** If you want to buy any of the plants mentioned below for your own garden, visit www.countrylife.co.uk/nursery
and type or copy and paste the name into the search. Plants are
delivered in sturdy boxes in a matter of days from one of the finest
nurseries in the country. **
Languid aesthetes admire the effect of fallen leaves on lawns, but others will soon have to clear them away to prevent an unholy mess developing. Resist the racket of the leaf-blower and turn instead to the silent rhythms of the spring-tine rake and stiff broom. The piles of leaves are best transferred to barrow and bin using a pair of thin boards. Most can be composted to yield a lovely dark brown, crumbly mulch, but in outer corners of the shrubbery, you might just as well push them gently under the lowest branches and leave nature to take its course.
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The otterhound — the story behind Britain's rarest breed of dogBred for centuries to hunt otters in icy rivers, these shaggy, web-footed hounds were once favoured by royalty. Today, fewer than 1,000 survive worldwide.
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Five magnificent homes for sale, from Highland escape to a 17th century school, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life.
