Gardens
Find inspiration from gardens of all sizes both in the UK and internationally
Beautiful outdoor Christmas decoration ideas for a winter wonderland in 2025
Bring the festive spirit to your garden with our selection of the best outdoor Christmas decorations.
Fancy a dog's arse or monkey's bottom? The forgotten superfood with crude nicknames that chefs love
Once a delicacy, medlars have fallen out of fashion, but grower Jane Steward is determined to show how abundant and easy they are, and to introduce them to a wider audience
A lush or dry garden? Turns out, you can have both
Garden designer Joe Perkins finds this guide to creating a lush, green garden using minimal water an inspiring read for any gardener dealing with drier conditions
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
Festive | Make your own gift wrapping with natural materials
For recyclable Christmas wrapping paper that looks personal and is eco friendly, why not use natural elements from the garden? Words Ali Bell
What's new?
'It's like living inside a painting'. Piet Oudolf's dreamy Nantucket island garden
For this Nantucket island hideaway, the cedar-shingled buildings are nestled around a courtyard with an archetypal meadow by Piet Oudolf
You'll wish this Highlands garden with its own wild swimming pool and sauna, designed by Tracy McQue was yours...
In Tracy McQue’s design for a steeply sloping garden in the Highlands, a series of distinct character areas are united by repeating and remixing the planting palette
Brilliant eco-friendly advent calendars for the Christmas countdown
Enjoy the build up to Christmas with less waste this December with one of these luxury, eco-friendly advent calendars.
Leaf peeping alert! The glorious 60-acre woodland you need to visit for blissful autumn walks
Ablaze with astonishing autumn colour, Evenley Wood’s impressive collection of trees and shrubs places this Northamptonshire garden – already well known for its spring bulb displays – even more firmly on the map
November jobs for the garden: don't forget these key things to do right now
There's always something to do in the garden, even in November. Aaron Bertelsen explains a few key things you can do in the garden right now. Illustration Alice Pattullo
Rural
'Maximum effect, minimum effort'. This Welsh country garden is a masterclass in autumn colour
Building on the work of generations of plantspeople, Elizabeth and Ross Murray have breathed fresh life into Llanover Garden in southeast Wales
The elegant Cornish hideaway that was designed on the back of an envelope
Designer Matt Keightley has transformed a small plot of rough grass on the north Cornish coast into an elegant Mediterranean-inspired space for entertaining
From delivering bouquets by bike across London to a regenerative flower farm in Cornwall: living the Petalon dream
Having traded London life for regenerative farming in Cornwall, Florence and James Kennedy are taking their flower company Petalon to new heights
Meet the gardeners
Harry Baldwin, head gardener at the Newt, on learning from failures and sustainable planting
As head gardener at The Newt in Somerset, Harry is passionate about supporting new gardeners, and is drawn to gardens that embrace the wild.
We have to charge for Chelsea, or we wouldn’t have the money to do everything else, says RHS director general
The director general of the RHS on a childhood spent among nature, her impulse to engage and educate, and the strategy for the future
Gen Z are becoming gardeners now and they have a few ideas
Get a fresh perspective with these top tips from the UK’s next generation of bright young gardening stars
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 to visit in November for glorious autumn colour
Head gardener Tom Brown recommends the gardens to visit the month of November to see seasonal plants at their best
Gardens can look great in October – here are the best gardens to visit this month for beautiful autumn blooms
Head gardener Tom Brown recommends gardens and places to see seasonal plants and flowers at their best
11 cool, alternative garden festivals and events to enjoy this summer
From a compost festival to an exhibition displaying a 1500s gardening manual, there are plenty of fascinating events to attend this summer.
Gardens of the world
Worldwide gardens you need to see
We bought an abandoned olive grove and brought it back to life with a meadow-style garden of wildflowers
A hillside garden in southern Italy with a distinctly Mediterranean planting palette is alive with the echoes of civilisations past
There’s no lawn or ugly play kit but my kids still love our garden: how to make yours both family friendly and beautiful
Dutch garden and landscape designer Arjan Boekel has transformed his tiny town garden in the Netherlands into a miniature woodland glade
Clever terracing rescued this amazing Mediterranean dry garden on a hillside in Ibiza with stunning views
With a brief to create a terraced garden in the Ibizan countryside, designer Juan Masedo has balanced the ancient and the modern in a remarkably subtle scheme
Urban gardens
Amazing gardens from towns and cities
From new-build construction site to low-maintenance wildflower haven: this meadowscape is the smart way to do easy eco gardening
Designer Kristina Clode has created this vision of wild immersion, mostly from seed, for an accessible new eco home set in The Weald.
Behind the scenes with Piet Oudolf – here's how he plants his legendary schemes
Ever wondered how Piet Oudolf plans out and plants up one of his extraordinary landscapes? Rebecca McMackin was there to document each step at the creation of his most recent large-scale scheme, at Calder Gardens in Philadelphia.
The nursery that’s changing the face of Australian gardens
Antique Perennials has always been about introducing exciting plants to Australian gardeners, says co-founder Michael Morant, and now has a vibrant display garden to showcase its wares