Gardening
Garden writing
A brief history of the daffodil
The first flower of spring was named 'Narcissus' by the Greeks and used in ancient China for its medicinal properties. In Daffodil: Biography of a Flower (Harper Collins), Helen O'Neill delves deeper into the stories behind the familiar yellow trumpet flower. Here she shares her early recollections of the iconic springtime treasure...
Gardens
A beginner's guide to gardening
Hands in the dirt, soft breeze on your face and sweet scents swirling around you: gardening is the best hobby to get into. We've dug up the best tips for beginners.
Gardens
Tom Stuart-Smith's dos and don'ts of gardening
The landscape architect and garden designer known for his naturalistic and resilient planting offers advice on good gardening
Gardens
Butter Wakefield's dos and don'ts of gardening
The sought-after garden designer offers her principles for good garden design
Gardens
The most common garden design mistakes – and how to avoid them
Garden designer Lottie Delamain considers the mistakes gardeners are most likely to make when planning a new garden, and advises on how to avoid them
Gardens
The garden trends to know for 2024
Clare Foster tests the pulse of the garden design world to see what’s trending this year and finds that designers and their clients are tuning in to an increasingly wild aesthetic
How to start a kitchen garden
How to start a kitchen garden: what to do in January
In a new series, our garden editor Clare Foster lays out a month by month guide to getting a kitchen garden off the ground. In this first instalment, follow her as she prepares the ground
Gardens
Monty Don on gardening without a garden
In an extract from his new release, ‘The Gardening Book,’ Monty Don details how we can all enjoy gardening, even if we have no garden to speak of
Gardens
Now is the time to plant topiary - here's how to get it right
How to make topiary look tremendous – and, crucially, not twee
Gardens
How to help wildlife in your garden this winter
Including weekend activities for nature fans, big and small
Gardens
How to make your garden a force for environmental good
Know your limits, reuse where possible, and start your plants from seed: Lottie Delamain advises on how to make your gardening practices as environmentally friendly as possible
Gardens
From wildflowers to garlic pest repellent: how to make your garden better for the environment
Practical advice from the artists involved in the Hayward Gallery’s Dear Earth Exhibition (and the art installation you can create to conserve water)
Gardens
“I'm not obsessed with tractors”: the pleasures and pains of being a part-time farmer
With flexible working becoming more and more a feature of life and the cost of food soaring, is part-time farming the solution?
Gardens
Starting a garden? These are the things to consider
In the introduction to her new field guide to flowers, Super Bloom, gardener and plant pioneer Jac Semmler lays out her ground rules for beginners
Gardens
How our garden editor Clare Foster created a cottage garden from scratch in three years
In just three years, our garden editor Clare Foster has created a glorious cottage garden that looks as though it has been there for much longer. Here, she describes how she has used plants as the core of her design
Gardens
An idyllic garden on the Hampshire Downs brought to life by Kim Wilkie and Pip Morrison
Within their smallholding on the Hampshire Downs, landscape architects Kim Wilkie and Pip Morrison have created an idyllic garden designed to be part of the wider picture, where wildlife, livestock and humans can exist harmoniously side by side in nature
Gardens
What it's really like to be a garden designer and how to get there
Garden designers including Butter Wakefield and Marcus Barnett share useful advice and insight for anyone considering the same career
Gardens
A mesmerising Tuscan garden revitalised by Luciano Giubbilei
This garden in Tuscany offered its London-based designer, Luciano Giubbilei, a chance to reconnect with his roots, while also developing his interest in Italianate garden tradition and experimental planting
Gardens
How to prune roses
As part of our series on rose care, Hazel Sillver looks at how to prune roses and when
Planting Advice
Spring bulbs to plant for a pretty smattering of colour
Clare Foster discusses the best spring bulbs for naturalising – a way to enhance your garden with delightful drifts of colour