Finest gardens in Britain

The garden at Emmetts Mill, Chobham: Bourne to run

A flat waterside site has been transformed into a garden full of drama with plenty of delightful places to stop and enjoy the view, writes Kathryn Bradley-Hole. Photographs by Eva Nemeth.

The gardens at Dunvegan Castle: Hard landscaping on the Isle of Skye

Despite their exposed position, the gardens of Dunvegan Castle, home of Clan MacLeod for 800 years, have nurtured an important historic collection of species from around the world and are now going from strength to strength, writes Caroline Donald.

'Bugs don’t care what things look like, they simply want somewhere to live. We try to make it beautiful for the sake of the people': Meet the man who's bringing the buzz back to gardening

The founder of the Grass Roof Company tells Country Life about why a derelict oil refinery contains a greater variety of invertebrates than anywhere else in the country and how we can learn from it.

'There is no end to the beauty of what they have created': The sensational gardens of Selehurst

This garden, which contains the largest Eucalyptus tree in Sussex, has been sensitively restored, replanted and improved since the Great Storm of 1987.

Half a century ago, one of Britain's greatest ever gardeners planted roses at Mottisfont Abbey — and right now is the perfect time to go and see them

Planted by the legendary horticulturist Graham Stuart Thomas, the 1,000 individual roses at this priory-turned-country house are considered his 'masterpiece' and bloom only once a year.

Chilcombe House: the garden that's become a 'pilgrimage' and a 'living legacy' to its former owners

When John and Caryl Hubbard first moved to Chilcombe House, they created a garden that impressed and inspired. Now, after their passing, their legacy lives on through a garden that basks in comfortable maturity.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024: See all the gold medallists

We take a look at all the gold medallists from the 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. All photographs by Andrew Sydenham for Country Life.

'A haunt of ancient peace' — The gardens at Iford Manor and their remarkable history

In a home that can trace its history to the Norman Conquest, owners William and Marianne Cartwright-Hignett have continued the great work begun by Harold Peto in 1899.

The gardens of High Moss, a Cumbrian paradise just moments from Derwentwater

Non Morris visits the much-loved gardens of High Moss, in Portinscale, Cumbria — home of Peter and Christine Hughes — and finds a historically fascinating Arts-and-Crafts garden which has been imaginatively brought back to life. Photographs by Val Corbett for Country Life.

18 of the best places across Britain to go and see bluebells this spring

We round up the best gardens to visit to see carpets of bluebells this spring and explain how to tell the difference between the native flowers and foreign interlopers

The garden of Midsummer House: An Oxfordshire gem that's small but perfectly formed

With a stream running through it and views of the Uffington White Horse, the garden of Midsummer House in Oxfordshire —
the home of Mrs Penny Spink — is a garden of great natural beauty cleverly designed and planted to make it seem much larger than it actually is. George Plumptre paid a visit; photographs by Mimi Connolly.

How to make a garden good enough for Country Life from scratch

Within only 14 years, seven acres of featureless grass around Charlton Farm in Wiltshire have been transformed into a garden full of incident and charm, writes Caroline Donald

Six of the finest gardens in Britain, but only one can be the winner

The Historic Houses Garden of the Year competition is once again underway — we take a quick glance at the six shortlisted entries.

Five of the most amazing mazes according to a man who makes them

Adrian Fisher is a world-famous maze designer. The man behind the Saltburn maze tells us about some of his favourites.

Riding to the rescue – how the gardens at Dowdeswell Court have been brought to life

With only lawns and shrubberies remaining of the original gardens, their rejuvenation has taken a huge amount of thought and work, but the results are spectacular says James Alexander-Sinclair.

What I grow in my garden, by Country Life's gardens editor Tiffany Daneff

The best garden designers and landscape architects in Britain

A beautiful country house is as much about its surroundings as its bricks and mortar, something that the best garden designers in Britain all understand. We've completely revised and updated our list of the finest of them all.

The world's most beautiful opera house foyer? A tour of the glorious gardens of Glyndebourne

As Glyndebourne celebrates its 90th anniversary, the gardens at the opera house are still hitting all the high notes.

Spring has officially sprung, according to some plants in Cornwall

Six magnolia trees in Cornwall have flowered, signalling the end of winter, according to a tradition that's been running for the past 12 years.

The snowdrops of Thenford: 900 varieties that are the pride and joy of Lord and Lady Heseltine

The gardens at Thenford House, home of Lord and Lady Heseltine 
James Alexander-Sinclair joins snowdrop lovers wandering through more than 900 varieties of Galanthus, perhaps the largest collection in the country. Photographs by Clive Nichols.