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Alan Titchmarsh's Compost conundrums
No, 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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The Cotswolds garden that's cleverly designed to defy the worst of the elements
Coates Barn in Warwickshire — home of the Sonneborn family — presented a challenge: how to lay out this exposed north-Cotswold site so as to protect new planting from the elements, and simultaneously provide a garden that three generations of residents could enjoy. Tiffany Daneff explains how they did it; photographs by Britt Willoughby Dyer.
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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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‘My God! What’s he done?… look at it!’: How George Harrison left The Beatles, turned his hand to gardening, and created a masterpiece
The garden at Friar Park in Henley-on-Thames — the Oxfordshire home of the late Beatle George Harrison and his wife Olivia — is breathtaking. The ‘Gardening Beatle’ did a spectacular job of reviving an historic alpine garden in the shadow of the ‘Henley Matterhorn’, and Olivia has enhanced what was Britain’s largest rock garden with her exceptional and imaginative planting schemes. Charles Quest-Ritson reports.
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The best new indoor planters, pots and plant stands
Ideas for growing and enjoying houseplants, selected by Amelia Thorpe.
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The £27,600 wooden bathtub and other modern day marvels to create an unforgettable bathroom
When is a bath not a bath? When it's a work of art.
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Get two free tickets for the London Homebuilding & Renovating Show
The London Homebuilding & Renovating Show takes place at ExCeL in London from 27-29 September, and Country Life readers can attend for free.
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An oasis of peace in the maelstrom of Covent Garden
This Eadie and Crole designed drawing room is cool, calm and timeless.
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A unique insight into Blenheim Palace, with the interior designer whose family have lived there for 12 generations
Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, Henriette vvon Stockhausen and Emma Pocock are among the interior designers speaking at events hosted by Country Life at Focus/24.
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Striking wallpaper that makes this Parisian sitting room sing
Bright colours and bold patterns bring this space to life.
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The Designer's Room: A sitting room splashed with colour, space and style
The sitting room of an Arts-and-Crafts house in the Surrey Hills has been brought to life with a palette of lively colours.
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A London townhouse kitchen created for work, rest and play
The owners of this elegant London house asked the team at De Rosee Sa to create a light, modern kitchen for their large family..
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The case of the disappearing dahlias
John Hoyland of the gardens at Glyndebourne on how to plug the gaps of those flowers that didn't make it through the winter.
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Alan Titchmarsh: The best flower shows in Britain show exactly where RHS Chelsea gets it wrong
The 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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How large-scale wallpapers transport you to another world
Truly epic wallpaper can lift any indoor space in ways that are hard to believe until you see them in action, says Giles Kime.
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From siege engines to Passivhaus: How oak holds its own
Strong, sustainable and flexible, oak-frame buildings have their roots in prehistory. Yet this time-honoured method of building continues to thrive in the 21st century.
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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 liqueur
Easy 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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The Experts' Experts: Britain's top designers, architects and craftspeople name the people they trust to work on their own homes
Giles Kime and Amelia Thorpe ask some of Britain's top designers, architects, builders, craftspeople and landscapers to name the specialists who they themselves trust to do work on their own homes.
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The Hampshire house and garden where D-Day was planned is now a haven with sun-drenched views across calm azure sea to the Isle of Wight
Once the haunt of smugglers and sailors, the Hampshire seashore now shelters a garden where pre- and interwar plantings sit happily with impressive new areas. George Plumptre visits the garden of Lepe House.
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They can simply create a beautiful place to be: How to make the perfect garden building
A new generation of carefully considered garden buildings is offering places to work, play, cook, bathe and sleep.
