The garden fruit that's a blend of strawberry, blueberry and kiwi — and it grows beautifully in Britain
The Chilean Guava was Queen Victoria's favourite fruit — so why don't we grow more of them, asks Mark Diacono.
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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The best bulbs to plant in your gardens, pots and pathways to guarantee floods of colour next Spring
The anticipation of cheerful spring bulbs can keep the gardener going through the dull winter months. John Hoyland advises on what to plant for every situation, from gravel to orchards, sun, shade or in pots.
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The spread of Johnny Appleseed: The many many varieties of apple
They grow on our roadsides and most taste pretty ordinary. But some are 'humdingers'.
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Alan Titchmarsh's Compost conundrums
No, it's not the name of a new quiz show featuring our columnist as host (although that *would* be a hit, surely) but instead it's Alan Titchmarsh on the increasingly tricky issue of getting the right kind of compost for the right kind of planting.
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The Cotswolds garden that's cleverly designed to defy the worst of the elements
Coates Barn in Warwickshire — home of the Sonneborn family — presented a challenge: how to lay out this exposed north-Cotswold site so as to protect new planting from the elements, and simultaneously provide a garden that three generations of residents could enjoy. Tiffany Daneff explains how they did it; photographs by Britt Willoughby Dyer.
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Alan Titchmarsh: I've been looking for the answer to peat-free compost — and now I think I've found it
Alan Titchmarsh delves into the history of compost, and has finally found something that can replace the brilliant but environmentally unsustainable peat-based formulae.
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'A garden should be the cosiest of places, but with some element of awe, menace, and glimpses of the wider landscape'
Isabel Bannerman shares her thoughts on making a garden that makes people feel at home.
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‘My God! What’s he done?… look at it!’: How George Harrison left The Beatles, turned his hand to gardening, and created a masterpiece
The garden at Friar Park in Henley-on-Thames — the Oxfordshire home of the late Beatle George Harrison and his wife Olivia — is breathtaking. The ‘Gardening Beatle’ did a spectacular job of reviving an historic alpine garden in the shadow of the ‘Henley Matterhorn’, and Olivia has enhanced what was Britain’s largest rock garden with her exceptional and imaginative planting schemes. Charles Quest-Ritson reports.
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Pelargoniums: The flowers that'll make your garden smile
John Hoyland celebrates the renewed popularity of the irrepressibly cheerful pelargonium.
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The best new indoor planters, pots and plant stands
Ideas for growing and enjoying houseplants, selected by Amelia Thorpe.
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'Try them with pecorino and a cold glass of dryish white wine and feel smug': How to grow your own almonds
Associated with warmer climes than these, you can cheat geography and bask in the sense of glorious impossibility if you choose the right varieties.
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When, where and what to plant for the perfect spring bulbs
The anticipation of cheerful spring bulbs can keep the gardener going through the dull winter months. John Hoyland advises on what to plant for every situation, from gravel to orchards, sun, shade or in pots.
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Britain's rarest plant is set to go on public display at Kew Gardens
Those wishing to enjoy what might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see flowers such as the lady’s slipper orchid should probably start planning now.
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It's been raining almost non-stop for 11 months — but one plant has defied the weather
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Phenomenal’ has lived up to its name, defying everything the weather has thrown at it. Kathryn Bradley-Hole writes in praise of this hardy, happy lavender.
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Elegy to a country churchyard: The gardens at Stockcross House
A garden with a church as its focal point is both movingly effective and mellow, with nods to a horticultural hero and a ruby wedding anniversary.
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Alan Titchmarsh: How many chairs in your garden is too many?
The answer is: you can't have too many.
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The small suburban garden: 'It’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you do with it'
If you know where to look, a tiny suburban garden can yield as much pleasure as views across open countryside, believes Jonathan Notley.
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Wet wet wet: How water has been irrigating the imagination of our gardens for centuries
From stew ponds and medieval moats to a miniature Mount Parnassus, water has flowed through the history of British gardens, often in ruinously expensive fashion.
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Parasites of pleasure: the plants that live on plants and what to do with them
You might see it as an opportunity to grab a quick kiss at Christmas, but mistletoe is a parasite like any other, points out Charles Quest-Ritson.
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'fat, dark and juicy': Every type of blackberry you could ever need and how to plant them
The forager's delight, blackberries are delicious to eat and easy to grow. Here are some varieties that are worth savouring.
