Latest From Gardens Illustrated

Phillip Johnson garden in Narre Warren East, Australia

'Water is liquid gold' says designer of this stunning climate-resilient Australian garden

This habitat-rich garden filled with native plants and its own billabong was designed by Phillip Johnson to borrow the surrounding landscape.Show more
Girl sat on a large pumpkin in a pumpkin field in the countryside

The best pumpkin patches to visit for Halloween 2026, from South West England to Scotland

Tick off this autumn bucket list essential with a visit to one of these brilliant pumpkin patches for HalloweenShow more
Drone view of historic Bath in UK

Green spaces can shield UK cities from extreme heatwaves and save the NHS millions every year, says report

A new report by the HTA says green spaces should be prioritised in urban planning, and highlights the reasons why.Show more

Dan Pearson to close garden design studio to embark on new chapter

The lauded landscape designer tells us why he is closing his London practice to focus on creative growth and other opportunitiesShow more
Common Blue butterfly

It was a great summer for butterflies – but next year they could be fighting for survival

This summer was a bumper year for butterflies – but not caterpillars. Discover the results of the Big Butterfly Count 2026.Show more
Agroforestry Research Trust forest garden

New crowdfunding campaign launched to buy Martin Crawford's iconic forest garden

Fundraising has begun to save the renowned Agroforestry Research Trust garden in DevonShow more
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Gardens Illustrated 's Editor's choice

Morocco Marrakech Secret Garden

Gardens of Morocco - book now for this exclusive Gardens Illustrated holiday

Join us in April 2027 for a 13-day tour of Morocco that explores one of the world’s great gardening traditionsShow more
Malverleys in late Summer/Autumn

Autumn is the new spring: do these jobs now for a stunning garden next year

Forget spring – here's why autumn is now the key season in the garden, and how the jobs we do are changing.Show more
© John Davies

These are the best new gardens according to designers - but what do you think? Have your say

Discover the new designs shortlisted for the 2027 Society of Garden and Landscape Designers Awards and get the chance to vote for your favouriteShow more
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The New Beautiful

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Nerines

Garden events and festivals to go to this year: all the best tours, workshops, exhibitions and more for 2026

All the big names in one place. Here's our guide to the gardening calendar's biggest and best gardening events for the year aheadShow more
Halloween Eden Project

Spooky days out in gardens

Discover creepy plants, follow haunted trails and carve pumpkins at one of these Halloween events in a garden near youShow more

Latest garden features and design ideas

A family make Jack O' Lanterns for Hallowe'en. They sit around a white marble table and concentrate on carving faces into pumpkins. A messy but fun activity. The pumpkins are completely hollowed out. © Getty / Catherine Falls Commercial

What to do with your pumpkin innards

Carving isn't the only thing you could be doing with your pumpkin this Halloween. Here's a few other suggestions on how not to waste your pumpkinShow more
Tucked away on one side of the terrace outside the kitchen, the dining area is screened by a fig tree underplanted with trouble-free Mediterranean species, including woolly thyme, Salvia argentea, Ballota pseudodictamnus and pale-lavender irises.

These 7 small details will make your garden look more high-end, according to designers

These tips from garden designers will make your space look more high-endShow more
Dahlia merckii

10 remarkable facts you (probably) didn’t know about dahlias

We're celebrating dahlia season, so here are 10 facts you might not have known about these gorgeous late season flowersShow more
Apples and blossom in a trug

"One sniff and I am 8 years old again": how Nigel Slater created his dream orchard for delicious summer desserts

After losing a bumper crop last year,Nigel Slater may be rowing back on his orchard ambitions, but an apple tree can still transport him back to his childhoodShow more
Stourhead Christmas light show

Have you booked your Christmas light show visit yet? Here are 22 of the best not to miss

Here are our top picks for the best Christmas light shows and illuminated trails in gardens across the UK, to enjoy with friends and family during this festive seasonShow more
Guelder rose

It's possible to create a woodland in an ordinary garden. Here's some advice from an expert

Designer Ashleigh Aylett shares her favourite trees to bring a sense of the delicate beauty of ancient woodland to your own garden.Show more
Raoul Curtis-Machin in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

'More than half our trees won't be here in 100 years': Kew Gardens' new director on the challenges ahead

Raoul Curtis-Machin, the new executive director of gardens at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on a botanical childhood in Scotland and his high hopes for his newly planted orchard.Show more
The Queen Mother's Garden, Walmer Castle and Gardens, Kent

Beautiful royal gardens

From wildflower meadows to Islamic-inspired water gardens, the gardens of royal residences can provide places of calm, beauty and inspiration. We recommend the best royal gardens to visit in the UKShow more
Dendrologist Tom Christian at Cluny House Gardens in Perth and Kinross

'If a tree is in the wrong place, it’s just a weed.' Meet conifer expert Tom Christian

Dendrologist Tom Christian is one of the UK’s leading conifer experts and deputy editor of Trees and Shrubs OnlineShow more

Best garden plants for now

The first of Frances Palmer’s two cutting gardens, which spills on to a repurposed tennis court, housing over 500 dahlias between them. The studio barn was built around salvaged beams from a local 1790s house.

Discover the dahlias in Frances Palmer's Connecticut garden, where she turned her tennis court into a flower patch

A gardener as well as a renowned potter, dahlia devotee Frances Palmer uses her own blooms to adorn her vessels, grown in her imaginatively conceived Connecticut garden.Show more
Katie Guillebaud pots of style May 2026

A delicate, airy planting combination for summer in a rustic stone trough

Designer Katie Guillebaud channels the ebullience of the season with this nature-inspired container ideaShow more
Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun'

60 great flowers chosen by experts that will bring brilliant colour in early summer to your garden

As temperatures continue to rise, momentum gathers in the garden and sun-lovers show their hand. From nodding woodlanders to audacious perennials, here are 60 early summer flowers chosen by expertsShow more
Sarah Raven

Expert grower Sarah Raven picks seven of her favourite dahlias – here are the dahlias to grow for perfect summer blooms

We visited Sarah Raven's Perch Hill and now we hear from Sarah about some of her favourite Dahlia varieties.Show more
Trees in a park

A new grant scheme has launched offering 500 free trees for projects across the UK

Find out more about this grant, which gives communities the chance to receive free trees.Show more
Dan Pearson

Looking for late-summer plant inspiration? Watch Dan Pearson pick his favourite plants for late season colour and interest

Houseplants

House plants and condensation © Unsplash / Randy Laybourne

The internet says houseplants beat condensation and mould. We asked the actual experts

The internet is awash with advice on house plants beating mould. But are the claims actually true?Show more
Misting house plants

Do you really need to mist your house plants?

We are often advised to mist our houseplants. But is it really necessary?Show more
Sarah Gerrard-Jones checking a house plant

'I'm convinced of the power of plants to help us heal' – meet the Plant Rescuer, Sarah Gerrard-Jones

Sarah Gerrard-Jones, aka The Plant Rescuer, on her latest book, her houseplant obsession and why she doesn’t always try to save a houseplantShow more

Gardens Illustrated 's Podcasts

Talking Chelsea: behind the scenes of the world's greatest flower show

Midori Shintani, photographed by Charlie Hopkinson.

Talking Gardens Season 6: Midori Shintani

Talking Gardens Season 6: Matthew Wilson

Talking Gardens Season 6: Cath Kidston

Talking Gardens Season 6: Jamie Butterworth

Talking Gardens Season 6: Matthew Pottage

Talking Gardens Season 6: Luciano Giubbilei

© Katie Spicer

Talking Gardens Season 6: Pollyanna Wilkinson

Adam Frost © Roo Kendall

Talking Gardens Season 6: Adam Frost

Tom Coward

Talking Gardens Season 5: Tom Coward

Recipes

HOME COOKED RECIPES WITH NATURAL INGREDIENTS
Close up of garlic sauce with lemon, thyme and rosemary in bowl on table

Homemade alioli recipe

As winter approaches, colour begins to drain away from the garden but that doesn't mean it also has to fade from your food. Jojo Tulloh shares her recipe for creating a vivid green, homemade alioli.Show more
Borlotti Beans. Photo: Getty Images

Borlotti bean and red pepper stew recipe

Cook up this recipe for borlotti bean and red pepper stew and make the most of comforting home-grown flavours. Recipe from Jojo Tulloh Show more
Corn on the cob, street market

Savoury sweetcorn pudding recipe

Savoury sweetcorn pudding may sound odd, but eaten alongside a dish of grilled peppers or roasted tomatoes, it makes a great vegetarian main course. Jojo Tulloh shares her recipe.Show more
A recipe for relish using green tomatoes, aubergine and fresh chilli

Chutney recipe: aubergine

A chutney, or relish, to go with curry or as a dip for naan bread using green tomatoes, aubergine and chilli grown on an allotment. Recipe by Cleve West Show more

Container Gardening

pots of style for your garden
Charlie McCormick's Balcony Garden in London

How to create a beautiful garden using only pots

Designer Charlotte Harris gives her expert advice on creating a container garden on a patio, balcony or roofShow more
Katie Guillebaud pots of style May 2026

A green shrubby planting combo with lush summer colour and winter seedheads

Discover how to recreate this vibrant planting container, which will look at its best in MayShow more
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans Compacta’

Alternatives to a Christmas tree

Looking for an alternative to a cut Christmas tree? Here are some attractive conifers that you can grow outdoors in pots all year round, then bring indoors for the festive seasonShow more
Plants on a stone

A beautiful succulent display mounted on a stone sink covered with lichen created by Benton End's James Horner

Inspired by the gardens at Benton End, garden maker James Horner suggests a fresh container arrangement to capture the essence of summerShow more

Inspiring Gardens

THE BEST OF THE WORLD'S OUTDOOR SPACES
Trebah Garden in Cornwall

This subtropical oasis is a must-visit garden this year

Trebah Garden in Cornwall captivates visitors, new and returning, with its dramatic setting and collection of subtropical plantsShow more
Copyhold Hollow

Discover this woodland-glade fairytale garden with a dream-like feel

Over the past 25 years, Frances Druce has created a Himalayan-inspired garden around her West Sussex house hidden in a woodland gladeShow more
Tillingham Winery, Rye, Sussex

This beautiful Sussex garden is a masterclass in drought tolerant planting

The gardens at Tillingham Winery were designed by Marian Boswall to be as naturalistic – and drought tolerant – as possibleShow more
House and garden

You'll wish this Highlands garden with its own wild swimming pool and sauna, designed by Tracy McQue was yours...

In Tracy McQue’s design for a steeply sloping garden in the Highlands, a series of distinct character areas are united by repeating and remixing the planting paletteShow more

This season in the garden

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GARDENING NOW
Malverleys in late Summer/Autumn

Autumn is the new spring: do these jobs now for a stunning garden next year

Forget spring – here's why autumn is now the key season in the garden, and how the jobs we do are changing.Show more
© Getty / FG Trade

How to save money at the garden centre, all year round

With some savvy shopping, you can save plenty of cash at the garden centre – we show you howShow more
© Getty / Tomasz Klejdysz

The garden pests worth worrying about - and the ones you should learn to love

We dig into 8 garden pests and tell you which ones to worry about and which ones you can leave aloneShow more
Planting at Penn State Arboretum

Garden experts and designers are ditching traditional planting methods - here's what they're doing instead

The traditional herbaceous border is changing. We explain the Modern Mixed Method of planting and how to apply it in your own gardenShow more

Gardens to visit

which gardens to visit and where
Flowers in Bowood Walled Garden

20 new gardens to visit in 2026 - the best new spaces in the UK and beyond

Discover brand-new gardens and redesigned plots across the UK and beyond. Here are the gardens to put on your bucket list in 2026.Show more
Nerines

Garden events and festivals to go to this year: all the best tours, workshops, exhibitions and more for 2026

All the big names in one place. Here's our guide to the gardening calendar's biggest and best gardening events for the year aheadShow more
The American Museum and Garden in Bath

10 of the best museum gardens to visit

Strolling around a museum or gallery is still off the cards, but many museum gardens and gallery gardens are reopening this month. Here are ten of the best.Show more

Garden design

THE BEST OF THE WORLD'S OUTDOOR SPACES
A garden designed by Angus Thompson

Little garden, big ideas: how to make a small garden look bigger

There's no need to feel hemmed in by your small garden - here are the experts' design tricks you need to make it look and feel biggerShow more
A garden with steps and on a slope

Gardening on slopes doesn't have to be a chore: how to turn challenging terrain into garden gold

Sloped gardens offer drama, depth, and beauty. Learn expert design tips to transform challenging terrain into a standout landscapeShow more
A small city garden designed by Emily Erlam

9 simple fixes to elevate your outdoor space fast (without spending a fortune)

These unbeatable ideas from top gardeners and designers will transform your garden into a stylish, plant-filled haven in no timeShow more
Hugo Bugg M&G Garden at Chelsea 2021

You can have a sustainable garden that's also beautiful - here's how to design stylish ecological gardens

Charlotte Harris explains how to design gardens that are ecological and beautiful in her expert guide to sustainable garden designShow more
Malus 'Evereste'

Limited space? You probably still have room for a tree - discover the best trees for small gardens

Many people worry that a tree will overpower a small garden, but as garden designer Sarah Price shows, the key is finding the right place and the right treeShow more
House and garden dining table and chairs

How to screen your garden from overlooking neighbours: our designer guide to creating a private sanctuary

Designer Charlotte Harris shows how to screen your garden from the neighbours or block out eyesoresShow more

Gardening Advice

WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT
A bulb meadow designed by Carien van Boxtel

Want a beautiful bulb meadow on your lawn? Here's our expert planting plan for creating a simple and stunning display

Find out how to plant a bulb meadow in your lawn that will look stunning from February to May, with advice from a bulb expert.Show more
Woman weeding the garden, Germany

11 easy ways to manage weeds without using chemicals

Weeding can be a tough, boring chore in the garden, but how do we get rid of unwanted plants without resorting to herbicides? Here are some interesting ideas to tryShow more
House and garden

How to create a dazzling tulip display: top tips from this bloom-filled garden that opens each spring

Tulips are the curtain-raisers at Morton Hall in Worcestershire, where visitors can enjoy a late-spring spectacle of formal, intricate plantings in a series of interconnected spacesShow more