Latest From Gardens Illustrated
From saunas to pickleball courts: the biggest gardening trends for 2026
What does 2026 have in store for our gardens? Designer Pollyanna Wilkinson looks at some of the most popular features and style trends we're likely to see more of in the year to come.
The era of instant gardens is over
'Instant' gardens are still in high demand, says designer Miria Harris, but if we want to build a sustainable future, it’s time to embrace slowing down.
RHS announces five All About Plants gardens for Chelsea Flower Show 2026
Discover the full list of gardens and designers in the All About Plants category at RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year
Win the best 12 gardening books of 2025
The best gardening advice I never got: what top gardeners wish someone had told them
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, so we asked the UK’s top gardeners, designers and growers for the advice they wish they’d known before...
I held a funeral for a hedge. Grief for loss of nature is real, and it has a name
The sadness we feel at the loss of nature all around us is real, says Claire Loder, and it even has a name. We need to find ways to mourn it, and fight it
Gardens Illustrated 's Editor's choice
The first book from Gardens Illustrated- The New Beautiful
Here how to buy the new book from Gardens Illustrated - The New Beautiful
Garden mullets, bug snugs and the other buzzy trends that everyone's talking about right now
Top garden designers on the key gardening trends of 2025.
David Beckham to be ambassador for The King's Foundation garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2026
Along with Alan Titchmarsh CBE, Sir David will be an ambassador for The King's Foundation Curious Garden, designed by Frances Tophill
Get a classic garden apron when you join as a member to Gardens Illustrated today
Get a classic garden apron when you join as a member to Gardens Illustrated today
Gardens Illustrated events
Latest garden features and design ideas
Is your garden boring? These experts think so. Here’s how to fix it.
We asked top gardeners to reveal the things in your garden that make them sigh with tedium, and how to turn your ‘blandscaping’ from dull to delightful.
The best wine pairings for Christmas dinner: festive drinks for every course
How to create the illlusion of space – the best plants for small gardens
Fill your garden with these hardworking plants that will help your garden look good all year round.
The design changes you should not make in your garden – and what to do instead
Do you really need to make design changes to your garden? Here are some of the biggest decisions people make without thinking it through
The first book from Gardens Illustrated- The New Beautiful
Here how to buy the new book from Gardens Illustrated - The New Beautiful
Spend less time and effort gardening with these pro gardener hacks for a beautiful low-maintenance space
Love gardening but short on time, or looking for ways to make your garden easier to manage? We’ve got smart tips from the experts on how to have a lovely garden with less work
What housebuyers want in a garden - and the features that turn them off
Discover which garden features will help sell your home, and the ones that turn buyers off, with top tips from leading estate agents and garden designers
Master designer Piet Oudolf says gardens have changed dramatically, and gardening is evolving. Here’s how
As our first book is released, Piet Oudolf looks at how gardens have evolved in recent decades and what makes a Gardens Illustrated-worthy garden today
Parking space vs front garden? It is actually possible to have both
Off-street parking and an attractively planted front garden needn’t be mutually exclusive – there are lots of designs that combine the two.
How to turn your garden into a peaceful sanctuary with top tips from expert designers
Desperately seeking a sense of tranquillity? Discover how to make your garden a space for mindfulness and wellbeing
Best garden plants for now
These eye-catching evergreen shrubs produce bold rose-like blooms in winter
The group of camellias known as ‘sasanquas’ flower in autumn to early winter, bringing much-needed colour and often delicious scent to late-season gardens
How late is too late to plant bulbs?
Ever wondered how long you can wait to plant your spring bulbs? We asked our readers and the experts, and these are the results.
Are we growing lemon trees instead of apples now? The new climate-change conundrum for gardeners
As our climate changes, gardeners are finding their plant palette is shifting, with some old favourites no longer happy and opportunities to try something new
'They don't grow in the dark': It's easier than you think to grow your own gourmet mushrooms
Two food-obsessed sisters have turned a mission to create exciting meat-free meals into a thriving mushroom business.
This easy-grow 'unicorn' plant likes shade and poor soil, and flowers in winter
Content to grow in shady spots and poor soil, unfussy evergreen mahonias are excellent for lifting the winter gloom.
These plants will make your garden look good all year: 30 plants and flowers for year-round colour and interest
These hard-working plants provide several seasons of interest in your garden through flowers, fruit, foliage, bark and even spring shoots
Houseplants
How to plant amaryllis bulbs
Garden writer and expert Alys Fowler shares six tips for planting amaryllis, or Hippeastrum, bulbs indoors
Don't bin that poinsettia. Here's how to get it to flower again next Christmas
Don't discard your poinsettia after Christmas – discover the unusual secret to getting your poinsettia to flower again next year.
'I'm convinced of the power of plants to help us heal' – meet the Plant Rescuer, Sarah Gerrard-Jones
Sarah Gerrard-Jones, aka The Plant Rescuer, on her latest book, her houseplant obsession and why she doesn’t always try to save a houseplant
Gardens Illustrated 's Podcasts
Recipes
HOME COOKED RECIPES WITH NATURAL INGREDIENTS
Spiced parsnip and apple muffins recipe
The perfect cold-weather, healthy muffin snack using parsnip and apple that is both seasonal and delicious. Recipe from Stephanie Hafferty
Shallot tart tatin and kale chorizo soup recipe from Riverford
Two delicious autumn recipes from Riverford that make the most of seasonal flavours. Words Guy Watson, photography Jason Ingram
Golden beetroot soup recipe
Nutritious and full of flavour; nothing beats a bowl of golden beetroot soup on a cold winter's day. Here's the perfect recipe for how to make it. Recipe from Stephanie Hafferty
Recipe for pears wrapped in pastry: Douillons aux poires
Transform a simple garden pear into a tasty, spiced pudding with this traditional recipe using pastry from Normandy, France. Recipe from Jojo Tulloh, illustration Sarah Young
Container Gardening
pots of style for your garden
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 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
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
A low maintenance evergreen pot for winter
Head gardener Jenny Barnes creates a pot filled with evergreens – low maintenance and perfect for winter. Photographs by Richard Bloom
Inspiring Gardens
THE BEST OF THE WORLD'S OUTDOOR SPACES
Instead of downsizing, this couple revamped their garden into a haven for them and their grandkids
By introducing bold swathes of planting, designer Barbara Samitier transformed a large lawn into an enticing garden with multitudes to discover
A tiny garden in London, inspired by Kyoto by Japanese designer Haruko Seki
Haruko Seki’s ingenious design makes use of raised containers and subtle planting to create a sense of stillness, balance and light in a tiny city courtyard.
A perennial garden around a modernist house in Australia
For a modernist house near Melbourne, designer Michael McCoy has created a separate perennial garden that sits like an island of colour in its distinctly Australian landscape Words Hilary Burden, photography Claire Takacs
This season in the garden
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GARDENING NOW
Keep greenhouse heating costs low in winter
Looking to minimise use of a greenhouse heater in winter – or avoid using one altogether? Here are some low cost ideas.
Get these key jobs done in January to keep your garden looking great
A new year heralds a new growing season and the promise of crops to come. Discover a new year of possibilities in your garden. Words Aaron Bertelsen
Spend less time and effort gardening with these pro gardener hacks for a beautiful low-maintenance space
Love gardening but short on time, or looking for ways to make your garden easier to manage? We’ve got smart tips from the experts on how to have a lovely garden with less work
Seeds to sow and plants to get in the earth in January to make sure your garden is thriving 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
Gardens to visit
which gardens to visit and where
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
Gardening events and shows in 2026
All the big names in one place. Here's our guide to the gardening calendar's biggest and best gardening events for the year ahead
10 of the best museum gardens to visit
Strolling around a museum or gallery is still off the cards, but many museum gardens and gallery gardens are reopening this month. Here are ten of the best.
Garden design
THE BEST OF THE WORLD'S OUTDOOR SPACES
Little garden, big ideas: how to make a small garden look bigger
There's no need to feel hemmed in by your small garden - here are the experts' design tricks you need to make it look and feel bigger
Gardening on slopes doesn't have to be a chore: how to turn challenging terrain into garden gold
Sloped gardens offer drama, depth, and beauty. Learn expert design tips to transform challenging terrain into a standout landscape
9 simple fixes to elevate your outdoor space fast (without spending a fortune)
These unbeatable ideas from top gardeners and designers will transform your garden into a stylish, plant-filled haven in no time
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
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
How to screen your garden from overlooking neighbours: our designer guide to creating a private sanctuary
Designer Charlotte Harris shows how to screen your garden from the neighbours or block out eyesores
Gardening Advice
WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT
Want a beautiful bulb meadow on your lawn? Here's our expert planting plan for creating a simple and stunning display
Find out how to plant a bulb meadow in your lawn that will look stunning from February to May, with advice from a bulb expert.
11 easy ways to manage weeds without using chemicals
Weeding can be a tough, boring chore in the garden, but how do we get rid of unwanted plants without resorting to herbicides? Here are some interesting ideas to try
How to create a dazzling tulip display: top tips from this bloom-filled garden that opens each spring
Tulips are the curtain-raisers at Morton Hall in Worcestershire, where visitors can enjoy a late-spring spectacle of formal, intricate plantings in a series of interconnected spaces
Gardening Kit
OUR PICK OF THE BEST GARDENING TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES
Get your plants winter ready - here's the best environmentally friendly winter plant protection to use
Keep your plants safe through the winter with our pick of the best eco friendly plant covers and products for winter protection.
The ultimate, GOAT gardening kit: 12 of the best tools and accessories
Don’t waste another penny on terrible tools – invest in these quality OG items beloved by everyone from Monty Don and Carol Klein to leading head gardeners, designers and our own experienced garden editors
The best folding saws for coppicing and pruning jobs this season
Save space when cutting branches and shrubs with our picks of the best folding saws.
Work out what type of soil you have with these great soil testers for the garden
We discover the best soil pH testers for the soil in your garden, from digital and analogue probes to pH strip testing kits
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