Soft landscaping

Naturalised crocus planted in a lawn under a mature tree framing a typical Cotswold house in the distance

A Cotswold rectory garden with topiary and early spring bulbs

Taxus baccata (Yew), a perfect hedging plant

Hedging: 30 top plants for a hedge

Lilium Martagon

The best plants for winter seedheads

Making the most of the good drainage provided by the steep bank beneath the wall, Jo has introduced a thyme meadow that tumbles down into the main meadow mix from Emorsgate Seeds, which is based down the road from Jo’s farmhouse. The tall spires of Verbascum thapsus add vertical accents that link to the tower of the 14th-century village church beyond.

Tips for an idyllic managed meadow garden

In a hilltop location, bands of Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Rosea’, Phlomis russeliana and self-seeded Lychnis coronaria support each other in a densely planted flower garden. The sun is setting through a Catalpa bignonioides and great plumes of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ hide the parking area.

How to create a flower-filled hillside garden

With no hedges or boundary trees, the garden is open to the surrounding landscape and feels very much part of it, especially as the fluid planting has been designed to give the romantic, gauzy feel of a wildflower meadow but with a longer season of interest and a greater variety of plant type and form. Here, Sisyrinchium striatum, Lupinus ‘Noble Maiden’ and Phlomis russeliana catch the eye.

Informal planting for an idyllic Cotswold garden

Great Dixter

Control of nature: how gardening is about shaping the natural world

Sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus 'Matucana'.

Annual climbers: 21 of the best annual climbers to plant

Pennisetum orientale 'Tall Tails'

Pennisetum for late summer borders

Digitalis pupurea 'Gloxinioides'

The best plants for a cottage garden

Small town garden, London designed by Adolfo Harrison

How do garden landscapers and designers work together?

Garden design trends 2020

Top designers choose the trends for 2020

Hunting Brook Gardens

Gardens to visit

Jimi Blake’s borders at Hunting Brook Gardens in Ireland

Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’

Plants for a prairie-style garden

Learn how to lay a hedge using traditional craftsmanship and hedge laying skills.

How to lay a hedge