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A slice of heaven for fruit lovers: One of the world's greatest apple displays is about to take place in DevonEuropom — one of the great celebrations of the fruit grown across Europe — will be taking place this year at RHS Rosemoor. Charles Quest-Ritson can't wait.
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We're heading for an autumn of unparalleled colour — but why?If the days stay warm and the nights are cold, Charles Quest-Ritson is optimistic.
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Beautiful, impressive, mature: The high-summer splendour of Cedar HouseNew collections of trees and shrubs, colourful herbaceous plantings and dedication to its development have transformed the six acres of the garden and arboretum at Cedar House in Wasperton, home of David and Sandra Burbidge. Charles Quest-Ritson paid a visit to a place that has become a major showpiece; photography by Clive Nichols.
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The Somerset house that brought 'jungle gardening' to the EnglishEast Lambrook Manor in Somerset — home of Andrew and Alison Johnson — where Margery Fish’s exuberant ‘jungle gardening’ style took shape, is flourishing once again under new custodianship. Charles Quest-Ritson paid a visit; photography by Jonathan Buckley.
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Charles Quest-Ritson: Today’s best young gardeners are well educated, well qualified, and well underpaid. No wonder they're voting with their feetUp and coming gardeners are dotting from job to job like the journeymen gardeners of late-Victorian and Edwardian times, says Charles Quest-Ritson.
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'A dream of England': The Hampshire rose garden that's one of the finest in private handsA thousand English roses now bloom in the restored walled garden that forms the heart Dummer House, Hampshire, home of Sir Crispin and Lady Davis. Charles Quest-Ritson visits this beautiful 27-acre estate; photography by Mimi Connolly.
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Charles Quest-Ritson: The 'Sir David Beckham' rose is so good that one day he'll be better remembered as a flower than a footballerFrom spectacular South African blooms to a home-grown marvel, Charles Quest-Ritson shares his favourite plants from the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
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The ancient trees that laugh in the face of climate change and dinosaur-killing asteroidsCharles Quest-Ritson meets the 'living fossil' trees that survived mass extinctions.
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The Victorian world lost for 140 years, rediscovered and restored in DevonLost until a chance discovery in 2009, the Victorian fernery at Canonteign Falls in Devon has not only been restored, but now houses two National Collections. Charles Quest-Ritson visits; photography by Mark Bolton.
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Mount Congreve: The exquisite Irish garden on an unimaginable scaleEven superlatives are dwarfed by the scale and quality of the garden of Mount Congreve, in Co Waterford, Ireland. Charles Quest-Ritson traces its story. Photographs by Jonathan Hession.
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Pretty little things: How the double primrose continues to hold us in its thrallCharles Quest-Ritson looks into the history and the origins of these delightful flowers.
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'Ugly, pointless and potentially lethal': Why dead hedges are a gardening fad too farCharles Quest-Ritson takes aim at the phenomenon of the 'dead hedge'.
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The Italians think it's a laxative and the Germans say it leeches your bones, but rhubarb is a true British wonder. Here's how to do it justiceRhubarb is one of the easiest and most generous plants to grow. Charles Quest-Ritson digs into its history and recommends the best kinds; photographs by Jonathan Buckley.
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No garden should be without a winter-flowering daphne, so we've picked the bestThere is no such thing as a disappointing daphne, Charles Quest-Ritson
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'I was utterly bewitched': The heartwarming success story of one of Britain's greatest rose-growersCharles Quest-Ritson talks to Trevor White, whose Norfolk rose nursery is sought out by enthusiasts for the quality and variety of its stock. Photographs by Richard Bloom.
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Beautiful, rewarding, unpronounceable: Chaenomeles, the spectacular shrub that grows happily in gardens where azaleas will never bloomSo many new types of Japanese flowering quince are now available that they have been the subject of a four-year trial by the RHS. Charles Quest-Ritson picks his favourites; just don't ask him to say their names out loud.
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English country gardens once dotted the French Riviera. Now the last of them is about to slip away foreverCharles Quest-Ritson laments the final closure of the English Edwardian garden at Le Clos.
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Exclusive: The King's remarkable resurrection of the gardens and parkland at SandringhamThe King took over the running of the 21,000-acre Sandringham estate in 2017 — and in the last three years has transformed it beyond recognition.
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How Harper Beckham created the perfect gardener's birthday present for her father's 50th — with a little help from David Austin RosesWhen Harper Beckham wanted to commission a rose for her father’s birthday, there was only one man for the job, says Charles Quest-Ritson, as he takes a closer look at the science behind creating a new David Austin bloom.
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'You could walk round it every day and always notice something new': A private tour of the garden of multiple Chelsea gold medallist John MasseyInspired by his friends Christopher Lloyd and Princess Greta Sturdza, nurseryman and plant breeder John Massey has made a garden in Worcestershire that never ceases to delight, writes Charles Quest-Ritson. Photographs by Clive Nichols
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The arboretum that's been 30 years in the making by a dedicated, passionate family who are dreaming of what it could be in 3,000 years' timeKeen collectors sooner or later find their way to the outstanding trees and shrubs at Bluebell Arboretum in Derbyshire, writes Charles Quest-Ritson. It’s a wonderful sight at this time of year.
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The one website about trees and shrubs that everyone needs to know about'Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles' has been digitised, making one of gardening's most important works free and at your fingertips.
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Everything you could ever want to know about growing, eating and cooking plumsMirabelles, gages, plums, damsons — the best ones to buy, the ones to avoid, and how to use them. Charles Quest-Ritson has you covered.
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'Knowledge, energy, creativity and enthusiasm... He's a sensation': Meet the golden boy of English horticultureCharles Quest-Ritson meets the best of the next generation of gardeners tending to some of the nation's best gardens.
