Gardens
Find inspiration from gardens of all sizes both in the UK and internationally
Don't plant small plants in a small garden - experts say it's a common mistake
Don’t fall into the trap of buying compact plants for a compact garden. Top designers tell us why it’s better to think big to maximise your space
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 opportunities
TV producers are looking for stunning gardens for a new series - here's how to apply
Could your garden be the star of a new wildlife TV series?
POV: You’ve inherited an historic English hall with two moats and incredible gardens – now what?
Once home to garden designer Xa Tollemache, Helmingham Hall is now under the care of a new generation of Tollemaches and is as glorious as ever, especially in winter when its bones are laid bare.
Words: Chris Young, Photographs: Richard Bloom
Why raised beds are the secret to gardening where nothing should grow
Stuck growing in pots and raised beds? You can still create a stylish garden, says Charlotte Harris
What's new?
This beautiful South African-inspired garden was created in tribute to the owner's late wife
Plantsman Keith Wiley explains how creating the South African-inspired garden he planned with his late wife, Ros, at Wildside in Devon gave him welcome purpose
Swimming ponds and shepherd huts - this is the sort of garden £5m will buy you (and what you can get for £35m)
Properties on the market right now with amazing gardens and grounds.
Cottage whimsy, airy flowers and pretty seedheads: the 'pincushion' plants every garden needs
Discover how to grow scabious and other pincushion flowers that bring an airy feel to any border
This former concrete dairy yard has been transformed into a dreamy country garden
A disused dairy yard in Wiltshire provided the perfect setting for designer Sheila Jack’s own meadow-inspired garden
Commonwealth Games garden moves to its permanent home in Port Glasgow
The Saltire Garden, which took centre stage at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony this summer, has found a permanent home.
Rural
25 iconic English gardens to visit for classic style and beautiful plants
Designer, writer and garden historian Penelope Hobhouse recommends 25 of the best English gardens to visit
If you're struggling with a sloping garden - this terraced design is full of smart ideas
By working closely with the architects,
designer Catherine MacDonald has
created a beautifully constructed
space on a steeply sloping garden
One man transformed his boring lawn into an incredible naturalistic garden that evokes top designers - here's how he did it
After having a lawned family garden for
many years, Steven Medley upped his game
to create a richly layered space
Meet the gardeners
'We've lost so much': The seed saver fighting back against industrial food
The head of the Heritage Seed Library, Catrina Fenton, on why she jumped at the chance to help preserve the seed and stories of more than 800 historic veg varieties.
'I hope that we can shift our focus to local, community-fed gardens': meet German horticulturist Jonathan Zerr
German horticulturist Jonathan Zerr is working to transform Bottengoms in Essex into a nature-first artists’ retreat.
"I don’t regret not studying law” – meet the National Trust for Scotland’s head of gardens and designed landscapes
The National Trust for Scotland’s head of gardens and designed landscapes, Ann Steele, on the delicate balance between garden conservation and future resilience.
Gardens to visit
Visiting a beautiful garden can be a wholly enriching experience. The benefits of visiting a garden – from mental health right through to exercise – are huge, and garden days out are perfect ways to have fun on your own, or as an entire family.
Regardless of how, and whoever you visit with, we have a host of suggestions of which gardens to visit, from gardens for the season, through to the gardens that are in full bloom and at their best each month. We have collated lists of the best gardens to visit with the help of our experts and many years of visiting gardens all around the UK, and beyond. We have gardens organised by theme, days out and local area, so you should find something for wherever you are and whatever garden experience you are looking for.
Enjoy our comprehensive guide to the best gardens to visit in the UK.
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 traditions
The best gardens to visit in August: experts recommend gardens to make a beeline for this month
Want to see August flowers in full bloom? Head to these gardens and nurseries recommended by two head gardeners
Summer holidays | The best gardens to visit for a family day out
Planning a day out with the kids this summer? From favourite characters to traditional games and outdoor theatre, we recommend the best gardens to visit.
Gardens of the world
Worldwide gardens you need to see
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.
A wildlife and child-friendly garden in California
In a California suburb where neat squares of lawn are the norm, landscape studio Terremoto has created something different.
Looking for a green-filled oasis in your shady plot? This small, narrow garden in the heart of Utrecht is a masterclass in how to create lush planting with texture and structure
Designer Erik Funneman has transformed a small, shady garden into a peaceful haven
Urban gardens
Amazing gardens from towns and cities
Award-winning designer Pollyanna Wilkinson reveals her experimental studio garden — and it looks as good in real life as it does on Insta
The garden of designer Pollyanna Wilkinson’s studio is a beautifully calm small space that she and her team use for inspiration and experimentation
This back-to-front garden in the Cotswolds flips the expected to great effect
Emily Crowley-Wroe has used her own front garden in the Cotswolds to trial design and planting ideas.
The perfect solution for a long, thin, sloping garden that the whole family can enjoy
Over 20 years, garden designer Emily Erlam has nurtured and edited the plants in her sloping city garden to create an intriguing, immersive space. She explains how.