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When is a weed not a weed? When it's a wildflowerIf cultivated plants are a sign of orthodoxy and order, are weeds symbolic of anarchy and wildness? Who really decides whether flora is wildflower or weed, asks John Lewis-Stempel.
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A billionaire's walled garden amid the most undisturbed and beautiful countryside in the west countryGeorge Plumptre visits the one-acre walled garden that forms the centrepiece of the 12 acres of new gardens at Lasborough Park, Sir Hans Rausing's home in the Cotswolds, where Tom Stuart-Smith has worked wonders.
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What if we could all grow our own produce from the comfort of our living roomsHome Harvest’s founders want us all to farm from our own kitchens. Is this the future of agriculture, asks Will Hosie.
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The most demanding, delicious pelargoniums, from the variety that likes it drier than a Martini, to the flower with peppermint-scented leaves 'as soft as mouse fur'Pelar
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Why the natural patina that forms on copper, brass, and bronze is the colour of timelessnessGiles Kime extolls the virtues of verdigris.
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'A dream of England': The Hampshire rose garden that's one of the finest in private handsA thousand English roses now bloom in the restored walled garden that forms the heart Dummer House, Hampshire, home of Sir Crispin and Lady Davis. Charles Quest-Ritson visits this beautiful 27-acre estate; photography by Mimi Connolly.
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Like moths to flames, young American collectors cannot help but gravitate towards antique English furnitureExquisite craftsmanship, sustainability and the human stories behind each piece are drawing a new generation of American collectors to antique English furniture.
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Alan Titchmarsh: The easily overlooked factor that's the difference between a beautiful garden and wasting thousands on plants doomed to diePlanting pot-grown trees and shrubs is a quick way to create a mature-looking garden — but unless you get planting depth right, it won't last long, explains Alan Titchmarsh.
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The hand-written bibles handed down through centuries, in pride of place in a Welsh country house libraryAt Treberfydd House in Brecon, a magnificent hand-written bible has been handed down through the generations. John Goodall tells its story.
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The most artfully designed dog kennels — from spaceships to antiques that belonged to French royaltyFrom an antique dog bed that could've been Marie Antoinette's, to the very best in 'Barkitecture'.
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'He arrived with three bunches of flowers and told me to shut my eyes': From curation to creation, the story of the garden at Holme Hale HallOne of the great garden designers of his generation created a masterpiece at Holme Hale Hall near Swaffham in Norfolk — but what happens when the great man moves on? Tilly Ware spoke to the owners, Delia and Simon Broke, to find out. Photography by Richard Bloom.
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At WOW!house, the best of interior design just gets betterThis year's WOW!house demonstrates the extent to which interior designers are upping their game
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The Vita Sackville-West garden that 'numbed generations of gardeners into a state of hopelessness' has finally been completed, 64 years after her deathThe Greek-inspired Delos garden at Sissinghurst has at last been created, with Dan Pearson and the National Trust working alongside the team at this magical Kent house. Julie Harding reports.
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How to make a very new extension feel like part of a very old houseA calming palette ensures a new extension by Osborn Interiors blends seamlessly with the Cotswolds cottage it has transformed.
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Amy Merrick: No self-respecting flower-lover would fill their vases with imported stems. We want seasonal British-grown flowers and foliageAhead of British Flowers Week, Amy Merrick meets the floral growers and designers showing at the Garden Museum's exhibition.
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Gesamtkunstwerk will revolutionise how you decorate your home — just don't ask us how to pronounce itThe French architect, designer and art collector, who designed the hotel At Sloane was a master of Gesamtkunstwerk. Read on to find out why... and what it is.
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'The garden has run away and found its soul... It’s like being on a horse that’s ever so slightly out of control': Ferne Park's magical journey from dereliction to maturityThe transformation of Ferne Park, Wiltshire — home of Lord and Lady Rothermere — from derelict estate into a mature garden with surrounding parkland is nothing short of miraculous. Tiffany Daneff tells its story; photography by Jonathan Buckley.
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‘Why would anyone paint anything white?’ Step inside Butter Wakefield's colourful west London homeGrace McCloud talks to the American interior and garden designer Butter Wakefield about her London home and how the inside and outside inform one another. Photographs by Milo Brown.
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Star of the show: How George Saumarez Smith's design for Country Life wowed visitors at the Chelsea Flower ShowPresented by ADAM Architecture
The Garden Lover’s Library, created by George Saumarez Smith for Country Life, dazzled visitors at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
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Inspired by the past: How Munder Skiles blended old and new for Country Life's stand at the Chelsea Flower ShowPresented by Munder Skiles
On Country Life's stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, two striking designs by Munder Skiles demonstrated the exciting possibilities of combining inspiration from the past, artisanal skills, high-quality materials and cutting-edge engineering to create furniture suited to inside and out.
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Reader event: The art of the country house garden at DaylesfordPresented by Daylesford
What are the ingredients of the perfect country garden in the 21st century? At this Country Life event, five leading experts will share their wisdom on achieving pleasing good looks, creating comfortable spaces for relaxation, manageable maintenance and how to make a garden your own.
