Gardens
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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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'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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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.
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Honouring the past, protecting the future: the gardens at Badminton House
Kathryn Bradley-Hole traces the story of the gardens in the past 40 years with its ingenious designs by Russell Page and François Goffinet.
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The year of the umbellifer: the glorious plant jesters thriving in the summer rain
Perhaps a bit prickly, these plants are loved by bumblebees and make a great splash of colour.
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At a home designed by the architect of the Royal Botanical Society, a new garden takes shape
Almost two centuries separate this Decimus Burton villa from its new contemporary garden and yet they suit each other perfectly.
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The case of the disappearing dahlias
John Hoyland of the gardens at Glyndebourne on how to plug the gaps of those flowers that didn't make it through the winter.
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The garden at the Old Rectory, Preston Capes: Happily ever after
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.
Alan Titchmarsh: How many chairs in your garden is too many?
The answer is: you can't have too many.
