Low maintenance gardens
Our guide to finding the easiest ways of gardening
Think 'No Mow May' is not for you? Try these neat ideas for your lawn
Worried that No Mow May will turn your garden into an unmanageable mess? Here are some ways that you can embrace the 'No Mow' concept while keeping your garden acceptably neat.
Is this grassy perennial the perfect solution for shady gardens? How to use this low-maintenance plant
The subtle grass-like sedges of Carex are perfect for adding texture and beauty in challenging and shady spots in the garden. Words Giacomo Guzzon, photographs Jason Ingram
Elevate your garden with the best climbing plant supports of 2024
Give your plants the support they need to help them flourish in the garden. Here are a few of the best wall trellis designs for climbing plants in 2024
Ditch the spade and save your soil: why digging is the one garden job you don't need to do anymore
As Ken Thompson explains, the key to a good soil lies both in its structure and in the life it sustains. But is any of it improved by digging?
The best crab apple trees for colour and form
Kew-trained plant expert Graham Rice recommends 15 of the best crab apple trees for blossom, foliage, fruit and flavour. Photographs Dianna Jazwinski
The best small conifers to grow
For many, the word conifer conjures an image of imposing trees and hedges, but there are also smaller types that can add useful evergreen structure. Matthew Pottage, Curator at RHS Garden Wisley, recommends some of the best to grow. Photographs by Jason Ingram.
The best winter-flowering heathers to grow
Winter heather provides colour in the coldest months. Shrub expert Andy McIndoe recommends 20 of the best winter-flowering heathers, including Erica carnea, to grow in your garden. Photographs Dianna Jazwinski
10 ways to improve your garden
Award-winning garden designer Jinny Blom gives us her 10-point plan for improving any garden.
How to lay a hedge
Interested in the centuries-old skill of hedge laying? Follow our guide on how to lay a hedge and learn about the traditional ways to lay a hedge. Words Louise Allen, photography Andrew Montgomery, illustration Liam McAuley
Garden path ideas: how to make a garden path
Paths are not just a means of getting around – they can knit areas of the garden together and are as much a part of the overall design as any other feature. Designers James Alexander-Sinclair, Andrew Wilson and Arne Maynard offer solution
10 facts you (possibly) didn’t know about dahlias
Celebrating dahlia season - here's 10 facts you might not have known about these gorgeous late season flowers
Favourite lavenders for a low maintenance garden
Lavender is a very versatile, low maintenance plant to grow and is suitable for gardens of all sizes. Here is a list of favourite lavender cultivars, along with tips on how best to grow and maintain them
Inspiration and advice for planting bulbs in pots
To help you get the very best out of bulbs in pots, follow these step-by-step instructions, advice and inspiration to create and maintain stunning container displays throughout the year.
An airy gravel garden around a modern house in Dorset
For their mid-century modernist home in west Dorset, Vanessa Barlow and Jethro Marshall looked to designer Alice Meacham to create an airy gravel garden that would complement their open plan home. Words Hannah Gardner, photographs Jason Ingram
How to plan a dry garden plus plant combinations
Spanish designer Fernando Martos explains why he combines the beauty of Spain's arid landscape with English planting ideas in his dry garden designs. If we're considering climate change, his approach could be a useful one for us to take note of
Edimentals: What are they, and how to grow them in your garden
Edimental plants – plants that are both edible and ornamental – are a beautiful and easy way to grow your own food. We asked three expert growers to recommend their favourite edimentals to grow.
A small, sloping in garden in San Francisco
Careful sculpting, artfully placed local stone and considered planting has transformed a sloping garden in San Francisco into a charming, immersive space. Images by Marion Brenner.
How to plant a terrarium
Terrariums are indoor miniature gardens created under glass using moss, succulents and other low-maintenance plants. Follow our easy step-by-step guide to planting up your own terrarium.
Charles Dowding on no dig gardening
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
Reducing plastic in your garden and allotment
Plastic waste in the garden is a problem. Here we look at how gardeners can reduce plastic use in the garden and offer some tips on how to get closer to a zero waste garden. llustration Vicki Turner
Garden border ideas | How to create a mixed border planting plan
Author and landscape architect Marian Boswell offers tips on how to create a layered, mixed garden border
The best peonies for your garden
Nursery owner Claire Austin grows over 100 different herbaceous peonies in her garden and trials field to find the very best
How to create a living wall
A living wall gives a garden a lush, green feel but takes up hardly any space. Garden designer Erik Funneman gives his advice on how to create a vertical garden. Words Kate Jacobs, photographs Sietske de Vries.
How to create a flower-filled hillside garden
In a garden designed by Anoushka Feiler, masses of flowers cascade down a hillside, running riot around hard-landscaped family areas so they are barely visible in summer. Words Kendra Wilson. Photographs Eva Nemeth.