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.
Associated with warmer climes than these, you can cheat geography and bask in the sense of glorious impossibility if you choose the right varieties.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The answer is: you can't have too many.
If you know where to look, a tiny suburban garden can yield as much pleasure as views across open countryside, believes Jonathan Notley.
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.
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.
The forager's delight, blackberries are delicious to eat and easy to grow. Here are some varieties that are worth savouring.
Kathryn Bradley-Hole traces the story of the gardens in the past 40 years with its ingenious designs by Russell Page and François Goffinet.
Perhaps a bit prickly, these plants are loved by bumblebees and make a great splash of colour.
Almost two centuries separate this Decimus Burton villa from its new contemporary garden and yet they suit each other perfectly.
John Hoyland of the gardens at Glyndebourne on how to plug the gaps of those flowers that didn't make it through the winter.
Reinstating the view was central to the remaking of the garden at the Old Rectory at Preston Capes, Northamptonshire. Tiffany Daneff reports from an unusual site that surrounds the local church.
The Chelsea Flower Show might be the most famous in the world — but does it offer the best experience for visitors? Alan Titchmarsh suggests a few others where you might have an even better time.
What's in a label? More than you might think, says Charles Quest-Ritson.
A historic house has been saved from ruin by sympathetic owners, who have mixed modern planting with tradition to create a garden of note in the West Country.
Easy to manage and extremely versatile to use, quinces should be a staple in any garden says our grow-your-own expert Mark Diacono.
Once the haunt of smugglers and sailors, the Hampshire seashore now shelters a garden where pre- and interwar plantings sit happily with impressive new areas. George Plumptre visits the garden of Lepe House.
