Finest gardens in Britain
-
The Wild Garden at Doddington Hall: Bright-bulb moments
Sweeps of spring bulbs scatter the lawns of The Wild Garden at Doddington Hall — the Lincolnshire home of Mr and Mrs James Birch — in what appears to be an entirely natural show. Yet it is, in fact, a carefully curated selection that flowers in three distinct phases, says Tilly Ware. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Tilly Ware Published
-
Les Colombières: Ferdinand Bac’s house-and-garden masterpiece on the Riviera
A century after its seven-year creation by the artist Ferdinand Bac, the magnificent cliff-top garden of Les Colombières — at Menton in France's Alpes-Maritimes department — has been brilliantly restored, says Kathryn Bradley-Hole. Pictures by Will Pryce for Country Life.
By Kathryn Bradley-Hole Published
-
The garden at Fullers Mill, where 'childhood delight in wild flowers meets the idea of making a garden'
Even in the coldest months, there is much to discover in the garden at Fullers Mill, West Stow, Suffolk. This remarkable plantsman’s garden was lovingly created out of rough ground by Bernard Tickner, finds Tiffany Daneff.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
Re-wilding isn't new: Britain's best gardeners were inspired by wilderness 300 years ago, and here's what we can learn from them
Gardeners searching for inspiration for natural, low-maintenance havens would do well to look to the late-17th-and early-18th-century wilderness, says Tilly Ware.
By Tilly Ware Published
-
A tour of Broughton Hall, home of the Tempests for 1,000 years and the inspiration for Tottering-by-Gently
Broughton Hall is the childhood home of Country Life's cartoonist Annie Tempest, whose family have lived here for 1,000 years. Steven Desmond took a look at this palatial house and gardens; photographs by Val Corbett.
By Country Life Published
-
The garden at Blackland House: A tulip-filled sanctuary that shines as bright in Autumn as it does in Spring
The garden at Blackland House, Calne, Wiltshire — the home of Mr and Mrs Ed Nicholson — is famous for its spring bulbs, but really comes into its own in autumn with its crisp underpinning of geometric forms, says Mary Keen. Photographs by Britt Willoughby Dyer.
By Mary Keen Published
-
Thenford Arboretum: 70 acres of spectacular autumn brilliance
More than 3,000 different trees–in particular, the fine collections of oaks and maples–are put on a striking autumn show at Thenford Arboretum at Thenford House, Northamptonshire, the home of Lord and Lady Heseltine. Charles Quest-Ritson tells more, with photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Charles Quest-Ritson Published
-
The Gardens of Greywalls: A Scottish masterpiece bearing the imprint of Lutyens and Jekyll
'Within a mashie-niblick' of the 18th green at Muirfield Golf Club lies a garden of great beauty and history, as James Truscott explains.
By James Truscott Published
-
The gardens at Everdon Hall: How an abandoned walled garden was turned into a secluded oasis of outdoor beauty
The gardens at Everdon Hall, Northamptonshire — the home of Charles and Caroline Coaker —show off a clean, green structure balanced by romantic billowy planting. Non Morris takes a look at this beautifully judged garden; photographs by Val Corbett for Country Life.
By Country Life Published
-
The exotic brilliance of Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, a Cornwall gem with 'one of the best views in England'
Created over 25 years, Tremenheere's 20-acre hillside garden brilliantly succeeds in its makers’ aim of providing a haven far away from cares and worry, discovers James Alexander-Sinclair. Photographs by Mimi Connolly.
By Country Life Published
-
Mansard House: The spectacular garden that doubles as a plant laboratory for a Chelsea gold medallist
Catharine Howard visits the gardens of Mansard House in Bardwell, Suffolk, the home of award-winning garden designer Tom Hoblyn and his wife Mary, who use it as their plant laboratory. Photographs by Richard Bloom.
By Country Life Published
-
Folly Farm gardens, Berkshire: A masterclass in maintaining an historic garden
After decades of thoughtful restoration, the gardens at Folly Farm in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, blend historic and contemporary planting, finds Tiffany Daneff. Pictures by Jason Ingram.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
The gardens at Ready Token, Gloucestershire: The new, gentler blueprint for rewilding that's yielding spectacular results
Retaining the Arts-and-Crafts elements of a 1920s garden, the owners have added a sympathetic new terrace, as well as returning the surrounding fields to meadow, finds George Plumptre. Photos by Mimi Connolly.
By George Plumptre Published
-
How Country Life helped change the face of modern gardening
George Plumptre examines how Country Life championed the marriage of formal design with natural planting, changing the garden forever.
By George Plumptre Published
-
Coton Manor Garden: The symphony of colour where flamingos mix with flowers, voted Britain's best garden
Flamingos may draw the crowds, but it is the brilliant flower borders that keep people coming back to Coton Manor Garden, the wonderful space at the home of Ian and Susie Pasley-Tyler, says Tiffany Daneff. Photos by Clive Nichols.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
Copyhold Hollow: The 16th century house with a 1,000-year-old hedge — and a 21st century garden
When Frances Druce took over Copyhold Hollow — in the High Weald, West Sussex — this 16th-century house with its ancient box hedge had no garden to speak of. Undeterred, she built one herself, reveals Annie Gatti. Photographs by Mimi Connolly.
By Annie Gatti Published
-
The Cressy Hall topiary: 'A miraculously well-kept secret'
So fine is the topiary at Cressy Hall in Gosberton — the home of Michael and Janey Hill — that you might think it dates back to the 18th century. Yet it hasall been created over the past 20 years by a former antique dealer with little interest in gardening, as Todd Longstaffe-Gowan explains. Photography by Andrew Sydenham for the Country Life Picture Library.
By Todd Longstaffe-Gowan Published