Country Life March 18, 2026

Country Life March 18, 2026 celebrates spring gardens, explores the life and work of Capability Brown, and explains how to keep a flock of geese.

Cover of Country Life March 18, 2026
The cover of Country Life March 18, 2026, featuring Jacky Parker's beautiful image of the lupins that will soon be gracing our gardens. (Photo: Jacky Parker Photography/Getty).
(Image credit: Future)

Here's a look at some of what you'll find inside.

The legacy

Tiffany Daneff applauds the enduring influence of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, the father of English landscape design

Spring-loaded

Clipped hornbeam trees and multicoloured tulips catch the eye of Kathryn Bradley-Hole at Cogshall Grange in Cheshire

Magazine spread from Country Life March 18, 2026

(Image credit: Clive Nichols / Future)

Show stoppers

With the local flower show season looming, Christopher Stocks examines the origins of this centuries-old tradition

How to win at your local show

What are the judges looking for as they weigh up the flowers, fruit and vegetables displayed in the village hall, asks Steven Desmond

Magazine spread from Country Life March 18, 2026

(Image credit: Future)

Oh, to be in England…

Hope springs eternal for the poets of the British Isles: Jacqui Ritchie reflects on some of our most inspiring seasonal verse

Talk to me, goose

A gaggle of geese is guaranteed to bring character and chaos to any rural backyard, as Mary Skipwith discovers

Taco Dibbit’s favourite painting

The general director of the Rijksmuseum chooses a painting blessed with a touch of genius

Country-house treasure

John Goodall turns the pages of a 1464 portfolio of deeds at Great Chalfield Manor, Wiltshire

In fine form

From Dionysus to dancers, Amelia Thorpe seeks out the ultimate in garden sculpture

Sweet and sour source

Is there a flavour more English than rhubarb, asks Charles Quest-Ritson, who shares his favourite stalks for growing

Historical resonance

Steven Brindle charts the intriguing history behind the building and collections at Breamore House in Hampshire

Magazine spread from Country Life March 18, 2026

(Image credit: Future)

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White marvels at magnificent millinery and picks classic stripes that create the perfect playful look for spring

Interiors

Amelia Thorpe admires natural textures and tones in a South Downs retreat and consoles her-self with sleek and slender tables

Travel

Rupert Clague experiences the allure of the French Riviera, the destination of choice for the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Matisse

Magazine spread from Country Life March 18, 2026

(Image credit: Future)

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino explores how plants changed our world with a fascinating new exhibition at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum

Show and sell

Country-house sales are no longer the sole preserve of the big British auction houses, as Huon Mallalieu reveals

Eyes wide shut

A host of thought-provoking plays at London theatres prompt Michael Billington to view world affairs through fresh eyes

And much more.

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by His Majesty The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.