Alan Titchmarsh: 'Why on earth haven’t I done this before? There’s an extra spring in my garden's step'
Alan Tichmarsh explains how the Sissinghurst gardens inspired him to update his own.
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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Curious Questions: Does throwing a snail stop it from returning to your garden?
The oldest gardeners' remedy for getting rid of snails is also the simplest: throw them as far away as you can. But is it just an old wives' tale? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Stanton Fence garden near Mortpeth, Northumberland (©Val Corbett/Country Life Picture Library) Credit: ©Val Corbett/Country Life Picture Library Stanton Fence: A traditional English garden transformed by the touch of a Chelsea gold-medallist
Non Morris is blown away by Stanton Fence near Morpeth, a romantic garden set in a steeply wooded river valley where the owners brought in renowned garden designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd to weave some magic. Photographs by Val Corbett.
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A willow known as Salix hookeriana - aka Dune willow catkins Credit: Alamy What to plant if you're thinking of putting a willow in your garden
Charles Quest-Ritson offers advice on this incredibly vibrant plant.
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Broughton Hall ©Val Corbett / Country Life Picture Library Credit: Broughton Hall ©Val Corbett / Country Life Picture Library 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.
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Benvarden ©Val Corbett/Country Life Credit: Benvarden ©Val Corbett/Country Life Benvarden: A Country Antrim garden rich with of generations of care
For more than six decades, the present owners of Benvarden, near Ballymoney in Co Antrim, have been restoring and adding to the creations made by numerous earlier generations of their family. Non Morris paid a visit; photographs by Val Corbett.
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Garden with roses in spring time, Paris A peek behind the scenes at France's annual rose extravanganza at the Parc de Bagatelle
Charles Quest-Ritson, quite literally the man who wrote the book on roses, reveals what goes on at France's annual Concours international de roses nouvelles – one of the highlights of both the social and the gardening calendars.
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Pots on a terrace at The Shute, Ventnor, Isle of Wight Alan Titchmarsh: It'll astonish you what you can grow – and grow well – in a garden by the sea
Alan Titchmarsh has always loved coastal gardens, but it wasn't until he ended up with his own a few years ago that he truly appreciated the possibilities.
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The Pig hotel, The Pig, New Forest, Brockenhurst, hotel, walled garden, Forest Hut, winter Why it’s time to leave guests in the garden
Guest rooms that take their inhabitants closer to Nature? Giles Kime explores.
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Ultimate guide to growing roses: What to plant, where to plant it, and why you really don’t need to prune
Charles Quest-Ritson, author of the RHS Encylcopedia of Roses, tells you everything you need to know about growing roses.
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Honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum, flowers The best honeysuckle to grow in your garden – especially if they’re gifts from now-departed friends
Charles Quest-Ritson extols the virtues of delightful honeysuckle.
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Credit: LOOK Die Bildagentur der Fotografen GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo Nymans Garden: The West Sussex gem that's been at the cutting edge for over 120 years
Nymans Garden in West Sussex is one of Britain's great horticultural wonders, and with its relatively-new head gardener – only the fifth in over 120 years – now bedded in, George Plumptre paid a visit.
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Credit: RHS / Jim Wileman RHS Rosemoor: What to expect at Britain's finest Rose Festival
The RHS Rosemoor Rose Festival begins on Saturday June 16, a five-week celebration of Britain's favourite flower that's without peer.
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G1YEHK Wild Foxglove Digitalis purpurea growing along woodland track in Tiper's Wood North Norfolk June The incredible tale of the foxglove, from curing to disease to inspiring Van Gogh’s most striking paintings
A tale of skulduggery, poisoning, witches and even marketing men runs through the history of the foxglove, as Ian Morton explains.
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Credit: ©Val Corbett/Country Life Picture Library Euridge Manor Farm, Wiltshire: A fairytale sense of fun, with a pool where rose petals gather
Non Morris is enchanted by the garden buildings, attention to detail and abundant planting in a recently made Wiltshire garden.
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Credit: Alamy Mary Keen: Don't fear downsizing – the joy of starting a new garden from scratch will make up for what you leave behind
The satisfaction of creating a beautiful garden is all the greater when, thanks to a move of house, you’ve had the joy of starting from scratch with a new space. Garden designer Mary Keen explains.
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Credit: Alamy Humphry Repton's 'secret country gem' at Endsleigh, one of the finest hotel gardens in Britain
Non Morris explores the historic 100-acre grounds of Endsleigh, Olga Polizzi’s alluring West Country hotel, designed by Humphry Repton in perfectly Picturesque style.
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The fascinating story behind the world's most beautiful, blissful avenues of trees
Our fascination with avenues of trees is near-universal to mankind and stretches back four hundred years. Mark Griffiths takes a look.
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Credit: ©Andrea Jones/Country Life Picture Library Glin Castle, Co Limerick: The garden that tells the tale of a succession of artistic women
Numerous generations of one family have added to the beauty of Glin Castle and its gardens. Catherine Fitzgerald, its latest chatelaine, describes its story and her own plans for its future.
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Credit: LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: World-Champion Free-diver Tanya Streeter poses at The Pearlfisher Garden while wearing a dress designed by BA Fashion and Textiles students from The University of Brighton during the Chelsea Flower Show 2018 on May 21, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) 37 surprising, unusual and useful things to look out for at the Chelsea Flower Show
Whether you're heading to RHS Chelsea or not, don't miss our look at the sights and sounds that you might otherwise miss at the iconic flower show.
