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Forsythia: The spring flower that's a ray of sunshine — and a foolproof option for novice gardeners
Forsythia are often sniffed at for being too brassy, but there is a lot more going for them, says Charles Quest-Ritson, although don’t plant them next to clashing pink-flowering currants.
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John Morley: A brush with the artist who changed the world of snowdrops
Tilly Ware meets the artist and galanthophile John Morley in his Suffolk garden, home to the oldest snowdrop nursery in the country.
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Alan Titchmarsh: I went a bit mad ordering bulbs — and I'm not even a little bit sorry I did
Our columnist's splurge in the autumn is now paying off with spectacular irises across his garden.
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Dawn Chorus: How to travel around the world in 19 flowers and the Mini Moke that took St Moritz by storm
What do Charles Dickens, Henry VIII and Ellen Willmott all have in common? They all appear in a new book chronicling 19 flowers and the people responsible for bringing them to the UK. Find out how to get your hands on it, plus, we reveal why a rare Beach Boys-inspired Mini Moke turned up in a Swiss ski resort and a few of India Knight’s favourite things.
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How to make a gloomy city garden into a haven of colour and nature
Tiffany Daneff discovers how to transform a typically dark London back garden into a light-filled green haven that is always in use. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
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The daffodil full of 'simple, dotty charm' that's the most generous of all Narcissus species
Charles Quest-Ritson looks at the endlessly cheerful hoop-petticoat daffodil, Narcissus bulbocodium.
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‘It can take three days to paint one leaf’: The extraordinary, painstaking lives of Chelsea Physic Garden’s Florilegium Society artists
It sounds like a secret spy agency, but the Florilegium Society is actually a part of one of London’s oldest botanical gardens and they’re on an ambitious quest to record 5,000 plants.
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The real language of flowers, or how to decode your Valentine's day bouquet
On Valentine's Day, Martin Fone takes a look at the true meaning behind flowers, decoding what each individual bloom says about the receiver - or the sender.
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Isabel Bannerman: The year’s first and most abundantly cheery, uplifting and undemanding of winter flowers
Cyclamen coum is one of the plants that lights up our gardens at this time of year.
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The winter vegetable that's 'the prince of accompaniments to a joint of meat'
Steven Desmond on the joy of parsnips.
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Totally tropical Tresco: The English country garden that brings the tropics to the British Isles
A warm reception awaits visitors to Tresco Abbey Garden — the home of Robert and Lucy Dorrien-Smith — where the year-round temperate climate has created an extraordinarily colourful garden–even in winter. Tiffany Daneff reports, with photography by Clive Nichols.
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'There seems to be little sympathy, understanding or respect for the kind of work that goes on in the world’s leading horticultural charity': Alan Titchmarsh calls for RHS Wisley compensation
The RHS estimates that it will lose £11 million from ongoing roadworks on Junction 10 of the M25 — enough to fund 15 NHS wellbeing gardens.
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Alan Titchmarsh: The neat planting trick which means I almost never have to do any weeding
Alan Titchmarsh yields to no-one in his striving for garden perfectionism — and he's helped in his task by a cunning strategy that helps him avoid weeding almost completely.
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The ultimate joy of winter gardening? Heading for sunnier spots knowing that your garden won't suffer from your absence
Charles Quest-Ritson shares his Mediterranean winter dreams.
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G&T to Gravetye and 'the David Attenborough of garden visiting': The Garden tours to book in 2025
One of the best ways–often the only way–to visit the finest privately owned gardens in the country is by joining an exclusive tour. Non Morris tags along.
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Taste explosions: How to grow micro leaves that pack a serious punch
Small in size and quick to mature, these seedlings of coriander, rocket, radish and more are bursting with flavour that belies their size.
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Villa Frere: The centuries-old garden created by an English diplomat, reclaimed by Nature, and now once again restored by Man
Rubble and ruin were all that remained of the early-19th-century Villa Frere and its gardens, planted by the English diplomat John Hookham Frere, until a group of dedicated volunteers came to its rescue. Josephine Tyndale-Biscoe tells the story of the gardens of Villa Frere in Pietà, Malta.
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Country Life's top 10 gardens articles of 2024
From the gardens of A-listers and crazed plant hunters to tips on compost, we covered it all in 2024.
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Charles Quest-Ritson: Walnuts are one of the gardener's greatest pleasures — but you'll have to be ready for the squirrels
Once you are hooked by walnuts and want to grow more varieties, you find an extraordinary amount of choice. Charles Quest-Ritson explains more.
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The special magic of a frozen garden in winter
Waking up to discover the garden transformed by a short, sharp hoar frost is a magical experience. Tiffany Daneff looks at how to make the most of it, and shares five of the best to visit over the holiday period.
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Mark Diacono: How to grow savory both summer and winter
The grow-your-own gardening expert on summer savory and winter savory, and making sure that whenever you can't enjoy one, you'll be able to call on the other.
