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The gardeners' gardens: Alan Titchmarsh, Mary Keen, Clive Nichols and more on the places they have on their 2026 hitlistsWhich gardens are Country Life contributors most looking forward to visiting this year? We asked them for the where and why.
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Beautiful, rewarding, unpronounceable: Chaenomeles, the spectacular shrub that grows happily in gardens where azaleas will never bloomSo 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.
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What is everyone talking about this week: Rewilding starts in your own back garden — even in the cityIf 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.
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English country gardens once dotted the French Riviera. Now the last of them is about to slip away foreverCharles Quest-Ritson laments the final closure of the English Edwardian garden at Le Clos.
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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.
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Seeing the centuries old specimens of Carl Linnaeus in a new lightSafely stored in a dark vault in London, the dried specimens of Carl Linnaeus's 18th-century herbarium have been revealed in their true colours.
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Alan Titchmarsh: Everything you think you know about ivy is probably wrongThe oft-maligned ivy is no parasite, says Alan Titchmarsh: it's a plant that does little harm and much good.
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The railway station gardens that bring a touch of bucolic bliss to an ordinary train rideGently tended by devoted staff, the railway station garden has become a rural idyll in its own right, says Andrew Martin.
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Country Life's top 10 garden stories of 2025, from Alan Titchmarsh's hardy annuals to David Beckham's Cotswolds paradiseWe look back at the most-read architecture stories on the Country Life website in 2025.
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Helmingham Hall: The ancient garden at a medieval hall where the drawbridge is still pulled up every nightHalf 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.
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The plants to give for Christmas which will keep flowering for yearsJohn 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.
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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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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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'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 homeUrsula Cholmeley, who has spent 25 years restoring Easton Walled Gardens, recommends sowing sweet peas now for stronger plants that will better withstand the weather.
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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.
