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Dragonflies, flowers, dogs and lobsters: The 17th century nature brought back to life by the paintings of Alexander MarshalAlexander 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.
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How to create spectacular arrangements for your Christmas tableCandles, crabapples and a Champagne bucket are all your need to transform your Christmas table, says Amy Merrick. Just don't mention cut flowers.
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The greatest flowers make the greatest artA search for still-life subjects led Kate Friend to some of the greatest gardens and gardeners in the country
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There are a billion microbes in a teaspoon of soil. Leaving the leaves to Nature feeds and nourishes themLeaf 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.
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Country Life's luxury editor's Christmas gift ideas for the home and gardenOur luxury editor's round up of the best Christmas presents for house and garden proud mothers, fathers, siblings, partners and friends.
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What trees taught me about perfect planting — Alan TitchmarshSense and patience is key to growing healthy trees, as a certain Mr Mackenzie showed a young Alan Titchmarsh
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When it comes to making the perfect garden tool, the past has all the answersMary Keen visits Garden & Wood, the mecca for dedicated gardeners who prefer using tools made in the 1940s
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Exclusive: The King's remarkable resurrection of the gardens and parkland at SandringhamThe 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.
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How to choose the perfect rose this bare root seasonLooks can be deceiving: bare root roses are hardier and more sustainable than potted ones, says Tabi Jackson Gee, who moved to a cottage in Wiltshire and went about finding the perfect plant. You just need patience.
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The trees that are as fine to eat as they are to look atMark Diacono doesn't grow many trees for the sake of the bounty they provide — but these are the notable exceptions.
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Bothered by brambles and snagged by sow thistles, but what is the point of all this thorny microaggression?Nature’s spiky deterrents — thorns, spines and prickles — may be quick to catch us out, but they can also prove to be a useful ally.
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The Tuscan gardens where the English and Italian traditions come together, and Yorkshire rhubarb grows happily beside spectacular citrusNick Dakin-Elliot, who gardens in Tuscany, is still moved by the Italian hilltop gardens that command some of the most beautiful views in the world.
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'My family wore wool at a time when everyone else had cast it off in favour of manmade fabrics': The knitwear pioneer who is one of David Beckham's countryside championsJulie Harding speaks to Rachel Carvell-Spedding the founder of British knitwear brand Navygrey, and one of David Beckham's countryside champions.
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James Alexander-Sinclair: Making a new garden for someone is 'thrilling', but we need more sensitive and skilled gardeners to look after themPay your gardeners properly, says James Alexander-Sinclair as, without them, you will have no garden.
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'Seeing the work that people are doing all around the world has given me hope for the future': The young naturalist who is one of David Beckham's countryside championsJulie Harding speaks to Ramandeep Nijjar, a young naturalist who has made an impact on the world even before finishing university, and one of David Beckham's countryside champions.
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Poppy Okotcha, the model turned gardener who is one of David Beckham's countryside championsPoppy Okotcha, the 29-year-old ecological community grower, garden content creator, author — and also one of David Beckham's countryside champions — speaks to Julie Harding.
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'I bought it without telling Victoria. She didn’t want another project... I sat her down, gave her a vodka and tonic and told her what I’d done': David Beckham tells Alan Titchmarsh about his Cotswolds home and gardenOn an open and windswept tract of land in Oxfordshire, where once stood some derelict barns and a lone maple tree, our guest editor Sir David Beckham has created a haven for his family and his honeybees. Photographs by Clive Nichols and Millie Pilkington.
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How Harper Beckham created the perfect gardener's birthday present for her father's 50th — with a little help from David Austin RosesWhen Harper Beckham wanted to commission a rose for her father’s birthday, there was only one man for the job, says Charles Quest-Ritson, as he takes a closer look at the science behind creating a new David Austin bloom.
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'You could walk round it every day and always notice something new': A private tour of the garden of multiple Chelsea gold medallist John MasseyInspired by his friends Christopher Lloyd and Princess Greta Sturdza, nurseryman and plant breeder John Massey has made a garden in Worcestershire that never ceases to delight, writes Charles Quest-Ritson. Photographs by Clive Nichols
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Alan Titchmarsh: 15 years ago we planted a hedge — today, it's 10ft tall, 6ft deep and a joy throughout the year. Here's how we did it15 years ago, Alan Titchmarsh planted a hedge; today, it's 10ft tall, 6ft deep, he and his wife absolutely love it, 'and so do all the creatures with whom we share our garden.'
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Country Life 15 October 2025Country Life 15 October 2025 plants hedges with Alan Titchmarsh, pulls up a chair in the London Library and basks in autumn's beautiful colours.
