The former smugglers' inn that became one of the finest gardens on the south coast
Once the haunt of smugglers and sailors, Lepe House now shelters a garden where pre- and interwar plantings sit happily with impressive new areas.
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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Leave the cellophane-wrapped lettuce at the supermarket. It's time to grow your own
Alan Titchmarsh takes us for a tour around his vegetable garden.
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Inside the garden of Eton: A rare glimpse into the grounds of the world's most famous school
The gardens of Eton College in Windsor, Berkshire, date back to a request from its founder, King Henry VI. Over 550 years later, a recent re-design by a former pupil has brought new life to these historic gardens, as George Plumptre explains.
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From Derbyshire to Dunrobin to the Dordogne, Andrea Jones's spectacular winning photographs in the RHS Botanical Photography Awards 2024
Garden photographer Andrea Jones is among the winners at the RHS Botanical Photography Awards, on show at the Saatchi Gallery.
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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.
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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.
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If you sow seeds in June, you might just be putting down bird seed... but it's worth the risk if you love fresh summer salads
Our grow-your-own expert Mark Diacono suggests a string of ideas for what you can plant as summer kicks in.
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'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.
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The Legacy: David Austin's English roses
Tiffany Daneff pays tribute to David Austin, the man whose name remains synonymous with roses even five years after his death.
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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.
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Nicholsons Garden Design: Intuitive design with climate and Nature in mind
Gardens that support Nature are beautiful, says RHS judge Liz Nicholson, managing director of Nicholsons Garden Design, which green-audits the 2024 Chelsea Flower Show.
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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.
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'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.
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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.
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Jason Goodwin: I always give the snails a flying chance at new life — but with slugs, I am merciless
It's all very well being At One with Nature, but when they start feasting on your pelargoniums, they've crossed a line says Jason Goodwin.
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Romancing the stone: How one man has taken the craft of dry-stone walling and turned it into an art
Tom Trouton's works at The Newt and elsewhere set him apart as a master of one of our oldest heritage crafts.
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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.
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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.
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The creation of Tom Stuart-Smith's showstopping garden at RHS Chelsea 2024
Tom Stuart-Smith returned to Main Avenue at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 with a hazel grove for the National Garden Scheme. Joanna Fortnam took an exclusive look behind the scenes at its creation.
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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.
