Latest From Gardens Illustrated
You’re going to have to change how you garden, advises head of one of England’s top flower gardens, and it’s all down to climate change
The climate crisis is affecting us all. Head gardener Troy Scott Smith outlines the challenges he faces and explains how he is now working differently.
Photographs: John Campbell
6 secret tricks of garden designers to make your garden look and feel better
Good gardens usually reference a few tried and tested design tricks – here's how to incorporate some of them into your own space.
New 'Carbon' Garden to show what London will look like in the future
The new climate-focused Carbon Garden will open at Kew this summer
Cutting certain plants right back is necessary for their health, even if it looks drastic - here's how to do it right and when
Discover when you need to coppice shrubs and trees to encourage bright new stems and foliage.
These teeny tiny daffodils are a spring delight - here's how to grow and plant them for cuteness overload
From her small nursery in a North Yorkshire back garden, Anne Wright grows the most exquisite tiny narcissi. She gives her expert advice on how to plant and care for these miniature daffodils.
6 big changes to how we’ll be gardening in the future, by one of Britain’s top head gardeners
Sissinghurst head gardener Troy Scott Smith shares the big changes he is making in how he gardens in response to climate change
It feels like spring, but it's not here yet - discover when spring *actually* starts
When spring starts is different depending on which calendar you're looking at. Here we answer the question what is the first day of spring in 2025?
Gardens Illustrated 's Editor's choice
Are you a galanthophile? Here are the best places to see snowdrops in 2025
For snowdrop lovers, or galanthophiles, February is the month to venture out to admire spectacular displays of snowdrops. Here are some of our recommended gardens to visit.
Watch Nigel Slater's exclusive tour around his own small garden and discover why he wouldn't want a bigger one
While Nigel Slater might occasionally dream of a larger garden, the joy he feels cocooned in his tiny basement courtyard has convinced him size isn’t everything.
Illustration: Paul Wearing, Portrait: John Campbell
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Latest garden features and design ideas
Planting and caring for daffodils for a spring garden plus the most lovely varieties to grow
Expert grower Hannah Gardner gives advice on planting narcissi in borders, pots and lawns and recommends the 10 best narcissi to grow
You don't find poppies and cornflowers in a real meadow - here's why they are so rare and what a meadow actually is
A brief history of the evolution of the meadow, from the last ice age
until the present day – and why poppies and corncockle do not a meadow make…
Soil sieves and riddles: the best sieve for your garden
Transform your compost into a fine, seed-friendly medium that will help your young plants thrive. Separate stones, sticks and clumps of organic matter with the help of one of a garden sieve
How to coppice hazel
Our guide on how to coppice and cut back hazel for lovely hazel stems and to keep your hazel plants healthy
How to repot your plants - watch our guide to repotting houseplants to make sure your indoor plants are happy
Our simple and easy-to-follow guide on how and when to repot your houseplants from experts Alice and Maddie Bailey from Forest London
How to propagate houseplants - an easy and cheap guide to growing your houseplant collection
Expert house growers Maddie and Alice Bailey explain how to propagate your houseplants using stem cuttings
16 gardens from Monty Don's British Gardens that you can visit too
Enjoyed Monty Don's recent TV series on great British gardens? Many of the ones he visited are also open to the public. Here we round up some of the best that you can visit too
How to prune wisteria
Wisteria needs to be pruned twice a year to keep it in good shape and to ensure abundant flowers. Here's how to do it.
Colour | Red flowers for the garden
Designing your planting layout with colour is a satisfying way of creating your garden. Here's a selection of red plants, chosen by experts, that we love
The surprising ways the scammers of the plant world swindle unsuspecting pollinators (spoiler: it's sex... or a fight)
There are plants which use deception to get what they want: discover these remarkable plants that go to extreme lengths to trick pollinators to visit them
Best garden plants for now
Do this now to seed potatoes to help get a healthy spud harvest
Writer and expert grower Alys Fowler explains everything you need to know about chitting potatoes and how to get the most from your potato harvest
Forget snowdrops: these are the best early spring flowers to bring sunny colour to your garden
Bring bright, sunny colour to your late-winter garden with the earliest flowers of the year, which will spread to create golden carpets under trees.
Dragon’s Den winning garden company creates top new plant offer after hit appearance on the show
The snowdrops that sell for thousands - the online bidding wars for plants that people pay huge sums for
They herald the beginning of spring, but certain varieties of tiny, white snowdrops have sold for an alarming amount of money online and at plant fairs. Discover why these blooms are so special and how to start your own Galanthus collection
54 brilliant purple flowers for the garden
Discover 55 of the most beautiful purple flowering plants for the garden, chosen by expert horticulturalists and growers
Crocuses or croci: what is the plural of crocus?
Is the correct term for the plural of crocus crocuses or croci? Here's what we found out
Houseplants
How to propagate houseplants - an easy and cheap guide to growing your houseplant collection
Expert house growers Maddie and Alice Bailey explain how to propagate your houseplants using stem cuttings
How to repot your plants - watch our guide to repotting houseplants to make sure your indoor plants are happy
Our simple and easy-to-follow guide on how and when to repot your houseplants from experts Alice and Maddie Bailey from Forest London
Your common house plant problems - solved
House plant expert Sarah Gerrard-Jones identifies the 10 most common house plant problems and explains how to solve them.
Gardens Illustrated 's Podcasts
Talking Gardens season 4: John Little
Talking Gardens season 4: Shane Connolly
Talking Gardens Season 4: Butter Wakefield
Talking Gardens Season 4: Charles Dowding
Talking Gardens Season 4: Rosy Hardy
Talking Gardens Season 4: Monty Don
Talking Gardens podcast with Jimi Blake
Listen to this episode of Talking Gardens, the Gardens Illustrated podcast, featuring Jimi Blake on how he dodges bears while botanising and how going to train as a gardener was life-saving for him.
Recipes
HOME COOKED RECIPES WITH NATURAL INGREDIENTS
How to make delicious cherry blossom jam
Beth Al Rikabi shares her recipe for cherry blossom jam, which has a delicate, almondy flavour
You may not believe this surprising botanical that goes into your alcohol-free drinks...
Baked apples with maple syrup and cinnamon recipe
This delicious baked apple with maple syrup, cinnamon and raisins is the perfect warmer for autumn evenings
Hot-smoked cauliflower with a cheese and dill sauce
Chef and food writer Gill Meller believes enjoying food outside can help us connect with nature, whatever the time of year. This seasonal recipe can be cooked over an open fire. Photographs by Andrew Montgomery
Container Gardening
pots of style for your garden
Give your containers autumn style with the help of designer Jo Thompson's hellebore and euonymus designs
Designer Jo Thompson creates this stylish display using hellebores and euonymus to see you through the colder months
A great planted pot for winter and autumn using succulents with architectural texture
Designer Jo Thompson creates a stylish display to see you through the colder months using aloe and other succulents
You can grow beautiful bulbs in your house over winter by 'forcing' them - here's how to do it
Forcing bulbs is a way to manipulate spring bulbs so that they flower early, bringing a much-needed burst of colour into the home during the winter months. Try these bulb combinations to learn how to force bulbs yourself. Images by Jason Ingram
A warming winter pot for wildlife using Cornus alba and cotoneaster
Designer Jo Thompson offers a stylish display to see you through the colder months. Photographs Jason Ingram
Inspiring Gardens
THE BEST OF THE WORLD'S OUTDOOR SPACES
Fresh shoots: the new generation of plant nurseries injecting fresh hope into British gardens
Several specialist nurseries have recently closed, but there is hope that a host of enthusiastic newcomers can bring renewed life and vision to the industry.
You have to see this amazing new garden around a romantic castle on the shores of Loch Ness
Designer Tom Stuart-Smith has created two exciting new gardens around a romantic castle on the shores of Loch Ness.
A zesty tangerine-coloured roof top garden in London designed by Nigel Dunnett
On the edge of one of London’s busiest roundabouts, Nigel Dunnett has created exciting combinations of drought-tolerant plants for a roof garden that is as unexpected as it is joyful. Words: Natasha Goodfellow, Photographs: Alister Thorpe
This season in the garden
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GARDENING NOW
Think you can't plant anything in February? Here's what you can sow and plant out this month
Head gardener Benjamin Pope and vegetable gardener Aaron Bertselsen offers their suggestions for the best things to plant in pots and beyond this month
Do this to your climbing rose now, to make sure it behaves this summer: expert tips from a head gardener
Daunted by pruning a climbing rose? Follow our expert guide on training climbing roses from head gardener Jenny Barnes
Plants for February
Keith Wiley of Wildside in Devon and Jimi Blake of Huntingbrook Gardens choose some early flowering bulbs and sweetly scented shrubs for February, to help welcome the return of spring.
Winter flowers: experts' choice of winter flowering plants
Our panel of experts pick the best winter flowering plants to grow over the colder months to ensure bright blooms add colour and interest in your garden
Gardens to visit
which gardens to visit and where
Half term | Garden days out with the kids
Garden days out with the kids are the perfect way to spend half term holidays and more
Top 10 most romantic gardens to visit with your loved one
Lose your heart in one of the world's most romantic gardens. Garden writer Anna Pavord picks ten of her favourite gardens to visit that will sweep you off your feet.
Gardens to visit in February for snowdrops, crocuses and more
Keith Wiley, plantsman and owner of Wildside Garden and Tom Coward, head gardener at Gravetye Manor, recommend gardens to visit that look beautiful in February
Garden design
THE BEST OF THE WORLD'S OUTDOOR SPACES
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 tree
Mid-century style garden furniture is trending, here's why you need these iconic garden furniture pieces
Love mid-century style? You won’t want to miss this brand’s sale across many of its iconic outdoor furniture pieces…
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 design
How to design a garden on a slope: inspiration for your sloping garden
Creating a garden on a sloping site brings a host of challenges, but, says designer Charlotte Harris, with careful planning it is also an opportunity to make a really interesting space.
Here's what companion planting means and why it can help plants thrive
Ever wondered how companion planting might help your vegetables and deter pests? Here expert grower Matthew Biggs breaks down the companion planting myths and explains how the system works
How do garden landscapers and designers work together?
There’s confusion around what a landscape architect, garden designer and hard landscaper really is. Here Claire Vokins from Wilson | Vokins breaks down the connection
Gardening Advice
WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT
How to build a natural swimming pond in your garden
Discover tips on how to build a natural swimming pool or pond in your garden, from expert designer Will Tomson
Wondering what no-dig gardening is? Let the expert explain
Generations of gardeners have been told that digging is the best way to prepare soil for planting – but that’s a myth, according to grower Charles Dowding, who practises no dig gardening. Charles explains what no dig is and how it works
A guide to pruning roses
Discover how to prune all types of roses including shrub, climbing and rambling roses in our guide from plant expert John Hoyland. Photographs by Gavin Kingcome.
Gardening Kit
OUR PICK OF THE BEST GARDENING TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES
Brilliant bird tables for all types of garden birds
Welcome more birds into your garden this winter with a stylish and sturdy bird table.
Turn your garden into a wildflower haven with these great seed bombs to buy for your garden
Get beautiful blooms for minimum effort with a pack of wildflower seed bombs
The best gardening books in 2024: leaf through these highly-rated reads
Discover the best gardening books to read in 2024, recommended by a range of horticultural experts for Gardens Illustrated
The best wellington boots for walking and gardening
Keep your feet warm, snug and dry this autumn with our pick of the best wellies for gardening
10 of the best bird baths 2025: from the modern to the classic
Welcome some birds into your garden with a bird bath. You'll provide them with a reliable source of water to drink from and bathe in
Best plant gift subscriptions
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