-
Five of the best eating apples to grow in your garden
The gardeners of The Newt in Somerset share their pick of the best eating apples to grow and enjoy in your own garden.
-
The Newt, Somerset: An 18th-century walled garden with the finest display of trained apples
Nowhere else in the country has a finer display of trained apples than the 18th-century walled garden at The Newt in Somerset, writes Charles Quest-Ritson. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
-
Alan Titchmarsh: The most spectacular flowers of spring are easy, guaranteed to flower — and now is the time to plant them
Alan Titchmarsh doesn't like tulips. He loves them.
-
Tangier's greatest secret: Exploring the city's hidden gardens
Exotic, bohemian and cosmopolitan Tangier has long drawn travellers to explore its narrow streets but the greatest secret of this wonderful city, writes Kirsty Fergusson, is its hidden gardens.
-
Inside the National Trust's secret nursery
Charles Quest-Ritson was invited in to the National Trust's top-secret plant nursery. Here's what he discovered.
-
The Garden at Standen Barn, Kent: A garden that ties together house and landscape
Formal elements have provided firm foundations in the garden at Standen Barn, near Biddenden, Kent — the home of Prof Roland Rosner and Prof Denise Lievesley. But it is also a garden that is planted for wildlife and surrounded by newly established woodland, reports Tiffany Daneff. Photographs by Jason Ingram.
-
How to grow broad beans: How to plant them, how to look after them, and the best varieties for your garden
Mark Diacono names the best broad beans for flavour, reliability, tenderness and the beauty of the plant itself.
-
Miles Hadfield: The crusading gardener and writer who saved Britain's finest gardens from the bulldozer
Trespassing into an overgrown garden set botanical illustrator Miles Hadfield on a quest for horticultural conservation. Today, many of our most magnificent grounds owe their survival to his efforts, finds Katherine Cole.
-
Leonardslee: The gardens that light up West Sussex
Changes are afoot at the famous rhododendron gardens of Leonardslee, which are now being planted for year-round interest. Charles Quest-Ritson reports.
-
Plastic pots revolutionised gardening in the 1960s — but field-grown plants are the future
John Hoyland always opts for bare-root plants if he can — and here's why you should too.
-
Larch Cottage, Cumbria: An immersive journey amid a wealth of architecture, ornaments and plants to find magic and tranquillity
Charles Quest-Ritson joins the legion of garden enthusiasts who make the pilgrimage to the dramatic plant nurseries at Larch Cottage in Cumbria. Photographs by Val Corbett for Country Life.
-
The spectacular flowers that will thrive on chalky soils
Sometimes, gardening on chalk feels like an unfair challenge, says Charles Quest-Ritson — but there are some beauties which will make it all worthwhile.
-
There are 7,000 varieties of apple out there — and you've probably tasted less than a dozen. Here's how to put that right.
Our grow-your-own expert columnist Mark Diacono shares his advice on how to branch out in to the wonderful world of apple varieties.
-
The gardens at Great Dixter: How Christopher Lloyd's labour of love lives on
The swashbuckling dahlias still thrill in the late, great Christopher Lloyd's at Great Dixter — in Northiam, East Sussex — but Mary Keen, a lifelong friend of this incomparable spot, is equally impressed with how the garden has evolved in the care of Fergus Garrett.
-
The gardening jobs to enjoy with secateurs in one hand — and a glass of wine in the other
Gardening does need hard work, says John Hoyland — but not all the time.
-
Curious Questions: How did the Leyland Cypress go from botanical accident to taking over the world?
The near-ubiquitous Leyland Cypress — or leylandii — is an evergreen with an extraordinary back story. Martin Fone explains.
-
The Cotswolds farmhouse gardens transformed from dilapidation to beauty
This former working farm in the Cotswolds with its scattering of ancient buildings has been transformed into a series of beautiful gardens surrounding the main house, writes Tiffany Daneff. Photographs by Jason Ingram.
-
Curious Questions: Why do leaves change colour in Autumn? And why do some go yellow while others are red, purple or brown?
The riotous colours on the trees around us are one of the highlights of the year — but why do leaves change colour in Autuumn? Mark Griffiths explains.
-
Irises: 'The next batch isn't even planted yet, but I am already excited about seeing them flowering next year'
John Hoyland, the gardens advisor at Glyndebourne, on how irises with 'elegance and delicacy' are a constant joy.
-
Curious Questions: What is a garden hermit?
Martin Fone takes a look at the curious history of the hermits who spent years living happily in the grounds of country houses, perhaps the ultimate garden folly.
-
West Lavington Manor: The gardens four centuries in the making
Originally laid out in the 1630s, the garden at West Lavington Manor in Wiltshire is today the home of Mr and Mrs Andrew Doman. And in its latest iteration, says Charles Quest-Ritson, has found a perfect balance between planting and design. Photographs by Jason Ingram.
