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.
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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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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‘Look out! Look out! Jack Frost is about!’
Variously described as ‘wearing a cloak of silver’ and looking like ‘a hoary old man’, Jack Frost has attracted many artistic depictions over the centuries — some more positive than others.
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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.
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The gift of growing
Entirely built to suit your needs, a bespoke Alitex greenhouse not only helps you nurture flowers and vegetables, but also offers a tranquil retreat from the pressures of daily life.
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The trees with fruits so sweet and delectable that badgers have been known to batter their way through iron gates to get to them
Garden designer and writer Isabel Bannerman doesn't normally advocate taking plants from one house to another — but her mulberry tree has been with her for years.
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Rip it up and start again: RHS Wisley's daring reinvention of one of its most famous plantings
Piet Oudolf, father of the New Perennial Movement, has dug up his famous double borders at the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley in Surrey and transformed them. John Hoyland takes a look, with photographs by Clive Nichols.
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The grand master 'paintings' that are actually the most exquisite floral photographs you'll ever see
Harald Altmaier’s photographs of floral tableaux, as colossal in effort as in scale, recall 17th-century Dutch still lifes, but the inspiration behind them is far wider, as Carla Passino finds.
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Alan Titchmarsh: Terracotta has been used for flowerpots for 2,500 years — and it's still by far the best thing to pot your plants in
Plastic pots might have conquered the industry — but look after terracotta pots and they'll last for lifetimes. Literally.
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Do not fear the Spanish invaders, the English bluebell will reign supreme
Our native spring flower, sprinkled across the woodland floor, is quite safe from foreign imposters.
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Rose hips: the perfect accompaniment to the gentle descent into winter
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead your spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead.
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'That first taste, six months later, was a quiet revelation': Mark Diacono on how he was inspired to grow his own vegetables
Our grow-your-own expert Mark Diacono looks back on the early days of his growing, and how things he'd never heard of such as salsify and scorzonera found a place in his heart. And his garden, of course.
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The Anderson shelter: Good for gardening, good for storing wine, and great for hiding from bombs
Damp, dimly lit and cramped they may have been, yet Anderson shelters were lifesavers during the Second World War. Russell Higham explores their legacy.
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Growing together: Why the community garden is more than just plants and green space
The NGS has begun investing in community garden schemes. The results are more than anyone could have expected and showcase the best of Britain.
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Alan Titchmarsh's garden: No insecticides, no herbicides, just beautiful flowers, lawns, a statue of Repton and a swing seat that's impossible to resist
It’s always fascinating to see what a high-profile gardening personality does with their own home. Tiffany Daneff visits Alan Titchmarsh’s Hampshire garden, to find a place of endless delights and charm. Photographs by Jonathan Buckley.
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Ghost hunters: the search for Britain's rarest flowers
Climbing, swimming and crawling, rare-plant hunters know no bounds when it comes to tracking down the botanical equivalent of the Holy Grail, says Peter Marren
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The incredible legacy of the 'the only man ever to get away with smoking in the RHS Library'
The impact of the trailblazing Walter Ingwersen is still felt today, says Kathryn Bradley-Hole.
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'Prepare to be amazed' by a cathedral of autumn in the heart of Herefordshire
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire — home of Edward Banks — is an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson.
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Asters: what they are, which ones to try and how to grow them
These late blooming plants 'promise future spring', making them essential for any garden.
