Expert Gardening Tips

How to grow your own botanicals and impress at cocktail hour

Once associated largely with gin, there is a host of easy-to-grow botanicals that will enliven both drinks and mealtimes, advises Natasha Goodfellow.

Why I try to get rid of the pinks in my garden — and the reason I always change my mind and end up keeping them

To pink or not to pink? John Hoyland on the flowers whose brief cameo is worth the bother.

Autumn olives: The summer fruit that enriches the soil, your lunch table and your life

A hedge? A crop? A beautiful foliage plant? All this and more come to those who grow Autumn olive, says Mark Diacono.

'Nothing wrong with a bit of furore': An insider's guide to judging the Chelsea Flower Show, by RHS senior judge James Alexander-Sinclair

James Alexander-Sinclair comes to the Country Life podcast to talk about his career in gardening, and his two decades spent as one of the top judges at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Alan Titchmarsh on Chelsea 2024: 'We need controversy to make us think... Just don’t expect me to regard slugs and snails as my friend'

Alan Titchmarsh looks ahead to the 'matchless spectacle' of the 2024 Chelsea Flower Show, the 'Paris catwalk of the British gardening scene.'

'I could buy ready-to-go evergreens and hurry up the process, but I’m not in a hurry' — why gardeners, like plants, should move slowly

Shrubs, grasses, mess and dead leaves are nothing to be feared. We should take a leaf from Piet Oudolf and enjoy watching things grow and decay.

The poisonous plant that can 'run riot' in your garden, was a favourite of Elizabeth II and is more beautiful than a rose

Lily of the valley has a long history of royal connections, as well as being the ideal flower for expressions of love.

'Within a month, one was eaten by a tiger, one was burned alive, five disappeared and the sole survivor emerged with 7,000 specimens': The unique passion engendered by orchids

Charles Quest-Ritson admits that he never fell for orchids the way he has for roses — but the devotion they inspire is legendary.

When sheds become art: The 'mini temples' that stand proud on 200-year-old allotments

Arthur Parkinson marvels at the spectacular sheds of Stoney Road Allotments.

How to grow lovage — and the reasons why you'd want to bother

Our grow-your-own expert Mark Diacono takes a look at the lovely uses for lovage.

The expert guide to growing violets, by the fifth-generation nursery owner who's devoted a lifetime to them

Groves Nursery in Bridport, Dorset, has been breeding violets since 1866 and, today, holds a National Collection, as well as offering more than 200 varieties for sale. Tilly Ware paid a visit and picked up expert advice from the latest member of the family to run the nursery, Clive Groves.

From smashed glass to smashing teas: The restoration of a 300-year-old glass-roofed teahouse full of historic camellias

The Georgian teahouse at Wentworth Woodhouse has undergone a multi-million pound restoration which has saved the centuries-old camellias which grow within.

The RHS: 220 years of horticultural genius

The RHS is best-known for its shows and gardens but it's the work behind the scenes which has made the biggest mark. Tiffany Daneff pays tribute to a remarkable institution as it reaches a major milestone.

Alan Titchmarsh: The boy who left school early with one O-level 60 years ago... and found the perfect career

Our columnist Alan Titchmarsh reflects on 60 years of gardening.

Chicory and endive: The bittersweet plants as versatile as they are punchy

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

The house plant I've kept alive for 50 years

Charles Quest-Ritson on the amazing longevity of his Purpurea.

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.

When it comes to designing and making a garden, it's always worth seeking advice

What might be difficult for you will come naturally to those with years of horticultural experience — Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Alan Titchmarsh: Wordsworth was dead wrong about lonely clouds — but he was on to something with daffodils

Alan Titchmarsh loves daffodils — don't we all? — and shares some of his favourite varieties.