuberant garden of East Ruston Old Vicarage, near Norwich in Norfolk, is planted to give three seasons from each plot and, says Tilly Ware, a day’s visit will only scratch the surface. Photographs by Richard Bloom.
By Tilly Ware Published
-
In Focus: How an amateur gardener created Sissinghurst, one of the most influential gardens ever made'No garden had greater influence in the second half of the 20th century' according to John Sales, the National Trust's former head gardener. Jack Watkins tells the tale of Vita Sackville-West's momumental achievements in creating the gardens at Sissinghurst.
By Jack Watkins Published
-
Chettle House Gardens: A special place, a fascinating history, and gardens that become softer and more romantic with every passing yearHidden by gentle neglect and revealed by research, the remarkably intact 18th-century garden of Chettle House, Dorset, has been brilliantly reinterpreted by landscape designer Pip Morrison. Christopher Stocks paid a visit; photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Country Life Published
-
Hopetoun House: Wall-to-wall brilliance in an extraordinary 12-acre former kitchen garden, and an inspiration to keen amateurs everywhereInside the early-18th-century walls of Hopetoun House, West Lothian, bold planting schemes and original designs are providing an exciting new use for this 12-acre former kitchen garden, discovers Noel Kingsbury.
By Noel Kingsbury Published
-
The gardens at Elton Hall: A 40-year transformation, an 'absolute hell of weeding and mulching ', and more than worth the effortTilly Ware visits the historic gardens of Elton Hall, Huntingdonshire, where much of the distant past remains a mystery, but which, after four decades of care and attention, have been brilliantly transformed. Photographs by Richard Bloom.
By Country Life Published
-
The Gardens of Brodsworth Hall: Intensely personal, endlessly original, deeply quirky — and enormous funIn the hands of English Heritage, the care and restoration of the striking mid-19th-century garden of Brodsworth Hall, South Yorkshire, is producing truly impressive results, writes Tiffany Daneff. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
The gardens at The Old Rectory, East Woodhay: The creation of an owner with a designer's eye and a true feeling for plantsApplying many of the same parameters she uses as an interior designer helped Victoria Wormsley in the renovation of the striking walled garden of The Old Rectory, East Woodhay, Hampshire, finds Tiffany Daneff. Photographs by Mark Bolton.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
New tickets available for opening of Queen's private gardens at Buckingham PalaceLarge areas of the gardens at Buckingham Palace are to be opened freely to visitors for the first time this summer, and due to 'exceptional demand' extra dates have been put on between now and September.
By Toby Keel Published
-
The gardens at Holcombe Court, where the team was told to 'plant whatever you like, as long as it's not pink'Restoration of the historic gardens at Holcombe Court, Devon, has been a slow and thoughtful process that harnessed the individual qualities of the entire garden team to great effect. Tiffany Daneff paid a visit; photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
Urchfont Manor, Wiltshire: From local council facility to 'inspired contemporary creation'The restoration of Urchfont Manor and its gardens has resulted in an exceptional creation that unites the formal with the informal in a modern garden that nods to the past. Even better, it's now joined the National Garden Scheme; George Plumptre, chief executive of the NGS, takes a closer look, with photographs by Claire Takacs.
By George Plumptre Published
-
The best new gardens opening to the public in 2021 under the National Garden SchemeThe NGS was hit by Covid-19 last summer, but the signs suggest that the 2021 National Garden Scheme openings should go ahead as usual. Annunciata Elwes takes a look at some of the highlights.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
The gardens of Armadale Castle: Clan Donald's crumbling, magnificent retreat tucked into a corner of the Isle of SkyeCaroline Donald visits the ancestral home of Clan Donald, Armadale Castle on the Isle of Skye, where the gardens are once again in safe hands and the historic trees will be given a boost with the planting of a new arboretum of endangered conifers. Photographs by Claire Takacs.
By Caroline Donald Published
-
Pettifers: The breathtaking Oxfordshire garden born from the impeccable instincts of Gina PriceAn Oxfordshire garden famous for its high summer and autumn borders sparkles with just as much interest and invention earlier in the year. Tiffany Daneff visits Pettifers. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
Weirs Barn: A Hampshire garden where Robert Weir Schultz's Arts-and-Crafts vision came back to lifeIn the spirit of its founding fathers, the Arts-and-Crafts design of Weirs Barn, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, has been brilliantly brought back to life as a family garden. Photographs by Mimi Connolly.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
A month-by-month guide to the most beautiful gardens to visit in BritainSome gardens are even better in winter. Read our list of the best gardens to visit all year round.
By Kathryn Bradley-Hole Published
-
The Dower House Garden at Morville: Where meticulous historical research meets painstaking gardeningThe historic Dower House Garden at Morville, Shropshire, has been sensitively re-created by its owner, finds Non Morris. Photographs by Val Corbett for Country Life.
By Non Morris Published
-
Kylemore Abbey Gardens: An Irish garden that 'is one of earth's wonders'Thanks to the determination of the resident community of Benedictine nuns, the eight-acre garden at Kylemore Abbey Gardens in Connemara, Ireland, has been restored. Once lockdown lifts, visitors can once again enjoy a Victorian survival in an extraordinary setting. Mary Hackett paid a visit; photographs by Zara Napier.
By Country Life Published
-
Drummond Castle Gardens in winter: The winter beauty of the gardens made famous by OutlanderIn the depths of winter at Drummond Castle, near Crieff, Perthshire, the crisp outlines of the 11 miles of box hedging and the perfect trim on the countless topiaried yews still take the breath away in a garden made famous by the Outlander TV series. Caroline Donald tells its story, with photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Country Life Published


