10 sublime photographs from the 2021 RHS Photographic Competition
Some truly breathtaking images were among the best photographs in the 2021 RHS Photographic Competition.

Dreamlike flowers, a dragonfly with 'invisible' wings and a startlingly geometric overheard view of a garden were among the winners in the 2021 RHS Photographic Competition.The overall winner was Oliver Dixon for his image of the flower garden at Loseley Park, Surrey, taken with a drone. It's an image which really captures the mix of Man and Nature which goes in to a great garden.
Our picture editor, Lucy Ford, particularly loved another image: Molly Hollman's ‘sculptural’ love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena), taken in her garden in Canterbury, Kent. It was the winning photograph in the Plants category.
You can see several more of our favourites below, while there is a full list of winners and runners-up in all categories at the RHS website. The site also has details of how to enter the 2022 competition.
10 utterly glorious images from the South Downs National Park photography competition
An image of horses enjoying a peaceful stroll on the South Downs was voted the best picture in the national
The 15 best pictures from the National Trust's photo competition to find a cover for its 2020 member handbook
A beautiful image of a nature reserve on the Isle of Wight has won the honour of being on the
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners are inspiring, funny, uplifting – and shocking
The winning images from the Natural History Museum's 53rd Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition will make you laugh and
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
-
Country Life 9 July 2025
Country Life 9 July 2025 finds Britain's brightest seagull, looks at the country houses that became film sets and gets inside tips and recommendations from Britain's leading designers.
-
'The city has always held an important creative space within our design studio': A luxury townhouse in Tokyo, courtesy of Aston Martin
A new four-storey property in the Omotesandō district is the first single home private residence by the British ultra-luxury performance brand.
-
The life that thrives among the dead: How wildlife finds a home in the graveyards and churchyards of Britain
Home to a veritable ‘Noah’s Ark of species’, thanks to never being ploughed, sprayed or fertilised, our churchyards offer a sacred haven for flora and fauna, says Laura Parker.
-
Peregrine falcons went to the edge of extinction in the 1960s — today, there are more of them than at any time since the Middle Ages
In the latest instalment of Mark Cocker's 'Winging it' column, he looks at the peregrine, a bird of prey with astonishing speed and super strength.
-
I lichen the look of you: A rare lichen-covered fingerpost that's been frozen in time and donated to the Natural History Museum
A fingerpost, covered in 12 different species of lichen, has been donated to the Natural History Museum by Exmoor National Park — but they had some trouble getting it there.
-
Marcus Janssen: The man behind Schöffel on Chelsea Lifejackets, bagging a 'MacNab' and recognising the best of the British countryside
Marcus Janssen of Schöffel joins the Country Life podcast.
-
Beyond Stonehenge: The ancient moorland megaliths and grand stone rings that you can enjoy without the tourist hordes
With their potent blend of wild looks and mystery, Britain’s ancient sites have an enduring magnetism — and there are far more of them than you might imagine.
-
Chatsworth's winning £4 million Lottery ticket means it can restore beloved water feature
The Chatsworth House Trust will use the money from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore their Cascade — beloved by Alan Titchmarsh.
-
Hope from the ashes: This new generation of ash trees is more resistant to dieback
When ash dieback first arrived in Britain, in 2012, an emergency COBRA meeting was formed. The disease has since spread rampantly across the countryside, but there is still hope.
-
Listen up puffins, peregrines and seal pups — Big Brother is watching you
The Wildlife Trusts have installed more than 25 video cameras around the country that live stream activity from barn owl nests to popular puffin sites.