Below, you'll find our top 10 gardening advice columns of the year — and if you notice that there are quite a few by Alan Titchmarsh, don't be surprised. The gardener, broadcaster, writer and national treasure was recently named Garden Columnist of the Year, not least for his contributions to Country Life.
Your month-by-month checklist of what to do in the garden and when in 2020
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The list came from Becky Crowley, formerly in charge of the cutting garden at Chatsworth.
The unwritten rules of choosing planters for your garden
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Our columnist Alan Titchmarsh raged against the tyrrany of the blue ceramic pot. '20 or 30 years ago, I did find blue ceramic planters rather attractive,' he wrote. 'Now, they are about as fashionable (and acceptable) as pastel-shaded paving in a mixture of dusky pinks and greens and yellows. They look, well, naff.'
Why gardeners should keep buying plants online — and seven of the most trustworthy nurseries
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As lockdown took hold, our gardens editor Tiffany Daneff spoke out in praise of the garden centres that kept the nation supplied.
Why I had to cut down my decades-old hedge
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...and how it worked out better than Alan Titchmarsh could ever have hoped.
Everything you need to know about Foxgloves
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Charles Quest-Ritson celebrated one of the most striking flowers of this time of summer, the hardy, prolific, beautiful and wonderfully useful foxglove.
The plants which will make you ignore the crazy rules of tastefulness and embrace a riot of colour
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Too many gardeners are afraid of colour,' wrote Alan Titchmarsh in June. 'Indeed, I confess to feeling guilty on occasion at my profligate use of it in the garden. We are conditioned, in this sophisticated world of ours, to revere tastefulness, and tastefulness most frequently involves restraint.'
How to grow peas: What to plant, when to plant it, and how quickly you’ll be dishing it up
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Mark Diacono shared his tips on peas – as well as anecdotes about Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Thomas Jefferson and more.
The best garden designers in Britain
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A beautiful country house is as much about its surroundings as its bricks and mortar, something that the best garden designers in Britain all understand. Our revised and updated list feastured the finest of them all.
Growing your own Christmas tree: What to plant and where to plant it
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Alan Titchmarsh's tips on how to buy a tree that lasts for years, not just a few weeks.
The ‘underground treasures’ which are like a gardener’s game of chicken
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Growing plants specifically to harvest their roots takes faith, patience and nerve, explained Mark Diacono, but it's well worth the effort: the pay-off is spectacular.
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Alan Titchmarsh: How to master the fine art of pottering
As time opens up for all of us to spend more time in the garden, Alan Titchmarsh offers his tips
Alan Titchmarsh: The weeds I welcome with open arms
Our columnist Alan Titchmarsh used to spend hours ridding his garden of anything he hadn't planted himself. These days he
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Alan Titchmarsh: The best time of year to plant tulips
Alan Titchmars on planting tulips - and avoiding the grind of removing and storing bulbs every year.
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Cocker spaniels: The indefatigable dog breed with medieval lineage that stole David Beckham’s heartOnce bred to flush out woodcock, now found in royal estates and Hollywood homes — the Cocker Spaniel’s charm knows no bounds.
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20 breathtaking country homes for sale, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the finest houses to come to market via Country Life in the past week.
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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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'One of the truly great gardens of the world' is at risk of having its vistas and tranquility blighted foreverThe views from Rousham, the birthplace of the English landscape-garden movement are at risk of development plans for the nearby former RAF Upper Heyford Air Force base get the go-ahead.
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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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The one website about trees and shrubs that everyone needs to know about'Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles' has been digitised, making one of gardening's most important works free and at your fingertips.
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'Nature's loo roll': Verbascum, one of the most curious — and useful — plants you'll find in an English country gardenWith its ability to rouge cheeks, settle stomachs and operate as Nature’s loo roll, verbascum is as surprisingly useful as it is pretty, discovers Ian Morton.
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'There is only a handful of fruit trees I’d grow for their non-edible charms — quince is one'A versatile fruit that's superb in jams and with booze, quince also doesn't make you work too hard for all that pleasure.
