Plants
Plants, how to plant, what to plant
Best UK gardens open for Boxing Day walks
Many UK gardens are open this festive season, so why not work off your Christmas indulgence between Boxing Day and New Year with a winter walk at one of these 13 great open gardens?
Winter jobs in the garden: Sissinghurst head gardener explains what you should be doing over this season
Think there's little to do in the garden in winter? Make sure you have got these key winter garden jobs done for a beautiful garden come spring.
Photographs: John Campbell
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
Subscribe to Gardens Illustrated and claim your gift worth up to £36
A very special Gardens Illustrated subscription offer! Join Gardens Illustrated magazine as a member and choose your bonus reward!
Seeds to sow and plants to get in the earth in January to make sure you've a thriving garden in spring
Head gardener Benjamin Pope is keeping busy this month in preparation for spring. Here are his suggestions of what you could be planting through the month of January
What's new?
No space for a tree in your garden? Think again – with these 13 expert picks for trees in pots
No space for a tree in your garden? Think again. We asked experts to recommend the best trees to grow in containers. Words: Chris Young, Photos: Jason Ingram & Eleanor Walpole
The Christmas treat that's grown in a bog and harvested underwater: discover the surprising story of this festive fruit
Plant ecologist Ken Thompson on the remarkable cranberry plant and it's tricky way of harvesting underwater
The best indoor orchids for long-lasting, colourful blooms plus how to to keep them alive and flowering again
Add colour to the winter months with these delicate houseplants that offer exotic, long-lasting flowers, and are easier to look after than you may think.
Words: Matthew Biggs, Photographs: Éva Nemeth
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
Great flowers and plants for the garden in December picked by head gardeners
The best December flowers and foliage from winter interest plants chosen for structure, colour and texture in the garden. Photographs Jason Ingram
Autumn
The best wood for burning on wood burning stoves and fires
As winter approaches, re-stocking your firewood supplies is on the agenda. We choose the best types of firewood, give advice on stacking logs and how to light a fire. Words Louise Allen, photographs Andrew Montgomery
In praise of the chrysanthemum
Discover exactly how to grow these late-flowering hardy chrysanthemums that will look perfect in your garden. Photographs by Jason Ingram
Not just your granny's favourite: discover the place bringing chrysanthemums back in fashion
Norwell Nurseries has an inspiring on-site garden and a sparkling range of plants on offer, with many late-flowering
perennials, including colourful chrysanthemums. Words Phil Clayton, photographs Clive Nichols
Bulbs
Think there is nothing to start growing now? It's actually garlic planting season. Here's how to grow it
Garlic is one of the healthiest ways to add flavour to food and is not difficult to grow. Allotmenteer Jojo Tulloh explains how to get started. Photographs Andrew Montgomery
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
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
Flowers
How to prune your yew hedge this winter
Learn how the experts prune yew with the help of Chiswick House's head gardener Rosie Fyles.
Cyclamen: how to care for and propagate
Cyclamen are a welcome sight in the colder months when little else is in flower. Plant expert John Hoyland recommends his 12 favourite cyclamen and gives advice on how to care for them. Photographs by Jason Ingram.
What to plant and sow in November in the garden for a great crop next year
Put the work into your garden now and you'll reap the rewards come spring. Head gardener Benjamin William Pope and garden writer Aaron Bertelsen explain what you can sow in November
House plants
Can house plants really beat mould? We discover the truth around the claims
The internet is awash with advice on house plants beating mould. But are the claims actually true?
How to care for and propagate sansevieria
Sansevieria, or the snake plant, is an almost indestructible houseplant that is creeping out of the shadows to take centre stage. Illustration Patrick Morgan
10 of the best bathroom plants
Here are ten low-maintenance plants that will thrive in your bathroom.
Planting ideas
Get inspiration for your garden and discover which plants will work best and where
No-dig expert Charles Dowding recommends the best winter vegetables to grow
Organic vegetable grower, Charles Dowding chooses his favourite vegetables to grow in the garden or allotment in winter and offers his advice for getting the most from your crop. Photography Andrew Montgomery
The best plants for November
There's plenty of ways to find colour and contrast in the garden on November days. Here Tom Brown and Fleur van Zonneveld pick the best plants for November. Photographs Jason Ingram and Maayke de Ridder
Plants to grow for your gut microbiome to boost your health
Growing your own edible plants is a great way to boost your gut microbiome. Discover expert picks of edimentals that are both beautiful and beneficial.
Words: Sid Hill
Pots
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 season
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
Discover how to make this beautiful autumnal pot design idea with tones and textures using Heucherella from expert Jo Thompson
A pot with autumn foliage and colours from designer Jo Thompson perfect for the season
Shrubs
These colourful stems will be a great addition to your winter garden
Cultivars of Cornus sanguinea, Cornus alba and Cornus sericea are grown for their colourful winter stems, but some have the benefit of attractive foliage too, giving them year-round appeal. Plant expert Andy McIndoe recommends some of the best.
Cotinus: smoke bushes to grow for autumn colour
Bold autumn tints and early plumes of flower make the cotinus, or smoke bush, an indispensable shrub in the garden. Shrub expert Andy McIndoe advises on how to grow them. Photographs by Richard Bloom
100 beautiful plants and flowers you'll love in your garden recommended by head gardeners and experts
Head gardeners from some of the most spectacular gardens around pick their top beautiful plants and flowers
Spring
21 brilliant bulbs to plant that will give you colour in every season
Garden designer Adam Hunt recommends his favourite bulbs for colour almost all year round.
Bulbs border display: download our designer plan
Garden designer James Alexander-Sinclair’s bold bulb plan for a bulb-filled border offers a spectacular display of flowering bulbs from January to July. Download the plan here. Illustration Hannah McVicar
When to plant bulbs - make sure you don't miss the moment to get your bulbs in the ground for a great display next year
There are several answers to the question 'When should I plant bulbs?' and here we break down the basics
Summer
The best fuchsias for your garden
Hardy fuchsias can flower from late spring right through to early autumn. Mat Reese, head gardener at Malverleys in Hampshire, recommends his favourites and gives advice on growing them
Why Japanese anemones are the perfect bloom for late-summer and autumn borders
These elegant blooms are perfect for brightening up late-summer and autumn borders, here we explain how to use this colourful flower.
Words: Matthew Reese, Photographs: Jason Ingram
Discover the beautiful National Dahlia Collection and the person who helped save it from disappearing
The National Dahlia Collection has had several homes since its inception in the 1980s, and now, under the care of a dedicated dahlia aficionado, it has been rescued and relocated once more to a new site in Cornwall. Photos Jason Ingram
Trees
The world's most extreme trees grow in the fiercest conditions. But should you plant them in your garden?
Faced with a warming climate, many gardeners are thinking carefully about resilient plants for their garden. But what about three of the world's most extreme trees?
How to plant trees and first-year maintenance
Tony Kirkham, formerly head of arboretum, gardens and horticulture services at Kew is responsible for the collection of 14,000 trees. Here he shares how to plant and care for trees Photographs Andrew Montgomery
Experts' choice: my favourite tree
We asked a selection of gardening experts to choose their favourite tree. Here are the trees you can plant to help wildlife and mitigate climate change
Winter
These plants will make your garden look good over winter
The seedheads of perennials bring drama to the garden in winter and provide food for birds and insects, too. We recommend 11 of the best
Easy natural Christmas star decorations using twigs
Create your own quick natural handmade Christmas decorations with these simple but pretty stars made from twigs and evergreens
The most inspiring winter garden walks
It may be cold outside but you can still visit beautiful gardens over the winter months. Here's our top picks of UK open gardens to visit for a refreshing winter walk