Expert Gardening Tips

Anna Pavord: 'I never quite remember how glorious it is going to be, that first day in spring'

The gardener and writer Anna Pavrod on the joy of rediscovery that is spring.

Grow your own tomatoes: What to plant, when to plant them and how to make sure they thrive

Nothing beats the flavour of homegrown tomatoes, whether you like them large and meaty or tiny and juicy. Mark Diacono has the lowdown on how to do it and which varieties to choose.

There are over 1,000 different citrus fruits out there — and you owe it to yourself to try something a little different

Once, there were just four types of wild citrus, but farmers and gardeners over the centuries have selected for wonderful variety and abundance, says Charles Quest-Ritson.

How to start your own cutting garden, by three of Britain's most successful flower growers

Nothing beats homegrown flowers for beauty, variety and scent. Tiffany Daneff asks three British growers for the best advice on starting your own cutting garden.

How to grow fritillaries

The exotic snake’s-head fritillary is the only British native of 130 bulbs in this fascinating family, many of which deserve a place in the garden. John Hoyland, garden adviser at Glyndebourne in East Sussex, recommends the best and shares tips on how to grow them, with additional tips from botanical artist and Fritillaria specialist Laurence Hill.

Alan Titchmarsh: The hardest thing in life is keeping a sense of perspective. In that respect, a garden has no equal

The place you'll find the world's best roses — and it's nowhere near Britain

Charles Quest-Ritson is man who literally wrote the book on roses — several of them, actually — but he'll openly concede that his best efforts in Hampshire are as nothing compared to the best Australia has to offer.

Wild Garlic: How to forage it, and how to grow your own

If you are new to foraging, wild garlic is the ideal place to start says Mark Diacono.

Alan Titchmarsh: I won't hear a bad word about privet hedges, but they're not a patch on my one-off 'country hedge'

In search of a mutant snowdrop

Charles Quest-Ritson tells the tale of a snowdrop that proved a painfully elusive wintry delight.

The forest garden in Devon 'with an air of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory'

Mark Diacono on Martin Crawford, the man who has inspired him for decades.

Your month-by-month checklist of what to do in the garden and when in 2022

Keeping on top of the gardening jobs can be daunting, and it's all too easy to let things slide in one area or another for a month or two.

Alan Titchmarsh: My favourite books for winter garden dreaming

As the gardening takes a back seat and the sofa and the fire beckon, Alan recommends some of his favourite books to while away the long winter nights.

Country Life's top 10 garden stories of 2022

Our look at the best garden and nature articles of the last year from Country Life includes some very special gardens indeed.

The man who was 'by far the most significant breeder of rhododendrons of the 20th century'

Charles Quest-Ritson pays tribute to the great Hans Hachmann, the most important plantsman you've probably never heard of.

The transcendent joy of a really wonderful compost heap — and how the odd bucket of urine will help it come along nicely

Glamorous? Surprisingly, yes, since a Hollywood superstar agrees heartily with Mark Diacono about compost.

The flowers that look spectacular when the frost starts to bite

Resist the urge to tidy the garden and, come the frosts, you will be rewarded with a glorious display of glittering seedheads, says Steven Desmond.

The magnificently beautiful house and garden of the writer who helped make Country Life what it is today

Timothy Mowl looks at Mounton, a house created by Henry Avray Tipping, who served as architectural editor of Country Life over a century ago.

Alan Titchmarsh: 'It came as a disappointment to Dad when I wanted to be a gardener, but he hid it well'

Alan Titchmarsh's father wasn't much of a gardener — but further back in his family tree were many green-fingered forbears, and he still uses many of their tools despite them being over a century old.

City garden tips: 10 ways to bring a touch of English country garden to your outside space in the metropolis

This typically-dark city back garden in Kensington has been transformed with a tapestry of foliage. Tiffany Daneff takes a look at how it was done, and discovers the ten rules that we can draw from this beautiful creation in the heart of W8.