Expert Gardening Tips

Alan Titchmarsh: Wordsworth was dead wrong about lonely clouds — but he was on to something with daffodils

Alan Titchmarsh loves daffodils — don't we all? — and shares some of his favourite varieties.

Betting your hedges: How taking a risk with your garden hedge could be the most rewarding job you ever do

As old as husbandry hedges may be, but that doesn’t mean they cannot be beautiful, too. Charles Quest-Ritson considers the many options.

About thyme: the herb that goes with any dish

With more than 200 different varieties, there's a thyme to suit any gardener's preference

The romance of the rose, and how it became the flower of love

Generations have sought that unattainable mystical creature, the perfect rose: shapely, dark red and sweetly scented. What is it about this flower that holds us so in thrall, and why are roses associated with love? Charles Quest-Ritson finds out.

After a long winter, it's time to get out and start preparing for spring

Gardens Editor Tiffany Danneff shares her top suggestions for new plants and seeds this growing season.

The snowdrops of Thenford: 900 varieties that are the pride and joy of Lord and Lady Heseltine

The gardens at Thenford House, home of Lord and Lady Heseltine 
James Alexander-Sinclair joins snowdrop lovers wandering through more than 900 varieties of Galanthus, perhaps the largest collection in the country. Photographs by Clive Nichols.

Charles Quest-Ritson: no chain, no gain — how using a chainsaw will improve your garden

Gardeners can be reluctant to take a blade to a healthy tree, but sometimes a severe pruning will leave both plant and garden in better health.

Clive Nichols: Secrets from the king of garden photography

Britain's top garden photographer Clive Nichols joins the Country Life podcast.

Alan Titchmarsh: The art and craft of the head gardener

There are a healthy number of estates whose gardening staff are a vital part of their continued existence — Alan Titchmarsh pays tribute.

11 glorious dahlias to plant in your garden, as chosen by the experts at the National Dahlia Collection

The experts at the National Dahlia Collections told Kirsty Fergusson the best varieties they’d suggest for the typical country garden in Britain.

Mark Diacono: Chips, mash, roasted or dauphinoise — all better with your own potatoes

The versatile varieties of the potato make it a great crop to experiment with and, no matter what, nothing beats the taste of home grown

Where art meets biology: How Anne Wright has bred some of the world's most covetable snowdrops

At Dryad Nursery near York, botanical artist Anne Wright has been breeding some highly collectable snowdrops, writes Mary Keen. Photographs by Clive Nichols.

Alan Titchmarsh: Change your plants, buy a greenhouse, erect a shed — do something to shake up your garden this winter

Spring will be here before you know it, so why not shake up your garden before the bloom? Alan Titchmarsh offers some suggestions on how to do just that.

How to create a sweet-smelling winter garden

Fragranced plants may be harder to come across in winter months, says Lia Leendertz, but a little effort will reap deliciously sweet-smelling rewards both inside and outside the home.

'Giving a gardener a tree for Christmas is akin to offering a kitten or a puppy'

Wondering what to give a green-fingered friend or family member for Christmas? John Hoyland, gardens adviser at Glyndebourne, has some advice.

Alan Titchmarsh: The most spectacular flowers of spring are easy, guaranteed to flower — and now is the time to plant them

Alan Titchmarsh doesn't like tulips. He loves them.

Inside the National Trust's secret nursery

Charles Quest-Ritson was invited in to the National Trust's top-secret plant nursery. Here's what he discovered.

How to grow broad beans: How to plant them, how to look after them, and the best varieties for your garden

Mark Diacono names the best broad beans for flavour, reliability, tenderness and the beauty of the plant itself.

Alan Titchmarsh: The plants that I simply can't ever grow

Unless you're lucky enough to have a garden with medium loam soil, chances are that there are plants which you'll always struggle — but you're not alone, says Alan Titchmarsh.

Plastic pots revolutionised gardening in the 1960s — but field-grown plants are the future

John Hoyland always opts for bare-root plants if he can — and here's why you should too.