Gardens
We can’t get enough of our gardens at Country Life magazine. We love to visit gorgeous English country gardens at any time of year – and more and more are opening for longer, as you can see from our piece on beautiful gardens to visit all year around.
At the same time, different gardens are best at certain times of year. For instance we know the best places to see snowdrops, where to see bluebells, and the best gardens for afternoon tea in the summertime.
We have guides to our flowering trees, and our ultimate guide to British wildflowers, as well as tips on overcoming box blight and other garden pests.
Read on, and find out whether we are running any of our exclusive garden tours, which take readers to see some of the most impressive private gardens in Provence and Tuscany twice a year.
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Deadheading? Don't worry about it too much, or you'll miss out on some fine surprises
Mark Griffiths passes on sage advice about deadheading old plants from one of the greats of gardening — but cautions us all not to be over-dedicated, or you might miss out on some unexpected pleasures.
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A legacy garden run by the same family since the 1300s, at the heart of a 2,000-acre Ayrshire estate
Generations of gardeners have left their mark on – and their plants in – this unique garden, says Non Morris. Photographs by Val Corbett.
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Carnivorous plant which devours its prey via sticky tentacles is reintroduced to England
A conservation group is working to boost numbers of the endangered great sundew.
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How to win show prizes with your fruit and vegetables, by a former champion-turned-judge
Steven Desmond has seen it all — and done most of it, too — when it comes to fruit and veg shows. He shares some of the tricks and tips he's picked up along the way.
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The life of the oak tree collector: 'You soon see there’s only one sensible course of action: collect the lot'
For tree-loving landowners who want to leave their mark, nothing beats planting your own quercetum. Mark Griffiths celebrates the mighty oak and its determined collectors.
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How to make a living off your garden: 'The garden draws you in with its wonderful sense of stillness'
Making your living off your garden is a dream for many of us — but it needn't be a dream, as Anna Tyzack found when she spoke to some people who are already doing it.
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Alan Titchmarsh: Forget what the neighbours might think — it's time to end gardening's strangest taboo
We love to see flowers, to smell fresh blooms and to listen to the wind in the trees — but far too many of us shy away from touching the flowers we grow. It's time to end that, says Alan Titchmarsh.
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How to make a living off your garden: ‘I was literally putting down roots’
Making your living off your garden is a dream for many of us — but it needn't be a dream, as Anna Tyzack found when she spoke to some people who are already doing it.
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Three of Britain's finest sculpture parks, where you can enjoy the art — and then take it home with you
We take a look at three of Britain's most successful sculpture parks.
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How to make a living off your garden: ‘It’s like having a child — you can’t leave it and you always want a bigger family’
Making your living off your garden is a dream for many of us — but it needn't be a dream, as Anna Tyzack found when she spoke to some people who are already doing it.
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How to grow your own apricots and enjoy 'deep, honeyed richness' far beyond what you'll find in the shops
Mark Diacono hasn't eaten a fresh apricot from a supermarket in years — here are his tips on how to grow them for yourself.
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How to make a living off your garden: ‘It might not be hugely profitable, but your lifestyle is rich’
For some, their garden is a place of peace and tranquillity. For others, it’s a haven of productivity and profit. Anna Tyzack spoke to some of the lucky few for whom it’s both and has profiled them for Country Life — starting with Rachel Siegfried.
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The power of flowers — how they accompany us, heal us and ‘make us gasp with pleasure’
‘Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower,’ wrote Hans Christian Andersen. Jay Griffiths explores their emotional pull.
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How to create a classic English country cottage garden: What to plant, where to plant it and what to use around it
The classic English country garden has an appeal that never goes out of style. Val Bourne reflects on how it's evolved over the years, and suggests eight plants to try in your garden.
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A farmer in Norfolk has accidentally turned one of his fields into an entire field of sunflowers
Fakenham sugar beet grower Robert Hambidge added 'a few more' seeds to his mix and ended up with a vast expanse of sunflowers
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How to grow a giant gooseberry, and other top tips from the 219th Egton Bridge Old Gooseberry Show
Ahead of this week's Egton Bridge Old Gooseberry Show, Steven Desmond spoke to competitors at this centuries-old event.
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The most impressive perennial grown in Britain: The swamp pot
Mark Griffiths extols the wonders of the swamp pot ‘Thalia dealbata’ and teaches us how to best do the beautiful flowers justice.
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The garden of the Yorkshire Manor house which inspired Jane Eyre’s Thornfield Hall, lovingly restored
At Norton Conyers, Ripon, North Yorkshire (believed to be the inspiration for Charlotte Brontë's most famous location) passion of a different kind has brought the garden back to life, finds Non Morris. Photographs by Val Corbett.
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The tale of the Lady Penny sweet peas that were brought back from extinction thanks to a handful of saved seeds
When the seeds of her eponymous sweet pea were lost, Lady Penny Mountbatten turned to Roger Parsons, holder of the National Collection, for help. Report by Tiffany Daneff, with photographs by Daniel Gould.
